Have you ever experienced a moment that suddenly stopped you — not out of fear or shock, but because something felt strangely good?
Those moments are called glimmers.
Glimmers are small, positive sensations or observations that spark a sense of safety and well-being. They are the opposite of triggers, which tend to evoke negative emotional reactions. The term was originally coined by Deb Dana and later expanded by Justine Grosso.
Glimmers create tiny surges of calm or happiness — like brief flashes of peace or joy. I think of them as “moments within moments”: sudden pauses where something beautiful or unexpected touches you deeply and makes time feel different.
Some glimmers I’ve personally experienced:
- A bright blue swim ring behind a dirty window
- Dust on a lampshade turning soft pink in the light
- The sensation of a pleasant fabric brushing against my skin
As these examples show, glimmers are often hard to put into words — and even harder to share in a way that lets someone else fully feel what you felt. They are deeply personal.
They feel like a flicker from another reality, yet at the same time they’re comforting — as if they came from somewhere far away. And maybe they do: they might be sensory echoes from something previously experienced as safe, beautiful, or good — something that never had words before.
In my experience, glimmers can’t be forced. For me, they don’t appear on demand.
But some people believe you can learn to notice them more easily. It takes sensitivity — the ability to pause and pay attention. That can be difficult in a busy everyday life.
Still, sometimes a glimmer shows up unexpectedly: on a tired bus ride home from work, or in the middle of a dull meeting.
Maybe glimmers aren’t things we can actively seek — but they can find us, if we’re willing to slow down.
Have you experienced glimmers?
What were they like — and have you ever been able to recreate the experience?
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