Trigger — Tail of Prince Rupert’s drop
You might have come across these words from German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” As aphorism goes these words are true to their core. Things, incidents, accidents which do not kill, really do make people stronger. But at what cost?
You might be wondering what Prince Rupert’s drop, and its tail is. What role it has here. We humans are fragile creatures, just like glassware we have our own label of handle with care. Just, in the hectic lives we ourselves forget this one simple thing, to care. Coming back to the point, Rupert’s drop also known as Dutch or Batavian tears are small tadpole shaped glass beads. These beads can handle almost any crushing force (hammer or even a bullet) on the bulbous or head. But a little scratch on the tail can shatter the thing into smithereens, including the previously indestructible head.
Many scientists have worked to understand this strange phenomenon. Among the noted experimenters was Robert Hooke, best known for coining the obscure scientific term: “cell.” Hooke figured out the gist of the drops’ strength. The drops are made by dripping molten glass into water. The outer layers, in direct contact with the water, cool rapidly, compressing into a teardrop shell that basically compresses on itself, giving it great strength. The shell is balanced against the slower cooling interior, which has high tensile strength and helps maintain the teardrop shape. The thin tail of the drop is also a harder shell compressing on a tensile core, but without much core and without the force distribution provided by the heads’ spherical shape. The tail is thus easily cracked, and tail cracks rapidly propagate into the interior of the head. Essentially, the tail shatters the head from the inside out. Hoping that now we know about Rupert’s drop. Back to the first question. But at what cost?
Trauma survivors too have a similar reaction. They are like molten glass, poured into ice cold water. To move on they become rigid in the external world. While internally still processing the events of their life. There is a tension between the cold outer world and the inner self. The tension in these two layers keeps the person from shattering. Though they constantly are in a push and pull situation, most of the time unaware. Hence, the things which have not killed them made them stronger. It may be losing someone, or some disease or any other sort of accident. But with this strong head which everyone sees is attached the tail. A slight scratch and the head will be shattered into powder. This tail is what we can call trigger.
Though now a days trigger is a word commonly used but being triggered is not just being uncomfortable or offended with something but a mental health issue. In psychology, a “trigger” is a stimulus that causes a painful memory to resurface. A trigger can be any sensory reminder of the traumatic event: a sound, sight, smell, physical sensation, or even a time of day or season. A person’s strong reaction to being triggered may come as a surprise to others because the response seems out of proportion to the stimulus. But this is because the triggered individual is mentally reliving the original trauma.
For example, an adult who experienced abandonment as a child might feel triggered by an unanswered text. The uncertainty of why they didn’t receive a response may cause them to relive feelings of abandonment.
When we experience trauma, our brains tend to store the surrounding sensory stimuli to memory. Then, when we encounter these sensory triggers years later, the brain may reactivate the feelings associated with the trauma. In some cases, we may not even be conscious of why we are afraid or upset.
So, a person who appears to be strong and well, might crumble due to an unanswered text or a quarrel. It can be a dormant memory which resurfaced after years or a new accident. It can easily send them back to the time of that incident. But in a much worse state. At first molten glass was poured into cold water but this time it’s going to become dust.
Maybe after going through a lot of recurring trauma and accidents people come out stronger and indestructible same as Price Rupert’s drop comes out as the strongest object. The reason it’s strong is because the inner layer keeps pressuring the out layers constantly. At the same time, it carries behind its weakness, its tail. If the tail is disturbed the whole piece crumbles. These tails for trauma survivors are triggers. The life of us humans whose handle with care stickers has vanished is like walking on eggshells. Anyone, at any moment unintentionally or intentionally may click the trigger. And the overdue shock can then lead to a relapse.
The fear of relapse and the constant fight to not give up for a second is the cost to be strong. Because what hasn’t killed yet , makes one know that it can at any moment at wish do so.
P.S. - “Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you, stranger.” The quote from dark knight too is the truth. Because knowing that fearing getting locked for a minute, getting overwhelmed by just an unanswered chat, or fearing a little loud noise or quarrel is not normal. The shivering hand, panic attacks and constant need for a reminder that everything is fine is not normal. But not knowing what to do makes a person sick. Constantly pretending to be “NORMAL” and not knowing the reason behind one’s own actions can make a person stranger to their own self as well as others.
But the people who at those time tell them it’s fine, they are fine makes the comeback possible. These are the people who make the world a better place. So, thank you to everyone helping someone. If you are struggling I know you have heard this several times but, you got this.
