Grounding Techniques : Group Effort Article

[JEKBreatheandBelieve]

I learned that it is important to practice grounding skills when you don't need them so that you will be able to access them more quickly when you do. I use a ton of grounding techniques because once I rely on a couple for a while they start not to work so I cycle through a large repertoire.

I almost always have on a bracelet, necklace, or carry rocks so that I have something I can feel and see. I can describe to myself what it looks and feels like and that will help bring me back most of the time.

I use 5-4-3-2-1 which relies on senses- looking around and naming 5 things I see, 4 things I hear,...and so on using each of the senses (in any order), but many people will leave out taste and substitute for 1 positive affirmation.

I also use colors- I look for an name everything of a specific color. It forces me to look around and see where I am. If I am with a therapist, then this might become a game of "I Spy".

I use drinking cold water, washing my hands, and walking.

I also usually keep a card for if I am really dissociated, it will tell me who I am, where I am, and when I am.

Sometimes I say the alphabet backwards or spell words backwards- but that one can make me seem zoned out if I am around people, but it does well to counteract anxiety.

I also do square breathing, which is kind of like the square technique above except I don't picture the square any more. I breathe in for a count of 4, hold for count of 4, release for count of 4, and hold for count of 4 and repeat until I feel more grounded or less anxious. I can't do regular deep breaths or it freaks me out more.

Also, I tend to sit in positions where my feet don't touch the floor, so sometimes literally putting my feet on the floor will help.

And above all else, music can do wonders. I have my iPod filled with songs that I find comforting and most I can sing alone with. I carry my iPod and earbuds with me everywhere I go. Listening to music helps calm me and if I am in a place where I can singing will help ground me.

 

[The Albatross]

songs are only 50/50 assistive for me as they can keep me in my head.

 

[KP the nut]

Also check out the thread Grounding 101

www.myptsd.com/c/threads/grounding-101.12459/#post-167834

 

[Anarchy]

I found the cinema a good place to practice grounding.

Weepy, or tense parts of the film work well. You can have the only dry eyes in the place.

 

[DogwoodTree]

Something that really doesn't work for me, but I'd be interested in knowing if anyone has found a way of working round this, is 'safe place' stuff. Safe as a concept just isn't something I can get my head round and so visualising a safe place just results in my head pointing out all the things that aren't safe about it :rolleyes: kind of works as a distraction technique but....

I just realized two days ago that there is a place I feel safe if I visualize myself being there without my body. So I don't know if that qualifies as grounding...but it sure does feel safer.

Whenever my T asked me to visualize a safe place, I couldn't do it, but the closest I got was seeing myself being in the woods on a hike, and leaving the trail, and getting as deep into the woods as I could, and as far away from people as I could. But I still don't really feel "settled" there because my body still has needs.

This was months ago, but then two days ago, I saw that image of the space in the woods again, and I could see myself there, but not in body, only as a smoky essence sort of thing, like an invisible cloud. And my body here where I'm actually sitting immediately relaxed. I've tried visualizing myself in the woods as a smoky essence a couple of more times since then, and every time, my physical body has relaxed as soon as I see the floaty cloud in the woods.

Is that grounding or dissociation? Being able to release some of the tension in my body has been nice, but not sure if it's too much of a disconnection from reality or not.

 

[Booknerd]

I have problems going places by myself. Walmart and SAMs are my biggest problem.
I go to to stores:Ingles and Kelly's Pharmacy with minimal stress level.
I had to run in to Walmart for something. I was at the edge. I put a sucker in my mouth and just kept my mind on what it felt like and how it tasted and smelled.
I was able to flee to my car without totally freaking out but I didn't get the stuff I needed.

I leave my house and make myself go somewhere. I feel the ground shaking, sweat profusely, can't breath, my therapist taught me the 5,4,3,2,1 that jkenbreathenbell uses. However, I have to notice my frame of mind and remember to use them.

 

[sun seeker]

Something that really doesn't work for me, but I'd be interested in knowing if anyone has found a way of working round this, is 'safe place' stuff. Safe as a concept just isn't something I can get my head round and so visualising a safe place just results in my head pointing out all the things that aren't safe about it :rolleyes: kind of works as a distraction technique but....

I think the point of this is to then find ways to take those things that aren't safe and visualize changes to them to make them safe. Then you are creating exactly the environment you need. There's a thread on this somewhere, I'll see if I can find it for you.

ETA: Yes, here it is. Hope some of this can help.
www.myptsd.com/c/threads/visualization-and-therapy.41725/

 

[judster]

Great idea!

As others have said, I think my main challenge with grounding techniques is not identifyin...

So need something, and this was quite helpful. Thank you. Although, I haven't been formally diagnosed as such, I do tend to 'spaceout /tune out', and get panicked and other signs & symptoms.

 

[Deleted member 20280]

As promised here are the groundings I use all the time, I particularly find the thumb squeeze to be the most effective. As with all copings and groundings they do take some time to master properly but all are worth persevering with.


This forum can be such a wonderful place to come for help and support.
This is why I am more than happy to share what I perceive my success in my recovery journey.

Technique 1:-

Called the "Thumb Squeeze"

What you do is grab your thumb tight inside a clenched fist, either hand will suffice.
At first use only one hand and with your eyes open focus on the thumb and stare at it/

Squeeze it as if you intend to literally break it, (you won't trust me it is not possible )

Focus on the pain in your thumb and keep watching the point of pain in your hand.

With your mind focused on the pain receptors in your hand you make the point of pain
travel up your arm slowly, following that pain with your eyes. All the time regulate
your breathing (in through the nose - out through the mouth) slowing your breathing
down to a normal inhale and exhale. Whist still gripping your thumb as hard as possible
follow and visualize that pain traveling up the forearm, past the elbow towards your shoulder.

Your breathing and heart-rate will slow to a regular pace whilst you are focusing on the pain.
(As it is hurting this will keep you in the present day and should after practice stop you mentally regressing to childhood)

When the pain reaches your shoulder blade you need to close your eyes and focus your mind in your shoulder.
The pain will now be very intense and you need to slowly breath in through your nose nice and controlled
and deeply. On a controlled exhale you very gently release your thumb and visualize all the anxiety
falling off you from the top of your head, past your shoulders. falling off of your body like droplets
onto the floor.

When you have released the pain from your thumb it will ache but all the anxiety and feeling of negativity
will literally just fall off.

I use this technique instinctively now and can ground myself in just over a minute.
It can take ten - fifteen minutes to start with but with practice you can adapt it so that
your mind visualized the pain traveling without the need to watch it. That way you can
adapt it so that you can grab and squeeze with say your hand behind your back or in your pocket.

Technique 2:-

Called the "Butterfly Hug"

As the name suggests this grounding technique is just that you literally hug yourself back to reality.

When we need to ground ourselves what we are doing is primarily bringing ourselves back to earth after
a trigger or a flashback (stopping regression to a trauma time in the past and keeping our focus on the present day).
We need to bring ourselves back safely, or we risk harming ourselves if we stay in the past at the time of trauma that has taken us there.

You fold your arms across your chest and rest the tips of your fingers on the opposite shoulder.
Then whilst slowly, and gently rocking from hip to hip, you tap your finger tips gently on your
shoulders one side at a time in rhythm with your swaying hips. Whilst swaying say the words left,
right, left, right in your mind.

(Don't panic if when you are leaning to the right your mind is saying left and when leaning to the
left your mind is saying right. This is completely normal as from practice we can re-wire our brains
to the correct rhythm so that we are *Left on Left and Right on Right* When we start using new
grounding techniques our brains are often confused and this reaction is totally normal, especially in newly diagnosed sufferers.)

Close your eyes and focus on your breathing and heart rate, slowly regulate your breathing to
stop yourself hyperventilating. Concentrate on your breathing and keep the rhythm going.
Slowly you will start to breath normally and your heart rate will gradually return to a regular beat.

When your breathing is at a healthy slowed rate and your heart-rate is normal slowly open your
eyes and tell yourself in your mind what day it is and where you are.

Allow yourself however long you need to start with when using this and after time you will
be able to ground quite quickly. Once you have got the hang of the main technique you can
adapt it so that you can even use it when triggered in a public situation when the full
technique may look strange.

I adapted it so that I rock on my hips and put my hands in my pockets tapping the top of my
hips so as not to make it obvious to on-lookers as sometimes it can appear really odd to outsiders.

This one can feel weird at first, as what we are doing when we trigger / dissociate to regressed
childhood is we yearn for a comforting hug (something regularly absent when a child is abused.
The child in us wants just that, a hug. Nothing more nor less that a simple hug of comfort.

Technique 3:-

Diaphragmatic Breathing.

Basically our physiology for breathing is to breath from the diaphragm and not the chest.

With your eyes closed.

Place your hands on your stomach and concentrate breathing in and pulling your
stomach muscles up towards your ribcage, this squeezes the stomach muscles and
contracts around the internal organs.

Breath in for a slow count of 4 through the nose,
breath out through the mouth for a count of eight whilst slowly saying "Haaaaa".

This will seem really weird at first but is really worth perceiving with.

After practice you will be able to do it without even placing your hands on
your stomach as you come to re-balance your breathing regularity techniques.
This is the technique used by actor and singers to regulate their breathing,
especially Opera singers to bee able to maintain long notes.

The breathing technique is ass old as time itself and was used by the Hawaiian tribes
people centuries ago as a way of filling themselves with good energy. You can do this
for as long a time or as short a time as you want to.
Hope this helps you as much as it helped me.


I genuinely wish you the best healing possible and if I can be any help in the future please feel free to ask.

Laurie

After 43 years of abuse survival I am finally getting my traumas dealt with.

I have other techniques on various threads, one is the Top Ten thread!, That one is really good for aiding longer term focus as well.

After 43 years of abuse survival I am finally getting my traumas dealt with.

There is also the technique I prefer over all of the above contained within the following thread ........ https://www.myptsd.com/threads/whats-on-your-top-ten-list.45122/

please feel free anyone to adapt these techniques to suit your own situations, the first three are recognized psychotherapist taught techniques from the UK that I particularly find useful, the one contained in the thread as pasted above is my own adaptation of a well used technique for us sufferers to remember that sometimes we need a time out, we need to take time for ourselves, time to be alone.

Take care all and if I can be of any assistance to anyone with help or advice, this forum literally saved my life nearly 3 years ago, I am happy to take a PM from any member be they sufferer or supporter, if I can help you like @anthony and @Nicolette (and numerous other members, you all know who you are and I thank you all from the deepest part of my heart) helped me in the early days of my diagnosis you just need to ask, it really is not a problem.

:hug:s to all who accept them

Laurie

 

[laurainalameda]

I carry a little kit in a plastic zip bag with a tin of altoids mints, some ginger candy, an egg of silly putty or playdough, a silk scarf doused in Lemon essential oil, a fid it toy called a tangle (availible on amazon), and an in depth card. The index card says " look at your hands. You are an adult. Look at your rings. You are married. Look at your bracelet. What does it feel like? Feel your feet. Take three deep breaths. Name four things. Pet the dog" I travel with a service dog . I also pause to ground when I wake, before I sleep, when I'm waiting for therapy, usually during therapy, and when I get in the car to drive. Just what works for me. And not always all of these are needed, some times just one or two.

 

[shimmerz]

Safe place, for me, was a turning point. I had no frame of reference for safe either. I had to build one. It started with a desert island and I built things on the island. I found the island safe because whenever I wanted to
run, there was an image of what I wanted to run to .... Once I created the island and got to it (in my mind), I was able to fine tune what exactly on the island I needed (a cave, a blanket, a pillow, a switch to automatically close the cave etc).

I had to stop my dissociation first so I wasn't so easily taken out of my body. I would use super hot candies in order to snap my senses back. I would know I was okay when I felt my eyes refocus. Then I would go to my safe place.

One of the keys to all of this was being able to go to my safe place or take my candies when I wasn't affected adversely, so that it became a 'thing I did', rather than a 'thing I had to do'. That way the process wasn't wrapped up in the emotions of 'afraid' that comes along with me with being dissociated and flashing etc.

 

[Cinnamon4z]

I also want to share some PTSD resources and tools psychology(DOT)tools/ptsd(DOT)html
There is a grounding printout there - i downloaded and attached to this post