Unlayering the Hidden Roots of Trauma: Trauma Trigger Tools
- Heline Freea
- Oct 30
- 10 min read
November 3, 2025
Heline Freea, Author and Trauma Therapist
Wes Arnett, Subject Matter Expert
Author Heline Freea is a Trauma Therapist, Mental Health Trainer, Energy Therapist, Clinical Supervisor, and Founder of Routed in Recovery Truth & Purpose. Heline is a Member of the British Association for Counseling and Psychotherapy (MBACP) and the author of Unlayering the Hidden Roots of Trauma.
Heline has over 27 years of experience as a registered integrative relational counselor, somatic practitioner, mental health recovery skills trainer, energy healer, writer, and clinical supervisor in universities, colleges, schools, social care, charities, and NHS communities. Being a trauma survivor herself and raised in a family environment of abandonment, narcissism, addiction, and abuse, she draws on her personal journey of breaking free from ancestral intergenerational patterns of domestic abuse, poor self-esteem, and a diminished sense of self to become empowered. She finds a holistic, alternative way to self-heal and discovers deep inner peace.
According to Heline Freea:
My personal battle with Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) has deeply influenced my professional path, leading me to discover and train in various therapeutic and holistic modalities. Fleeing my violent home in my teens due to my nervous system reaching capacity, with no support available, I had no option but to become my own self-healer. My journey through pain and adversity, much like many of you, has led me to a place of introspection and growth.
My struggle to find the proper therapeutic support ignited my quest for a deeper understanding of my emotions, triggers, and to uncover aspects of self that had been hidden due to shame, fear, judgment, and insecurities. Taking charge of your own healing process helps you realize that you have the strength to effect change in your life, and you become more attuned to your own boundaries, tolerances, and aspirations. Our first spontaneous reaction can often be self-pity in the face of relentless shame, blame, abuse, and abandonment. The imperative to become self-sufficient is daunting as it requires navigating vulnerabilities and insecurities fraught with fear of failure and the weight of uncertainty, making the prospect of standing alone feel like a massive challenge.
In my journey of navigating the aftermath of insidious narcissistic abuse, I was left grappling with a desperate need to comprehend the profound impact of my trauma. Trigger work helped me to identify the unrecognized anxiety and mental health stigma, denial, and avoidance, whilst helping me to unravel the barrage of false narratives and projective defensiveness held in my abusive generations.
The patterns of idealization and devaluation often encountered in dysfunctional relationships impart a critical lesson: love is inherently unstable. This cyclical dynamic creates an environment in which affection is contingent and unpredictable, leading individuals to internalize the belief that genuine love is intrinsically inconsistent.
Consequently, as we transition into adult relationships, we may find ourselves adjusting our expectations downward, anticipating less emotional availability and stability from partners, and a tendency to settle for less than we deserve. The fear of being devalued or abandoned can overshadow the desire for meaningful connections, leading to a self-fulfilling prophecy in which the expectation of instability perpetuates a cycle of dissatisfaction. This conditioning stifles our capacity to embrace the depth and richness of love that is possible when rooted in mutual respect, nurturing, and consistency.
Over the years, I felt a sense of urgency in my quest to make sense of inconsistent connections and of attracting abusive and avoidant partners, compelling me to decipher these patterns. By understanding the psychological roots of my attraction to unhealthy relationships, I began to dismantle the false narratives that had been woven into my identity.
Embracing my vulnerabilities enabled me to seek out resources that resonated with me, finding a path towards inner peace, growth, and healing. When we understand what is coming our way, we can learn from the triggering message and decide how to respond. This process not only illuminated my path toward healthier, more loving connections but also empowered me to reclaim my sense of self-worth and establish boundaries that fostered genuine respect and care. Ultimately, this journey of self-discovery was essential in breaking the cycle of attracting toxicity and paving the way for more fulfilling connections.
By tapping into our creativity, intuition, and the power of self-reflection, we can forge our paths toward healing, reclaim our narratives, and transform our pain into purpose. The profound capacity for self-healing emerges when we engage in deep self-reflection, listen to our inner voice, and honor our emotions; we gain invaluable insights into our strengths, vulnerabilities, and lessons from our struggles.
According to Dr. Brene Brown: "You can't get to courage without walking through vulnerability. To break the cycle of trauma, we must first acknowledge our pain and allow ourselves to be seen."
The passion for me to write my book stemmed from my belief in the importance of making sense of my experiences from a somatic perspective, particularly after my nervous system became incapacitated at the age of 16, begging a police officer to put me in a cell so I could have a good night's sleep, free from the toxicity of my family environment.
As Peter Levine, the founder of somatic experiencing, states, 'Paralysis is an ancestral root.' Therapeutic approaches that neglect the body and focus mainly on thoughts (top-down processing) will consequently be limited. The way we respond to these signifiers is pivotal in helping contain the terrors.
Understanding my history and triggers became a turning point, as I was able to comprehend why I was trapped in cycles of abusive, toxic, codependent relationships. These insights allowed me to identify specific stimuli that evoked intense emotional and physical responses, alerting me to physical ailments, and eventually empowering me to break free from these cycles and develop valuable skills such as boundary setting, assertiveness, anxiety management, and self-care. This understanding is not just a tool, but a beacon of hope, showing that change and healing are possible.
Intergenerational trauma can hinder the transmission of cultural knowledge and
conceal the ongoing mental health challenges in families, leading to a culture of silence and suppression within communities and generations.
Intergenerational trauma is composed of three components: (a) the degree and nature of parental traumatization, (b) the intergenerational transmission of unresolved trauma, and (c) the behavioral and experiential characteristics of their children and subsequent generations. Intergenerational trauma can be passed down if the parent has experienced childhood adverse experiences such as abuse, neglect, etc, and had similar symptoms to PTSD in their early years.
Key Considerations Impacting Mental Health
The extent/nature of parental traumatization.
The intergenerational transmission of unresolved trauma
Trauma transmitted to future generations- children and grandchildren
Learned Behavioral reactions/adaptive internal response styles/ and psychological processes.
Difficulties with stress levels, development, attachments, communication, expression, and disconnection.
Resulting Symptoms
Affective destabilization
Suppressed reactions.
Emotional outbursts
Inability to calm emotions
Biological changes in the body
Volatile, emotional, destructive behaviors.
Depression, anxiety, and self-harming
What is Trauma-Informed CPTSD Therapy?
Trauma-informed therapy is for Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD)
This is an approach that recognizes the widespread impact of trauma on an individual's mental and emotional health. It does so while nurturing a compassionate, safe space where individuals can feel genuinely heard, seen, and understood, with sensitivity to cultural and personal contexts.
In the context of Complex Post-Traumatic Stress, understanding intergenerational acculturation is crucial as it provides insight into how trauma and cultural dynamics influence mental health, stigma, and healing in families.
Early in my practice as a mental health recovery trainer and Integrative relational counselor, supporting many complex client groups, particularly those dealing with severe dissociation stemming from repetitive sexualised trauma and domestic abuse, I became concerned that talking therapy was challenging and re-traumatizing as many children and adults struggled to engage with and process traumatic memories.
Psychologist Jennifer J. Freyd first introduced Betrayal Trauma Theory (BTT) in the late 1990s. Betrayal Trauma: The Logic of Forgetting Childhood Abuse. Dr. Freyd's breakthrough theory explaining this phenomenon shows how psychogenic amnesia not only happens but, if the abuse occurred at the hands of a parent or caregiver, is often necessary for survival. Freyd's book will give embattled professionals, beleaguered abuse survivors, and the confused public a new, clear understanding of the lifelong effects and treatment of child abuse.
The child forgets the abuse; they do not consciously remember it. It occurs instinctively in response to traumatic events and environments, in correlation with the 'freeze state.'
My past experiences had led me to rely on these adaptations, often fragmented and disconnected from my emotions.
Traditional talking therapies, which depend on verbal communication, didn't effectively address my internal chaos and complex trauma responses. The presence of multiple triggers can make it challenging to navigate life, as many of you might relate, finding yourself on high alert and feeling constantly overwhelmed, hindering my ability to articulate. The emotions tied to betrayal and experiencing scapegoat trauma were incredibly complex, involving conflicting feelings of love, loyalty, and anger. In my first experience of talk therapy, I was stuck between denial, loyalty, and unconscious avoidance of my painful realities due to suffering from cognitive dissonance, which prevented meaningful progress in sessions.
Recognizing the impact of repetitive trauma and its multiple triggers is crucial in breaking the cycle of reactivity, as over time this can exacerbate feelings of helplessness and isolation, the brain becoming conditioned to respond more rapidly to certain stimuli with heightened distress.
The right therapeutic bridge for me was trauma-informed therapy and expressive therapies, which help you to access emotions that may be difficult to articulate verbally, fostering a deeper understanding of your inner landscape, gaining capacity for emotional regulation, and more safe, joyful connections. This approach is not just practical but empowering, giving you the tools and understanding to take control of your healing journey.
Combining expressive arts with somatic experiencing therapy creates a holistic therapeutic approach that addresses trauma on multiple levels: cognitive, emotional, and physical.
These modalities create a dynamic interplay that encourages clients to connect with their inner selves, process their trauma, and cultivate a sense of agency and empowerment.
Understanding triggers provides a pathway to reclaiming a sense of safety, to a reunion with your true self, and to a deeper understanding of relational and interpersonal dynamics.
Trauma-focused, holistic relational therapy can help individuals navigate, process, and alter the triggered reaction by empowering them to explore alternative response styles, raising awareness of their fight or flight behaviors. These are the body's natural responses to perceived threats, which can include increased heart rate, rapid breathing, and muscle tension. You can then develop greater awareness of when you might be at risk of experiencing anxiety or dissociation, creating personalized coping and proactive self-care strategies that help you navigate your intense emotional states more effectively. We can then begin to take an active role in our self-healing process rather than feel controlled by our trauma.
CPTSD (Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) trauma triggers are specific stimuli that can evoke intense emotional and physical responses or sensations that reflect the individual's earlier childhood trauma.
David Richo, a psychotherapist and author, published Triggers: How We Can Stop Reacting and Start Healing. He highlights that triggers often stem from past experiences and unresolved feelings. He notes that triggers affect interpersonal dynamics and that introducing healthy boundaries and effective communication can improve relationships. He advocates mindfulness to enhance awareness of emotional responses, practice self-compassion—an essential tool for healing—and approach triggers with kindness.
These triggers can vary widely from person to person, but commonly include:
1. Sensory Triggers. Certain sounds, smells, or sights that remind an individual of the traumatic experience can provoke strong emotional reactions—for example, the sound of a siren or a particular song.
2. Emotional Triggers. Situations that evoke feelings of helplessness, fear, or abandonment can trigger trauma responses. This might include conflicts or situations that feel overwhelming. When encountering a trigger, individuals may experience a surge of anxiety, panic attacks, muscle tension, chest pain, dizziness, rapid heartbeat, shallow breathing, sweating, nausea, stomach aches, crying, shaking, feeling disoriented, emotional numbness, irritability or anger, dissociation, or avoidance behaviors.
3. Situational Triggers. Being in specific environments or situations that resemble the traumatic event can cause distress—for instance, visiting a location where trauma occurred or encountering a similar setting.
4. Interpersonal Triggers. Interactions with certain people or types of relationships (like authority figures or individuals who exhibit controlling behavior) can evoke feelings of fear or anxiety.
5. Physical Triggers. Physical sensations, such as pain, fatigue, or feelings of being trapped, can remind someone of their trauma and trigger distress.
6. Anniversaries or Reminders. Dates or events that coincide with the traumatic experience (such as anniversaries of loss or significant dates) can trigger memories and emotions related to the trauma.
7. Media Exposure. News stories, movies, or shows depicting similar traumatic events can evoke memories and feelings associated with past trauma.
8. Changes in Routine. Disruptions in daily life or unexpected changes can trigger anxiety or feelings of instability, reminding individuals of their trauma.
9. Isolation or Loneliness. Feelings of being alone or disconnected can trigger memories of past abandonment or neglect. Loneliness and the experience of 'suffering in silence' are deeply entwined with emotional triggers and somatic responses, creating complex layers that affect mental health. The body holds onto emotions and somatic reactions to loneliness as physical sensations. By tuning into their bodily sensations, individuals can gain insights into their emotional states and begin to address the underlying feelings that contribute to their loneliness.
10. Substance Use. The use of alcohol or drugs can sometimes trigger memories or feelings related to past trauma, leading to heightened emotional responses.
Understanding these triggers is not just about awareness; it's about empowerment. It can help individuals develop coping strategies and seek appropriate support to manage their reactions effectively, helping them regain control of their lives.
Practices like mindfulness, meditation, body scans, and journaling can help identify feelings of tension or heaviness.
Engaging in movement activities, such as yoga, encourages emotional release, while breath awareness promotes relaxation. Self-compassion is vital for acknowledging feelings without judgment, and seeking professional support can provide additional tools.
For individuals experiencing acute dissociation, it's essential to approach trigger work and somatic practices with caution. While the techniques can promote awareness and healing, they may also trigger overwhelm.
While some trigger points for trauma may be universal, such as reminders of violence, war, loss, or abandonment, individual reactions to these triggers can vary significantly.
"My Unraveling the Roots of Trauma" serves as a foundational resource for individuals seeking guidance and empowerment in understanding the roots of their experiences, designed for those who may not have access to professional support or the means to fund therapy, for anyone on their healing journey, taking steps toward recovery.
Heline Freea can be reached at https://www.globaltraumainterventions.co.uk/
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