Grounding exercises

Adapted from the Blue Knot grounding self care resources.

https://blueknot.org.au/survivors/survivor-self-care/grounding/

Grounding

Trauma activates the stress response. This is known as a fight, flight and freeze
response. It can cause people to be agitated (hyper-aroused). It can also make people
shut down (hypoaroused). Survivors can experience one or the other and often both at
different times. Being hyperaroused can make it difficult to sleep and concentrate. It can
also make you irritable and angry. Sometimes people feel like they can’t breathe
properly, and their heart is racing. You might startle easy and be constantly ‘on guard’.

Breathing

Trauma survivors often over-breathe. This is because we all breathe faster when we are
threatened. This can make some people hyperventilate. Others can experience panic
attacks. Our rate of breathing also affects our heart rate, blood pressure and the rest of
our body. Slowing breathing slows other processes in our body. It also lowers our level
of arousal. This, in turn, reduces tension and stress. Slowing our breathing down can
help turn off the ‘fight/flight’ response.

You might find the following ‘controlled breathing techniques’ help you calm yourself if
you start to feel tense, anxious or to panic. This is what you can do:

 Notice the points of contact that your body makes with the chair, your back on the
chair, and your whole weight supported by the chair, and notice your feet on the
ground
 Do you feel like you are in your body – nod for yes, shake your head for no
 Put you hand on your chest and one hand on your belly
 Focus on your breathing, ensuring you are breathing down into the bellows of your
lungs so that belly moves rather than your chest.
 Lengthen your breath
 Try to make your breath out slighter longer than your breath in e.g. in for the
count of 3 and out for the count of 5 (synchronise your breathing with the person
and count out loud to help them match to the pace). The longer the exhale the
more relaxing it is on your nervous system.
 And again, breath in for the count of 3 and out for the count of 5 (synchronise
your breathing with the person).
 And one more time breath in for the count of 3 and out for the count of 5

 Box breathing is another technique you can try to help relieve stress or anxiety.
Breathe in for 4, hold for 4, breathe out for 4, hold for 4 and repeat.
 If you find breathing difficult, lie down and place a small pillow or piece of clothing
on your stomach and watch it rise up and down slowly as you breathe.

Doing this every day, if you can manage it, will help lower your stress levels.

Focusing on breathing is particularly effective when you are able to ground yourself. Feel
the earth under your feet, the seat you are sitting on. Looking out of a window, stepping
outside into the fresh air. These strategies can enhance the effectiveness of breathing.
Grounding exercises
 If panic sets in quickly and it is too hard for you to breathe through it, try
breathing in and out of a paper bag.

These strategies can make your breathing more effective.

When you’re feeling spaced out, shut down or ‘unreal’ you might be dissociated
or hypo-aroused.

Being hypo-aroused is the survival response of `freeze’. When we freeze we might zone
out or shut down. We can also go onto autopilot. When some people are hypo-aroused
they dissociate.

It is best to try and notice as soon as we are feeling overwhelmed and are shutting
down. When we do, we can then use one or more of the following exercises to help us
get back into our bodies in the present.

Choose the strategy which helps you so you can use it when you need to ground yourself

 Pushing your feet into the ground

 Wriggling your toes
 Pushing your backside into the chair
 Standing up and stomping your feet against the floor
 Pushing your fingernails into the palms of your hands
 Stretching
 Moving
 Your imagination is the limit …

The following ‘orienting’ exercises can help you orientate to the here and now:

 Name 3 things you can see, 2 things you can feel and 1 thing you can hear

 Focus on one thing/object and describe the shape, colour, texture, shades etc.

 Looking around the room and naming 5 things that begin with C

 Looking at objects and naming them

 Focusing on someone else talking

 Naming the day, date, time, year

 Other ideas include, using cold water on your face, touching ice, flicking a rubber
band on your wrist,
or taking a warm shower followed by a cold one. Some things work for some
people. Some with for others.

Choose the strategy which helps you so you can do it when you feel you are shutting
down.
Grounding exercises
Mindfulness

Mindfulness practices can help us connect to our bodies. They can help us become more
aware of how our body is responding at different times. We can observe what is
happening in our body and know that bad feelings in our body will pass.

Examples include:

 Is my throat closing?

 Am I getting a headache?

 Is my stomach tightening?

 Do I feel hot or cold when I feel scared?

You can scan your body moving your attention from the top of your head down to your
toes. Notice how the different parts of your body feel as you pay attention to them.

When we sit still and breathe, we are being mindful. Simply breathing in through your
nose and out through your mouth, with awareness, and calmly sitting can help relieve
your anxiety.

Mindfulness helps us learn to respond instead of reacting. It is empowering. It also helps

us manage critical self-talk.

There are many books, websites and classes for mindfulness available. Choose one that
suits you and use it when you need to. Mindfulness is not for everyone. Feel free to try it
if you want
Grounding exercises

Activity to bring them all together: grounding, breathing and safe place

 Notice the points of contact that your body makes with the chair, your back on the
chair, and your whole weight supported by the chair, and notice your feet on the
ground
 Do you feel like you are in your body – nod for yes, shake your head for no
 If no (not grounded): wriggle your toes, push your feet into the ground and
lengthen your breath with an even longer exhale
 Put you hand on your chest and one hand on your belly
 Focus on your breathing, ensuring you are breathing down into the bellows of your
lungs so that belly moves rather than your chest.
 Lengthen your breath
 Try to make your breath out slighter longer than your breath in e.g. in for the
count of 3 and out for the count of 5 (synchronise your breathing with the person
and count out loud to help them match to the pace). The longer the exhale the
more relaxing it is on your nervous system
 And again, breath in for the count of 3 and out for the count of 5 (synchronise
your breathing with the person)
 And one more time breath in for the count of 3 and out for the count of 5
 (If needed, check again do you feel like you are in your body shake for ‘no’ and
‘nod’ for yes). Continue to safe place-image if ‘yes’ or ‘orientating exercises if ‘no’

Safe-Place Image

Bring to your mind’s eye a place where you feel safe where nobody needs anything from
you including yourself.

1. What do you see?

2. Can you see yourself?
3. How old are you?
4. What else do you see?
5. What sounds do you hear?
6. Is there a smell and/or taste in the image?
7. How do you feel in this space?
8. How does your body feel?
9. Is anyone else there?
Only safe people are allowed. Anyone or anything unsafe should be ejected from the
image now.
10. What Self-talk are you having in this Safe-Place Image?

Include statements such as “I am safe”; “I control this space and no harm comes to me
here”; “I feel calm”; etc. Add your own words.

11. Name your safe place so that you can bring it back to your mind quickly and easily
Grounding exercises
e.g., “Grandma’s house”; “the treehouse at home”; “Ms Smith’s classroom”; etc.

Anytime during this session or any time in your life where you may feel unsafe, you can
return to the safe place. It is yours and yours alone.

The following ‘orienting’ exercises can help you orientate to the here and now:

 Name 3 things you can see, 2 things you can feel and 1 thing you can hear

 Focus on one thing/object and describe the shape, colour, texture, shades etc.

 Looking around the room and naming 5 things that begin with C

 Looking at objects and naming them

 Name the day, date, time, year

Choose the strategy, which helps you so you can do it when you feel you are shutting
down.

Treating Trauma: 2 Ways to Help Clients Feel Safe, with Peter Levine

Our body is the container of the sensations and feelings. Here are a few self soothing
techniques.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7zAseaIyFA

1. Right hand under the left arm pit and left hand on right shoulder and take a few
breaths to really feel the sensations and emotions inside of your body, notice the
boundary of your body.
2. Hand on forehead and other hand on upper chest. Eyes closed or open. Feel what
goes on between the hands for a few minutes until you feel a shift, perhaps a
tingling or energy flow.
3. Hand on the chest and one hand on the belly. Eyes closed or open. Feel what goes
on between the hands for a few minutes until you feel a shift.
4. Cross arms so that right hand is squeezing the left arm and the left hand is
squeezing the right arm.