Sqeezing the trigger of an awakening

Awakenings in and of themselves are traumatic for both the awakened vampire and if they choose to confide in others, then them as well. Much debate has been had over the course of years past centering on what exactly constitutes an awakening. The consensus is that no one thing defines it as all awakenings are independent unto themselves. That does not mean that similarities do not exist it just means that the order and severity of these characteristics varies from individual to individual.
But what is talked about even less is what triggers these changes, what causes the awakenings to occur. Some theories revolve around trauma either physical, psychological or a combination of both. Still another theory involves a predetermined time and place that is outside the control of the person. My personal thoughts tend to involve the evolution of my vampire soul to it's modern day incarnation. My souls relation to Lamia of Greek mythology ties into my own awakening in this lifetime. As the reincarnated soul of one of her Children who were taken and eventually murdered by Hera's orders my soul was born out of vengeance and hate towards those who committed these acts and those people who worshiped them.
In the early 80's I was a young airman in the United States Navy. During my very first deployment on board the aircraft carrier Forrestal, we made a port visit to one of the Spanish islands of the Mediterranean sea. Myself along with a childhood friend who had joined with me had decided to spend the night exploring the various night spots of the island. Around one in the morning we found ourselves in one of the more popular clubs that catered to young adults from around Europe as well as the remaining Mediterranean area. I was feeling weary and weak from the night of wine women and song and had decided to return to the ship and get some rest. So I bid a goodnight to my friend and made him promise to shower me the following morning of all that I had missed.
I had walked hardly two blocks when an explosion that shook the ground I was standing on rang out in the morning hours. My heart and every ounce of being sank when I noticed the direction in which the blast originated from. I ran as fast as I could back to the club where my best friend laid about 30 feet from the shattered front window of the building he had been ripped to pieces by flying glass as well as whatever else was thrown about as a result of the explosion. As I knelt down and held him while screaming for help. With tears of losing my best friend from childhood rolling down my cheeks I could only stair as my friend took his final breath in my arms. The next few hours were filled with debriefings and questions from all sorts of agencies from Spain as well as the U.S. And this continued for days.
It was during this that I realized I had changed both as a person and in the way I viewed the world. I was pissed I was hurt and Vengeance boiled inside of me. Over the course of a few years the hate went away and my thirst for vengeance subsided. It wouldn't be until the concept of awakenings became prominent that I realized that my own had begun on that tearful day.
Well folks thats my tale of what squeezed the trigger of my awakening. I would truly love to read the accounts of what you feel triggered yours if you don't wish to then that is fine as well.