Therapy Toolbox
Grounding Techniques
The intention of grounding techniques are to quite literally ground (or earth) yourself. To bring yourself back to this moment, to your body or to an external object or moment to allow a sense of grounding or safety. This can help us to regulate our emotions, when things can feel overwhelming or intense. This can be useful during time of stress or distress.
To prepare these techniques in advance is valuable and can be important. Consider for a moment, would you jump out of an airplane to do a parachute jump without preparing your parachute in advance? The answer for most is a resounding no, preparation in advance so that you know it will be there for you, work for you and keep you safe when you need it.
Breathing
Numerous things have been written about breathing, breathing exercises and how to breath.
The simplest way to consider this is conscious breathing, exploring ones breath with curiosity, with the intention to be present to our breath.
When we are anxious or upset our breathing becomes more rapid.
We can feel better by deliberately slowing and relaxing our breathing.
Anxious breathing is up in the chest, whereas relaxed breathing happens deeper in the abdominal.
Relaxed breathing instructions
• Breathe in slowly and steadily through your nose for a count of 4 - don’t rush this!
• Pause for a count of 1
• Exhale slowly and steadily for a count of 4 - breathe out gradually - try not to breathe out with a sigh
• Repeat for a few minutes until you notice a change in how your body feels
• If you get distracted, or if your mind wanders, just bring your attention back to how it feels to breathe in and out
Sensory
Our senses are an incredibly powerful way of grounding. Moving the brain from the doing mode to the being mode.
If you are deliberately paying attention to a sense you are truly in the present moment.
Smells
Try to find a smell that has positive associations for you - maybe one that reminds you of happy times, or a smell which you enjoy. Carry it with you and use it to bring yourself back to the present moment if you get caught up in an unwanted memory.
Helpful smells
Small bottles of essential oils - e.g. eucalyptus, mint, lavender, lemon
Small dried flowers such as lavender, fresh flowers, nature
Perfume soaked on a tissue
Whole spices from the kitchen
The familiar smell of a loved one (or pet!)
Be creative, find what works for you.
Sounds, Sight, Touch, Smells, Taste
What 5 things I can see (In nature, in a room, in a street etc) 4 things I can hear (birds, traffic, people talking, click of the radiator etc), 3 things I can touch (a silk lining of a pocket, coat, a pebble in pocket, item of jewellery etc.), 2 things I can taste (mints, tea. etc), 1 thing I can smell
Physical Grounding
Feet on the floor, (FOF) contact points of clothes, shoes.
Bum on chair, (BOC) chair supporting back.
Use of posture, feet on floor, legs strong supporting, spine self supporting, sliding shoulder blades down back, shoulders back, head resting lightly on shoulders, lengthening neck and lifting to the tip of head. Consider an image of a mountain, strong, solid. Or the image of a strong tree, strong, yet able to bend and flex and weather a storm, well grounded with its roots.
Imagining and creating a safe or strong position: Our body responds to emotion - if we feel depressed we tend to slump and if we feel anxious we tend to cower, for example.
Our emotions also respond to our bodies - if we adopt a confident position we tend to feel more confident and if we smile we tend to feel more cheerful.
Practice postures that convey the emotions that you would like.
Grounding Objects
Using grounding objects: These are portable objects that distract and then cue you to find the safe or soothing place-in-mind.
They are not “lucky charms” and should not be used in that way.
Grounding objects can be quite mundane - pebbles, key rings, hankies, a friendship bracelet, for example. The key is in finding an object (or two) that immediately generates the message that you need it to be, and to rehearse it: “I’m loved”, “I can do”, “I am safe” “I have achieved”
Grounding statement
We are safe in the present. We can cope. It will pass.
It can be helpful to write a grounding statement to remind yourself you are safe. What is the wisest kindest thing you can say to your self?
Safe Place
This is a piece of therapeutic work in itself and to be approached with caution and care. Safe place is often listed as a grounding technique, but is actually something different, it can also be triggering and therefore often best created with the support of your therapist. It is possible to gently experiment with this, starting with your breath and creating an image where you feel safe, physically, emotionally and psychologically. This is individual to you, it can be real or imagined or a combination of all of these.