Glimmers to Overcome Triggers
When we are triggered, we are feeling internal cues that indicate a potential threat. Their opposite, glimmers, are cues that signal safety.
When we are triggered, our nervous systems can become activated and push us into the survival strategies such as fight, flight, freeze, appease, and feigned death. I previously wrote about the process of nervous system activation here and here.
Glimmers are the opposite of triggers and can activate our ventral vagal nervous system. When we can find glimmers, they can cause us to feel more safe, relaxed, and open to connecting with ourselves and/or others.
So, what is a glimmer and how do you find them?
A glimmer can be found in most places and moments. They can include:
Noticing beautiful things in nature - a bee on a flower, the wind gently blowing the trees, the warmth of the sun on your skin, seeing the stars in the sky, a spectacular sunset…
Witnessing a sweet interaction between strangers, reading a funny text from a friend, hearing a loved one’s voice…
Feeling comfortable in your freshly washed sheets, the smell of coffee brewing, the taste of a perfectly ripe strawberry, the sound of your cat purring, your favorite song playing unexpectedly…
This popular TikTok illustrates glimmers well:
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By noticing glimmers, we can actively rewire and shape our nervous systems. This practice of intentionally noticing glimmers is important because we are naturally wired with a negativity bias. This means that we automatically put more weight and attention on the not-so-positive encounters, belief systems, etc. This negativity bias can be much more deeply ingrained in those who have experienced trauma.
Deb Dana, LCSW who coined the term “glimmers”, explains, ”the thing I love about glimmers is that working with trauma survivors, it's so respectful of their suffering," Dana says. "It allows them to understand that their biology is wired in a way that we don't discount the trauma or the crisis or the ongoing suffering, but we recognize that their biology is exquisitely set up to be able to also notice the micro-moments of goodness."
Glimmers can easily be missed, especially if you are busy and bouncing from one thing to the next without a stop or pause. When you do come across a glimmer, take a moment to really take it in and notice how it impacts your body and emotions. You can turn a glimmer into a glow by staying with the sensations and emotions that come up for 30 or more seconds.
What is a glimmer you have observed this week? How did noticing the glimmer impact you and your body at the moment - how does remembering it impact you now? Please feel free to comment below or email me directly to share any thoughts or feelings about glimmers!
Warmly,
Ellen
Great to see Polyvagal Theory related and Deb Dana's work being discussed and encouraged on substack! Here are some of my related daily "glimmer" suggestions (from my complete list of suggestions which I included here https://garysharpe.substack.com/p/lessons-learned-in-the-crucible-of )
cultivate a daily meditative practice, whether meditation, hypnotherapy, art therapy, etc., anything which gives our minds a break from verbose, busy and anxious thoughts;
re-connect body and brain through daily movement and dance;
spend time in nature;
appropriately stimulate the Ventral Vagus Complex and Social Engagement functions of the Nervous System;
synchronise brain hemispheres, rebalance brain by cultivating the right brain’s embodied, connected, big picture, present way of attending;
practice gratitude, forgiveness, kindness and compassion, seek to let go of chronic anger, hate, despite and try not to engage in judging, blaming and shaming others;