Educational companion dossier · Fact, interpretation, lived experience, clinical education, fiction, and mechanics are labeled separately. Scope & safety
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GAME MECHANIC

PROTECTIVE TRADECRAFT // PLAYER PROTOCOL

Trauma Trigger Map

Separate trauma reminders, body-based threat responses, present surveillance indicators, and new interpretations.

OBJECTIVEVerify current threat without forcing re-exposure or turning the character into bait.
GAME MECHANIC

Operational sequence

  1. Ask which routes, sounds, people, and positions reproduce the ambush.
  2. Map confirmed surveillance indicators on a separate layer.
  3. Give the source control over pacing and audience.
  4. Use alternate routes and third-party observation instead of repeated exposure.
  5. Create a safety plan that works whether the tail is confirmed or not.

Failure states

  • Demanding repeated retelling
  • Treating avoidance as deception
  • Using the source to flush a tail
  • Assuming hypervigilance is wholly irrational