Jones39 has started a very good thread about triggers, with some great input from bipolarmomma and moody.

Go take a look!

TRIGGERS

Love y'all!

Jim

Thanks for your hug!

I'm not sure, but I think you're asking a question which you have already answered; however, you may not realize it.

So..., use an example such as, "I hit my thumb with a hammer." That's what you might call the triggering (physical) event.

Think carefully about what happens after I hit my thumb....

In order:

Hammer contact (event)

Pain (sensation)

Emotion (recognition)

"Owww!" (reaction)

This sequence takes place within a second or two after I hit my thumb. Where's the mood swing!?

The mood swing comes after the reaction, doesn't it?

In order:

Hammer contact

Pain

Emotion

Reaction

Result (mood change)

All five items in sequence are natural and normal for all healthy or unhealthy people; however, I (the bipolar individual) tend to experience an EXTREME result in mood change. Why?

In fact, the extreme mood change may actually continue or get worse for some time after the pain subsides. Why?

I am not a clinician, Cappy, so I will limit my answer to your question to my own experience--what happens to me.

In my case, my reaction (mood change) is always directly proportional to the intensity of each step which precedes it (e.g: more pain=more intense mood change; longer, stronger, or more complex reaction=more intense mood change; Stronger emotion=more intense mood change.

If I can control or manage any of the three (pain, emotion, or reaction), I can control or manage my mood swing.

However, controlling and managing pain and emotions is not so easy since they are largely biological ("It's not good to mess with Mother Nature!").

My REACTION, on the other hand IS NOT altogether biological, is it? My reaction is mostly behavioral. So it became apparent that every event in my life might produce a different result if I were to learn to react differently. Besides, my body has already begun to release chemicals to abate the pain and ease the emotional distress.

So the whole mess in my bipolar life boils down to one problem (that's simplistic, and not totally true...!)--how I react to people, places, and events.

So, as I said, "Where's the trigger!? Is it the event? ...the pain? ...the emotion? ...the reaction? ...the result?

Here it comes, Cappy--my opinion.... (You DID ask what I think! LOL)

I think the word "trigger" is merely a nice word (euphemism) which I have often used to blame people, places, things, and events for my inability to react appropriately to the pain and emotion of life; and I believe that my bipolar disease (call it brain chemistry if it makes you happy) and my addiction/alcoholism have usually prevented me from seeing and changing my inappropriate reaction.

That's my response. Now, what do YOU think?

Thanks again!

Jim Rist

Once again, remember that I merely gave you my opinion.

My opinion is not necessarily the truth, you know.

Whatever the truth is, I took the meds for my brain chemistry, but I still had to change me--reasoning, reactions, beliefs, fears, dreams, hopes,....

Thanks to you and to hundreds of other friends who have willingly shared and helped me to make my changes. Thanks for being a part of my recovery.

Jim Rist