Why Am I Still Triggered by Childhood Trauma as an Adult?

You’re successful. You’ve worked hard. You might even be in therapy—or have done years of it. And yet… something small can still feel like too much. A tone of voice, a look, a certain kind of silence…It hits harder than it “should.” You feel shut down. Disconnected. Like you’re back in survival mode or like you’ve never had a break from being in survival mode. And you find yourself wondering: “Why am I still reacting like this? Shouldn’t I be over it by now?”

If this feels familiar, you’re in the right place. As an EMDR and IFS-informed trauma therapist, I work with many adults who feel confused or ashamed by the intensity of their reactions. This post will walk you through why triggers can persist long after childhood trauma, and how intensive trauma therapy, specifically IFS-informed EMDR intensives, can help.

What Are Triggers, Really?

Let’s start here. A trigger is not just about remembering the past. It’s about reliving it physiologically, emotionally, and/or neurologically.

When something reminds your nervous system of a past danger (even if that danger is no longer present), your body reacts as if the threat is happening right now. Your heart races. Your thoughts spin. You might freeze or shut down. These reactions are survival-based.

Triggers don’t live in your thinking brain. They live in your body, your emotional memory, and your nervous system.

Why Childhood Trauma Lingers

Childhood trauma has a unique kind of impact. When something painful or overwhelming happens in childhood—whether it’s overt abuse or the more invisible wounds of emotional neglect—our developing systems adapt to survive. We shut down parts of ourselves. We try to stay small or perfect. We learn it’s not safe to need, to feel, or to speak up.

But those patterns don’t disappear just because we’ve grown up.

In fact, many people say things like:

• “I still feel like I’m walking on eggshells.”

• “I should be able to handle this better, but I panic when someone’s mad at me.”

• “I don’t know why I get so defensive over small things.”

• “Everything’s fine, and yet I can’t stop this overwhelming feeling of dread.”

• “I’ll just do it alone.”

These are cues of trauma showing up in the present. 

Why Insight Isn’t Always Enough

Most of my clients are incredibly self-aware. They know their trauma history. They’ve talked about it. They can even explain where their patterns come from.

And yet—they still feel stuck.

That’s because trauma isn’t just a story—it’s an experience stored in the nervous system. You can’t always talk your way out of trauma responses. You have to process them differently. That’s where IFS-informed EMDR comes in.

How EMDR Helps with Triggers

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a research-backed therapy that helps reprocess traumatic memories so they no longer carry the same emotional charge. Instead of avoiding or getting overwhelmed by the past, EMDR helps your brain integrate it as something that happened, not something that’s still happening.

Here’s how EMDR works for adult triggers:

• Identifies key memories or emotional targets that keep the nervous system stuck

• Uses bilateral stimulation (eye movements, taps, or tones) to help reprocess those memories

• Allows the body to release stored trauma, so you don’t get hijacked by it in everyday life
  

With EMDR, clients often say:

“I can think about the past, but it doesn’t take over anymore.”
“That thing used to send me into a spiral—now it’s just… quieter.”
“I didn’t even know how much I was carrying until I felt the release.”

Learn more about the EMDR process, here.

Why IFS Makes EMDR More Gentle and Effective

Internal Family Systems (IFS) adds another powerful layer by helping you work with the parts of you that still carry fear, shame, or protectiveness.

IFS-informed EMDR allows you to:

• Get to know the protective parts that show up during triggers (like the part that gets angry, the one that shuts down, or the one that spirals into people-pleasing)

• Build trust with those parts instead of pushing them away

• Prepare your system for deeper trauma processing with more safety and respect
  
  This is not about forcing anything. It’s about building relationships with your inner world—so your healing can happen at the pace your nervous system is ready for.

Why EMDR Intensives Work So Well for Triggers

If you’ve been working on trauma for a while but still feel stuck, an IFS-informed EMDR intensive can offer the depth and time needed to finally shift the patterns.

Here’s what makes intensives different:

• More time: Instead of squeezing deep work into 50 minutes, you have longer blocks to get into the heart of what’s going on

• Fewer disruptions: With a multi-hour or multi-day format, you’re not starting and stopping constantly—you get to stay in the process

• Intentional preparation: We spend time helping your system feel grounded, resourced, and safe enough to go deep

• Faster results: While traditional weekly therapy can take months to build momentum, many clients feel real shifts within a single weekend intensive

Your System Just Needs a Different Kind of Support

Still being triggered doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It doesn’t mean you’re weak. It means your nervous system is asking for deeper repair.

IFS-informed EMDR intensives offer a path toward that healing.

If you’ve felt stuck, overwhelmed, or exhausted from trying to “fix” yourself—it might be time to try something different. You don’t have to keep spinning in insight. You can experience what it’s like to feel more calm, connected, and free from the inside out.

Curious If an Intensive Is Right for You?

You don’t need to be “completely ready” to reach out. In fact, part of our process is exploring whether an intensive feels like the right fit for you and your nervous system.

📍 I offer IFS-informed EMDR intensives in Colorado and online.
If you're looking for trauma therapy that gets to the root and honors your pace, this may be the next step.

Book a free consultation today to learn more.

Curious about what an IFS EMDR intensive actually looks like? Click here. 

Coming soon: Content Within, a small-group coaching experience for women navigating life after trauma—designed to help you understand your inner world and reconnect with your sense of self. Reach out for more information, here.