Physical Grounding - Run cool or warm water over your hands.
- Grab tightly onto your chair as hard as you can.
- Touch various objects around you: a pen, keys, your clothing, the table, the walls. Notice textures, colors, materials, weight, temperature. Compare objects
you touch: Is one colder? Lighter?
- Dig
your heels into the floor—literally
“grounding” them! Notice the tension centered in your heels as you do this. Remind yourself that you are connected to the ground.
- Carry a grounding object in your pocket—a small object (a small rock, clay, a ring, a piece of cloth or yarn) that
you can touch whenever you feel triggered.
- Jump
up and down.
- Notice your
body: the weight of your body in the chair;
wiggling your toes in your socks; the feel of your back against the chair. You
are connected to the world.
- Stretch.
Extend your fingers, arms, or legs as
far as you can; roll your head around.
- Clench and
release your fists.
- Walk
slowly, noticing each footstep, saying
“left” or “right” with each step.
- Eat something, describing the flavors in detail to yourself.
- Focus on your breathing, noticing
each inhale and exhale. Repeat a pleasant word to yourself on each inhale (e.g.,
a favorite color, or a soothing word such as “safe” or “easy”).
Soothing Grounding - Say kind statements, as if you were talking to a small child—for example,” You are a good person going through a
hard time. You’ll get through this.”
- Think of favorites. Think of your favorite color, animal, season, food, time of day, TV show.
- Picture people you care about (e.g., your children), and look at photographs of them.
- Remember the words to an inspiring song, quotation, or
poem that makes you feel better (e.g.,
the AA Serenity Prayer).
- Remember
a safe place. Describe a place that you
find a very soothing (perhaps the beach or mountains, or a favorite room); focus on everything about that place—the
sounds, colors, shapes, objects, textures.
- Say a coping statement: “I
can handle this,” “This feeling will pass.”
- Plan a safe treat for yourself, such as a piece of candy, a nice dinner, or a warm bath.
- Think of things you are looking forward to in the next week—perhaps time with a friend, going to a movie, or going
on a hike.
What
If Grounding Does Not Work Grounding does work!
But, like any other skill, you need to practice
as often as necessary to make it as powerful as possible. Below are suggestions to
help make it work for you. - Practice
as often as possible, even when you don’t
need it, so that you’ll know it by heart.
- Practice faster. Speeding up the pace gets you focused on the outside
world quickly.
- Try grounding for
a looooooonnnnnggggg time (20-30 minutes). And
repeat, repeat, repeat.
- Try to
notice which methods you like best—physical,
mental, or soothing grounding methods, or some combination.
- Create your own methods of grounding. Any method you make up may be worth much more than those you read here, because
it is yours.
- Start grounding early in a negative mood cycle. Start when a substance craving just starts or when you have just started
having a flashback. Start before anger gets out of control.
- Make up an index card on which you list your best grounding methods and how long to use them.
- Have others assist you in grounding. Teach friends or family about grounding, so that they can help guide you with it if you become overwhelmed.
- Prepare in advance. Locate places at home, in your car, and at work where you have materials and reminders of grounding.
- Create a cassette tape of a grounding message that you can play when needed. Consider asking your therapist or someone close to you to record it if you want to hear someone else’s voice.
- Think about why grounding works. Why might it be that by focusing on the external world,
you become more aware of an inner peacefulness?
Notice the methods that work for you—why
might those be more powerful for you then other methods?
Be patient, practice often and don’t give up!
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TAKE COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION
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