Grounding Techniques: Staying Present and Safe in Difficult Moments
When unwanted thoughts, memories, and emotions pull you away from the present moment, it can be challenging to regain your focus. This is especially true for those who have experienced trauma, as dissociation can occur. However, there are many techniques you can use to bring your attention back to the present moment. By using your senses, distracting yourself, reminding yourself that you are safe, offering yourself compassion, using your body, calming yourself physically, orienting yourself, and using your imagination, you can effectively ground yourself.
For example, one technique you can use is called the 5-4-3-2-1 technique.
This involves naming five things you can see, four things you can hear, three things you can touch, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste.
Alternatively, you can distract yourself by going outside, talking to someone, watching a funny video, or listening to music.
Reminding yourself that you are safe and offering yourself kindness can also be helpful. Additionally, physical techniques such as breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, yoga, exercise, or even asking for a hug can help you calm down.
Lastly, using your imagination to visualize a safe place, a compassionate being, or positive memories can be a powerful tool to ground yourself in the present moment.
Research shows that our minds are adaptable supercomputers, the problem is we have software that takes us away from the present moment. The capacity of the mind is seen through Andrew Newbergs Research into brain activity. (see below)
http://www.andrewnewberg.com/research
In a more digestible form, Below is a study that reveals a human brains activity to absent mindedness as opposed to a fully functioning brain.
Matt Killingsworth reveals how you can harness the power of your mind.
Vincent Fimmano | fpclinic | Book Here | Cultivate & Motivate | Develop a relationship with yourself now | Flaws are meant to be faced | reach out from anywhere!
