Trauma Triggers: How Addressing Our Blind Spots Increases Emotional Intelligence

Blind spots. We each have them. In the context of personal change, why is it we often settle for "good enough?” Our past emotional traumas amplify deflection and uncomfortable avoidance in most of us. with psychological blind spots that everyone else can see but us. So just how do we find these answers? - with a little daring, some honest reflection, and self-examination. One of the toughest self-awareness missions you can undertake is a direct seek-and-destroy attack on your own pockets of denial. Identifying your own blind spots is an interesting exercise in paradox. It’s easy to question a problem if you deny that it truly exists. Many of us frequently avoid this difficult confrontation altogether, bypassing this crucial emotional intelligence process. As a result of childhood abuse, Joe Ryan has endured a lifetime of trauma, shame, and emotional demons. In sharing his invaluable insight, Joe is paving the way for others to heal from the turmoil and distress of his past traumatic events. While revisiting some of your top-rated episodes, we found this conversation to be extremely helpful and beneficial. In terms of downloads, this episode is our second most popular. Joe and I explore how each of us can become more emotionally vulnerable to uncover and understand our emotional blind spots. By learning how to identify past trauma triggers, we can move beyond emotional reactivity and become more comfortable with our authentic selves. Highlights: When we are triggered, we often have to set a boundary. How, from your perspective, do we begin to uncover these things which trigger our trauma response? In order to heal past traumas and release emotional reactivity, it’s essential we recognize those feelings at their core source. Fully absorb the relationship we have formed with them, and process how it affects us. When we’ve taken the time to see the trigger as the emotional mirror and pattern we tend to feel as a result, we are able to release our need to react in the same protective manner. Featured Guests: Joe Ryan https://joeryan.com/ JOIN US ON INSTAGRAM: @thelightinsidepodcast SUBSCRIBE: pod.link/thelightinside Credits: Music Score by Epidemic Sound Featured music:  A Hard Truth by Wanderer's Trove Little Light by Wanderer's Trove Executive Producer: Jeffrey Besecker Mixing, Engineering, Production, and Mastering: Aloft Media Studio Production Manager: Anna Getz