How Do You Ground?

[Sethe]

Apologies if this is out there, I did a search, but didn't find a thread.

How do you ground yourself when you find yourself slipping? My bf asks me where I am, which does help. It reminds me that I'm not locked in the past, though it can be hard to disengage from the feelings at times.

I think that I use music to either ground or dissociate- I'm not sure. I do know that I feel a lot better and distant at times (maybe to dissociate).

What do you do?

 

[Gamereign555]

Art. The creative process is ptsd's worst enemy I believe. For awhile I was afraid to start drawing again. I wondered about it and thought that maybe it was because from the time you draw your first line on the paper, you are facing death or disaster...if you'll go with me on this. You don't know if you'll be pleased with your projects outcome, you could screw it up permanently, you might have to start all over. So in a way using your creative side in this manner, you are facing your fears. I used to be an artist...what is it that I am afraid of? I am afraid that I could never be creative again.

 

[Lucycat]

I pay attention to my environment.
Can I feel the floor beneath me, what am I sitting on, what can I reach out and physically touch?
Then it is where am I ?- which room ? whats around?

I have used grounding techniques repeatedly, and I do feel they help.

 

[The Albatross]

I do breathwork and deep relaxation... with a quick self check. Can I feel the back of my head? My spine, my arms & hands? My pelvis? The backs of my legs & my heels? If I can't feel all or some of the body and the sofa or chair, I consciously put myself "back in". I can do this in a chair now, and it can happen very quickly, it doesn't take as much effort as it used to. For really difficult times, I get in the shower and feel the water pounding on the top of my head... and I do a visualization where I am envisioning white light coming in through the top of my head and when I inhale... when I exhale I "push" the white light (which is now turned liquid like the water I'm standing in) and I wash away all the dark places... pushing them down, down down... all the ick, goes out of the bottoms of my feet and down the drain. I like this visualiszation... because I can feel it, I can hear it, it is soothing because of the hot water and breathing. I think it is the water pounding on the top of my head that is the grounding aspect.

 

[The Albatross]

Yeah great point Lucycat... attending to what is directly in the environment... and observing them. Forming thoughts about them.... looking for them. One of the things someone here shared that helped me quite a bit, was (something like) "Find 5 blue things"... but I do better more quickly if it's more than one sense for some reason. Something to not just think, but to physically feel or touch, taste, smell, or hear too.

I guess my first post I was automatically thinking of the more difficult episodes... ugh. Isn't that how my mind works???

 

[AngelKeeperJ]

I also use music, and do a lil dancing to the rhythm. I 'insert' into my head, thoughts of a happy time, or visualize the beach...with Richard Gere coming to meet me....LOL! I did this once while waiting in a long line, and boy the time went fast! Visualization works better the more you practice.

Going to a fresh environment like down by the river...love the sounds, smells, and surroundings. Looking a pictures of the ocean waves help, too!

Keeping all my senses busy is a way to stall, or prevent the panic and/or anxiety.

 

[Sethe]

Art. The creative process is ptsd's worst enemy I believe. For awhile I was afraid to start drawing again. I wondered about it and thought that maybe it was because from the time you draw your first line on the paper, you are facing death or disaster...if you'll go with me on this. You don't know if you'll be pleased with your projects outcome, you could screw it up permanently, you might have to start all over. So in a way using your creative side in this manner, you are facing your fears. I used to be an artist...what is it that I am afraid of? I am afraid that I could never be creative again.

I did this all through my schooling, but I think I did it more as an escape than grounding.