Understanding Emotional Triggers: How Ego & Pain-Body Create Stress and Reactivity

Have you ever reacted more strongly than a situation seemed to deserve?Have you felt anger, shame, defensiveness, or anxiety hit you like a wave?

That’s the “pain-body” — the emotional imprint of past experiences that gets activated in the present.

Mindfulness helps you recognize these triggers before they take over.

Instead of collapsing into anger or fear, you can learn to:

• notice early signs of activation

• pause before reacting

• regulate your breathing and nervous system

• respond from grounded awareness

When you become aware of the pain-body, you’re no longer controlled by it. You gain the power to choose.

This is the heart of emotional regulation — not suppressing emotion, but meeting it with presence.

If you struggle with emotional overwhelm, this work can be life-changing.

→ Learn about these tools in the 6-week group based mindfulness programs available both online and in-person