Memories are a reconstruction of times past, recalled in the present and can be influenced by new experiences and new information received since the time the bits and pieces were stored. Triggers for post-cult memories depend upon what group an individual belonged to, the philosophy and practices of the group, and individual personal experiences in the group. For former members of an Eastern guru-based group that used incense in meditation or rituals, the smell of incense can be a powerful trigger. The loaded language used in groups can also be a trigger. In cult experience, members dissociate in order to adapt to the stress of cult life and to protect themselves from the group's contradictory agenda and demand for subservience.
Dissociation is a normal mental response to anxiety.
The person becomes absorbed and immersed in some other mental picture, idea or emotion. This dissociation occurs unexpectedly and unintentionally and it is this dissociation that can be experienced as a floating effect. Any non-focused, monotonous, repetitive activity can trigger the old state of dissociation because one becomes flooded by the repetition. There are times when a trigger can arise m a normal, everyday environment. Ex-members are most susceptible to triggers when anxious, lonely, stressed, tired, distracted, ill or uncertain.