Grounding Skills are interventions that assist in keeping a person in the present. They help to re-orient a person to reality and the immediate here-and-now. Grounding skills are useful in many ways. However, then can be used to help re-orient oneself when experiencing intense and overwhelming feelings and intense anxiety. They help to regain one’s mental focus. These skills usually occur within two specific modalities:
1. Sensory Awareness
2. Cognitive Awareness
Sensory Awareness Grounding Skills
• Keep your eyes open, look around the room, notice your surroundings, notice details.
• Hold a pillow, stuffed animal or a ball.
• Place a cool cloth on your face, or hold something cool such as a can of soda.
• Listen to soothing music.
• Put your feet firmly on the ground.
• FOCUS on someone’s voice or a neutral conversation.
Cognitive Grounding Skills
Re-orient yourself in place and time by asking yourself some or all of these questions:
• Where am I?
• What is today?
• Whatis the date?
• What is the month?
• What is the year?
• How old am I?
• What season is it?
• List as many grounding skills as you can.
• Practice several grounding skills every day
• Construct a list of those which are most helpful and effective.
Goals When Using Grounding Techniques
1. To keep myself safe and free from injury.
2. To re-orient myself to reality and the here-and-now.
3. To identify what I attempted to do to prevent the dissociative experience.
4. To identify skills that I can use in the future to help myself remain grounded.
5. Choose a new response: What action, if any, do you want to take to feel better in the present?
For example, a flashback
may indicate that a person is once again in a situation that is in some way unsafe. If this is the case, self-protective actions should be taken to alter the current situation. On the other hand, a flashback may simply mean that an old memory has been triggered by an inconsequential resemblance to the past such as a certain colour or smell. In such cases, corrective messages of reassurance and comfort need to be given to the self to counteract the old traumatic memories.
Image: Out of Body Experience by ~parallelspaces
may indicate that a person is once again in a situation that is in some way unsafe. If this is the case, self-protective actions should be taken to alter the current situation. On the other hand, a flashback may simply mean that an old memory has been triggered by an inconsequential resemblance to the past such as a certain colour or smell. In such cases, corrective messages of reassurance and comfort need to be given to the self to counteract the old traumatic memories.
Image: Out of Body Experience by ~parallelspaces
2 comments:
Hi... I saw your comment on How Is Bradley?... and followed your link.
These are great lists... the last time I became totally ungrounded, I spent a week in the hospital psych ward. The advice I got from my doctor was to try and have more dignity about myself. Time and time again, I learn so much more from the ones doing the suffering (and learning from it) than the specialists...
Great to meet you Denise... I love Bradleys site. I smiled when I saw we had both written on the same topic... great minds think alike even across the ocean..:)
I can't believe that your doctors gave you that attitude. Its sad but through talking with others Im hearing similar attitudes from medical professionals. That is not to say there are not good people out there and as with being a consumer in any situation I would advise shopping around.
Grounding, is relearning behaviour. Many dissociate for protection (often due to childhood sexual abuse, when being out of your body kept you 'safe')and like SH it is a coping strategy. The key is to know your triggers, feelings, and be able to talk yourself back or have someone safe do it for you.Ie
Focus on where am I (ie bedroom) what can I feel (carpet on floor) reach out hands, touch something (wall, bed) how does it feel, what is the texture... keep going and focussing till you come back to the reality of your room. Like any new or unfamiliar coping strategy it takes time and practice.
If someone else is doing the questions for you, tell them to keep their voice low, monotone, constant, repeating you are safe within the questions....
I agree with your last point about learning from others. Though my site is only two months old its purpose, ultimately is to learn and share with each other. Thanks for your input Denise, it all helps.... Abz..:)
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