First, I'm going to copy and paste something from a blog post I made some time ago:
I feel like a lot of people confuse squicks and triggers, so I wanted to bring this up.
A trigger is something that triggers memories of traumatic events, anxiety, relapse, or other forms of distress or disruption. Triggers are tied to trauma, neurodivergence, and mental illness.
A squick is something that causes discomfort or disgust, but is not as intense or severe as a trigger, and is not necessarily tied to trauma, neurodivergence, or mental illness.
Triggers and squicks can sometimes be difficult to differentiate between, but please try to be mindful when labeling something as a trigger. Experiencing discomfort is not necessarily the same thing as being triggered, and watering down the definition of triggers can further stigma and misunderstandings about what they are.
On a side note, please be careful when sharing information about your triggers online. It is safest to only share that information privately with people you know you can trust, such as close friends. Sharing public information about your triggers can be dangerous if that information falls into the wrong hands. I've noticed a lot of people on here are publicly sharing information about their triggers, and it is very concerning to me. Please be cautious.
End of blog post.
I wanted to bring this up, but I also wanted to bring up something else. I know plenty of us have uncommon or hyperspecific triggers. I know I do, and I know I can't expect people to put a censor or warning over these things. Anything can potentially be a trigger.
It's relatively reasonable to expect people to put trigger warnings for uncommon or hyperspecific triggers in small-scale groups, such as with your friends or in a small community. That's an achievable courtesy since people are more likely to know you and what your triggers are. However, on a larger scale (i.e. on the internet in general or in real life) these triggers are harder to prepare for or avoid.
When it comes to the internet, it is possible to censor triggering content with filters, apps, add-ons, etc. I recommend doing this, especially if you have uncommon or hyperspecific triggers. I use this filter to censor my trigger words and names:
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/advanced-profanity-filter/piajkpdbaniagacofgklljacgjhefjeh
I don't know if there's an AI that is useful for automatically censoring triggering images, but I know that text is relatively easy to block.
When if comes to real life (or in general) it's important to have a safety plan, especially since triggers can be harder to prepare for or avoid. These safety plans will greatly vary between individuals, so this is something you'll need to discuss and plan with a therapist.
I also think it's important to mention the two things trigger warnings are useful for: preparation and avoidance. A trigger warning allows you to either prepare yourself for the triggering content, or avoid it altogether if you don't feel safe or ready to confront it.
I want to bring up exposure therapy as well, and how it differs from exposure in real life. Exposure therapy is a type of therapy that happens in a controlled environment with a therapist who exposes you to the triggering content in increments. This is done in a way that slowly eases you back into a state of safety or normalcy around the trigger.
This is not the same as regular exposure to a trigger. Some people say trigger warnings are harmful because "you just need to be exposed to it and get used to it." This is not how recovery works. Exposure therapy is controlled and planned, whereas when you're triggered in everyday life without warning, it is much more difficult to cope with, and can make your symptoms even worse.
Don't let people gaslight you into thinking you're just "weak" or "sensitive" because you have trauma responses to your triggers. Repeating your trauma without preparation does not lead to recovery; therapy leads to recovery.
That's all I have to say; I hope I didn't ramble too much. Stay safe and take care of yourself /g