Written by Chloe Williams | chloe@createandblossomstudios.com

When we talk about horrific life-shattering events, we can unintentionally trigger other people’s traumatic memories, even though everyone’s trauma is different. This is also the case when writing about trauma. Before introducing your audience to your traumatic experiences, it is important to warn them through “trigger warnings.” Discussing trauma can genuinely cause someone who has suffered a similar experience to have panic attacks or flashbacks. With the addition of trigger warnings at the beginning of your story, you may be able to prevent this from happening for some of your readers.

Trigger warnings, also sometimes referred to as “content warnings,” tell your audience to proceed with caution as there may be content they are about to read that they may find disturbing, offensive, uncomfortable, or distressing for both people who have experienced something similar and those who have not. We see trigger warnings on social media with the abbreviation “TW,” followed by the topics mentioned in the post that may be triggering. However, we have seen trigger warnings in traditional media on television before that. The news and other TV shows usually tell us before the content is shown to be aware that “viewer discretion is advised.” Usually, this means the following scenes may be graphic or unsuitable for many audiences. Because of this, the viewer can deter themselves from seeing something that may upset them.

In a more traditional sense, content warnings are most commonly seen on the rating of a TV show or movie. Content warnings usually include things like sexual themes, graphic violence, depictions of blood, flashing lights, or other similar topics. These warnings tell the audience what they can expect in the media they are about to watch and allow them to decide whether they are comfortable with it.

This same sentiment should be carried to books that showcase graphic retellings of trauma. Having these warnings can prepare your audience for what they are about to read—just in case your trauma triggers their trauma. Or, if they do plan on reading your story despite the warnings, they can at least prepare ways to recover from the weight of your traumatic experiences.

Sometimes, people may not realize they still have trauma they have not fully healed from. By including a trigger warning, they can see what you will mention in your story and use their discretion to determine whether they can digest the material healthily. Sometimes, being faced with the recognition that other people may have a similar thought pattern to your past thought pattern can set someone back in their healing journey. Even though discussing your past trauma and your current healing and recovery journey is extremely important, trigger warnings are equally as important. They should be discussed before the beginning of your story.

Healing and recovery are essential, and together, we can help everyone do so safely by doing our part.