When you react to things that don’t seem related to your past, it may be because you have no conscious memory of the event related to the trigger. The nervous system “remembers” events in a separate way from our conscious memories. We may not consciously remember because we were very young, dissociated, intoxicated, or overwhelmed by trauma; however, the nervous system can still remember those experiences.
The nervous system identifies cues it associates with the threat. For example, you might not remember that it was a breezy day when you were crossing the street and almost struck by a careless driver. Your nervous system might have associated the breeze with danger. You probably would not think a windy day had anything to do with your past.
This page is part of the Why Do I Get Triggered Without Knowing Why? section of the CommuniDID site, which explains how trauma associations form and why the nervous system can react automatically before you consciously recognize what caused the reaction.
Explore more:
- Questions about being triggered without knowing why
- You will find more about body memories in Body-Based Symptoms in DID
- Unrecognized Trauma Memories
Have a question this page didn’t answer? Click “Yes” or “No” below and a comment box will appear where you can leave your question. Comments are reviewed but not made public.