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Does anyone else literally get triggered by grounding shit

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I struggle with grounding and have tried so many.

Some totally didn’t work but I have one I use more often than not in public.

I start counting things or spelling things I can see.

Try several and don’t give up until you find what works for you.
 
"Take a deep breath!" Can be destructive and dysregulating
Yes, I relate to this in a huge way. For years every time I took a deep breath (if I could) I would instantly be transported into a flashback. A vivid, terrifying, drop me on the spot flashback.

That's an excellent and validating article and I appreciate it. I haven't seen anything in print yet that expresses this line of thinking although I think that it should be looked at more closely. Thanks for this.
 
"Take a deep breath!" Can be destructive and dysregulating .

A friend who is a nurse told me when I have a panic attack, I should breathe out all the air in my lungs. Your body knows how to breathe in by itself because it's a survival reflex, but you need to get rid of the CO2 in your lungs first. It works really well. I don't know whether it's 'grounding', but it definitely takes care of the physical side of things.
 
Grrrrah, case in point: I'm watching a lecture about the psychology of well-being on EdX. The syllabus looks really interesting. But all the exercises are like "Focus on your breathing yada yada, what is going on inside yada yada". I can't even read the instructions. Now I'm having a hissy fit. I'll go for a smoke. Thanks for nothing, you lame-ass Hippies.
Grrrrrrrrrrr.
And to think I was feeling cozy before from doing Torah study all day yesterday.... Grrrr
 
I'm glad to read the thread! I know others struggle with this stuff but it still sometimes feels like I'm just making it up or not trying hard enough. Especially since have had that reaction from t's.

What works for me changes depending on what is happening at the moment and the context. The type of grounding that focuses outside my body and positions me in time, space, identity, or that engages senses of sight or smell are usually the best.

Mindfulness has been a life changer for me in my life in general but that doesn't mean that being able to be aware and especially aware of body is a possible or helpful thing in certain ways and times. And its taken a lot of hard work. One of the most comforting and helpful thing for me is a soft heavy blanket or a pashmina.

Am in a difficult stage at present as am having way less dissociation and that includes no longer having sections of my body be numb. That is very challenging.

I know that being fully present in the body may be ultimate goal... but its a process. And yuck, just yuck.
 
Yes, I used to use smoking for grounding, then I realized it's probably the nicotine (stimulant) I need, just as I can eat cookies/ Christmas baking and run, and drink oodles of coffee.

But yes, conventional grounding doesn't work well for me, it's a disaster mostly in fact. The only thing I can think of atm that works for me is cold water, on my face or body or to drink, temporarily fleeing, or being asked questions but not from someone threatening or demanding. I think basically, get the anxiety down, then hear/ listen/ speak, in some way that gets my thoughts in to a useful 'thought'/ direction. Also dogs, some smells help, some tactile objects. I don't think I feel as much with my body because I've spent many years trying to tolerate (physical pain)/ not focus on it. I could push my feet in to the floor til my ankles broke. :rolleyes::(
 
This is still an issue for me, but I am doing better at being here now. I am starting to get a slight sense of grounding in my body. I am not numbed out on food, so I am starting to have a different way of experiencing my body.
 
Right after my crash, I told myself I needed to do deep breathing to keep myself calm. Even though I didn't feel it (at the time I was teaching DBT skills in a residential youth program for addictions), but I was in shock and knew it would be helpful to employ those skills. Normally I'm excellent in a crisis, so I assume it was just before the PTSD kicked in where I still was able to manage myself. I counted to 4 as I breathed in, and held it, then counted to 4 as I breathed out. I probably should've exhaled longer, but whatever.

Point being, now when I'm told to relax and do deep breathing I hate it and get defensive. I recently put two and two together that subconsciously my brain is very angry that we tried this and a huge traumatic thing still happened. I mean just before the crash I was using skills to try and cope with a traumatic friendship break up as well so I was employing all the skills I knew to self regulate and in distress tolerance. Now I'm pissed off all I do is tolerate stress and try to relax with breathing. I'm very very angry about it.

I've been noticing lately that the trauma itself hasn't been as big of a trigger as forcing me into situations or behaviours I'm uncomfortable with. Throughout life I've been taught to 'fake it til you make it', 'grin and bear it' type of life so now I find all those tactics do nothing but make things worse. Yet, therapist keeps pushing to do it more. \

But what do you do when the treatment is the trigger?
 
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