Have actually been thinking about this more as I've been responding to this thread. It's quite amazing, or perhaps just interesting, to note that almost unconsciously, when I am on a soothing grounding binge, I tend to call to mind soothing examples which are emotionally counteractive to the particular negative emotion I am feeling most affected by at the time. For instance, when feeling particularly isolated and disconnected from the world, I tend to find myself more or less automatically calling to mind images and memories of connection and belongingness - a moment of camaraderie with my friends at work, a surprise phone call from someone significant to just "see how you're doing..."
Sometimes, when my sense of hopelessness, inadequacy and shame become particularly toxic, it can help to recall a moment or a feeling of being in control, or of achieving something worthwhile - delivering a good presentation at work, supporting a colleague, praising a junior staff member for good work...
And sometimes, when I am feeling just plain terrified of something, or of everything, it's a memory of having felt tangibly safe and protected that is the only antedote - an image from my T's office and the memory of the first time I ever really badly lost control there, and how overwhelmingly, almost painfully safe I realised I felt in his presence.
Needless to say, the stronger the positive emotional element attached to whatever you are recalling, and the more you're able to let that recreated emotion back into your mind, the more likely you are to be successful in driving out the negative demons.
Maddog
