The debate for or against trigger warnings has been circling the bookish community for years. Some argue that they impede artistic freedom or that exposure to discomfort is essential for growth. And, while therapy did teach me that you cannot heal triggers by avoiding them, engaging in triggers without being mentally prepared can be harmful. It’s crucial to recognize that trigger warnings don’t censor content; rather, they empower readers to make informed choices about what they consume.
“As a reader a trigger warning for something makes me LESS likely to put down the book than just stumbling onto that thing mid-story, because I’m mentally prepared to deal with it.” – E.M. Anderson, Author of The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher
Just because a reader chooses not to engage with certain content now does not mean they never will. It just means they have some healing to do before they can do so safely. And safety should matter to all authors in regards to their readers.
“There’s a misconception in the wider writing/reading communities that trigger warnings are unnecessary virtue signals, and once upon a time, I felt that way, too–until something so traumatic happened in my life that I discovered a very painful, very real trigger, which was unfortunately everywhere. Now I rely on trigger warnings to prepare my internal armor for battle. Many folks who do not need such warnings don’t understand that a trigger is more than a specific word, phrase, or concept that one can skip over; when exposed to my triggers, I am bombarded by intrusive thoughts and images that often prompt flashbacks and unwelcome emotions. Sometimes I am in a good headspace to handle these things with strategies developed by myself and my therapist, but sometimes I’m not. Trigger warnings let me choose when to engage and, hopefully, desensitize myself. Authors are not “responsible for their readers’ feelings”, as some detractors say, but when dealing in sensitive subject matter, giving readers that choice is powerful. It says, “I care about my consumers enough to protect them”. For Mental Health Awareness Month, we should embrace the reality that triggers are quiet weapons with substantial repercussions. It is not possible for me to completely control when I’m exposed to my trigger because, as said before, mine is unfortunately ubiquitous across many mediums, but by looking at trigger warnings before consuming media, I’m able to live without fear, not just exist in a box that blocks out the mere possibility of consequences.” – Jo Morgan Sloan, author of The Key and Stableshoes, coming December 2024 and Fall 2025 respectively.
As an author and editor who works with a number of sensitive subjects, I find that it is my duty to readers to ensure they are mentally prepared before reading something that could do them harm. We are creators of entertainment, and it should go without saying that being triggered unexpectedly is not the least bit entertaining.
I hope that as we navigate the remainder of Mental Health Awareness Month, as authors, we remember to include trigger warnings. And as readers, we thank the authors who do, even if their warnings are not for things that we find triggering. Because harm to someone is still harm, and we should be considering the harm of others as well as our own.
Empathy is a key factor missing from so many of these conversations, and I hope more people learn how important it is to be considerate of those around us so that we can build a safer, healthier, more loving world.
