Grounding Techniques in Trauma Therapy

I'm Kati Morton, a licensed therapist making Mental Health videos!
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If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, please call a local emergency telephone number or go immediately to the nearest emergency room.

[angelarhodes]

The thought of being safe, makes my whole head fill with tears. I'm 62 and have never felt safe in my life. However, after watching this video and the PTSD/Anxiety video's, I will try to see if anything or anyone makes me feel safe that I didn't notice. Thank you for addressing these topics.

[CarlybutreallyBATMANBraverman]

There should be a t-shirt somewhere that says something like, "Currently rewiring my nervous system." That's so badass.

[samanthamoore]

Here is my summary of what Kati talked about. I hope this helps someone!


Grounding Techniques


High zone:
Feeling your body’s sensations in contact with surfaces
Use a longer exhale

Low zone
Increase sensations: movement, yoga, hot showers, etc

General
Make a list of what makes you feel safe and write as much as you can about those things (people, a house, spiritual figures). Use sensory info (taste, scents, visuals, sounds, etc)
Notice what you feel about those things (warmth in the belly, longer exhales, awareness of the face, the eyes get softer etc). Signs you’re moving in the right direction
Social engagement system
When the mom is feeding baby and is sucking, swallowing, and connecting with mom.
Happens through eye contact, through voices, sucking and swallowing, smell, working with the muscles in the throat and neck
Tools:
Music or soothing voices, sucky candies/lollipops/gum, video of a safe person(even YouTubers), looking at eyes that are warm(our eyes can get frozen in the low zone), hand on heart and belly with long exhale, singing etc

Reminders
Keep trying even when they don’t work immediately.
They are needed to do trauma therapy.
The goal is to remain in the resiliency zone.

[geckotime]

One thing my psychologist taught me to trigger that part of the nervous system is to keep your head straight and look to the side with your eyes for 1 minute. Then repeat but on the other side. I also focus on taking deep slow breaths at the same time. I always yawn afterwards so it definitely triggers that system. It's not easy at first your head my turn with you and you might forget your breathing but the more you do it the easier and better it becomes. Just an helpful trick I use incase it's helpful to anyone else. I suffer from ptsd and insomnia and it helps me just a tiny bit with sleep.

[kellibabb]

Rocking your body back and forth is a soothing technique that I just "discovered" that I feel may have to do with the socal engagement system. I let go of the shaming thought of "crazy people rock" and thought of it as soothing. And it was!

[natsblogs]

I LOVE how affirming Alexa is. I'm lucky enough to live in a safe environment/feel safe, but her enthusiastic and heartfelt yeses made me feel so safe and warm and cuddled. She's not even directing them at me and I feel connected with and seen. Thank you so much!

[sarahcisco]

I find the grounding technique incredibly useful when I’m in the “high zone” many times through my high school days I would just gently run my hand along the wall if I was close to it. Feeling the texture of the brick, maybe there’s a paint coating on top or it’s bare. This helped me immensely when I felt out of control ❤️💕

[alexinatree]

I forget how important feeling safe is and this video just really impacted me.

[anjiluhfortnite]

You do have a soothing voice Kati. My service dog helps me feel safe. I know, if I’m with him I’m not in the past. My therapist also seems to care, but my trauma brain isn’t convinced. This does explain why it feels soothing to sing 🎤. Singing like no ones listening I have to close my eyes and focus on the music. This video was helpful.

[RobinFae]

My safe place/things are 1. My stuffed animal puppy that I got for my fith birthday. 2. The stars. I always feel safe looking up at them. 3. (Safe people) my director at work when she is relaxed. 4. Two other people at work when they are relaxed.

Something that I would put in my safe box is something to chew like chewy sweet tarts, a picture of outer space, celtic music, and my stuffed dog.

[xephini]

I find drinking strawberry milkshakes extremely soothing. I figured it was because of me finding the sweet taste safe, and that the cold worked as a grounding technique. But now I know drinking it from the straw might be why it's so soothing as well!

[laylaschaeffer]

Do more videos with Alexa. She is great. I really liked the video and I am going to try some of those techniques. I like all of your videos😊 thanks for doing what you do.

[Seeyatellite]

Thanks for the video! One of my greatest coping mechanisms in childhood was just getting outside! Eventually, I picked up a camera and started carrying one around with me. Whether it was a disposable camera, mini Polaroid, manual advance, auto-advance or digital camera, I always had one with me from about 11-12 years old. I also picked up rollerblading and cycling around the age of 5-6 an skateboarding around 12-13 years old. These are all linked very strongly with simply getting outside and seeking new experiences and environments. I focused on escapism and avoidance during the rougher parts of disagreement between parents after their divorce.

I still skate, bike and actually shifted toward legitimately professional photography along with mindfully intentional photo searches in my daily life. I expect I'll always carry a decent camera with me and I'm currently working on a compact, cropped sensor interchangeable lens camera for pocketing instead of lugging a sling or backpack!

[aubeyroa]

I feel grounded after just watching this video.

[lyrariddle]

My therapist is currently helping me with trauma therapy! She gives me exercises to help me calm down and it helps heal the brain. That’s what she said it does.

[davidbrown]

I’m in EMDR therapy for CPTSD. I just can’t express in words how much this team approach video has and is helping me stay in the “resilience zone “. The straight forward approach using the white board along with the two of u giving explanations really helps me picture how to put what I am learning into action.
Tks and love to you both.
Dave

[SweetStrawberryShell]

If you own a cat, don't have a staring contest, they see that as threatening lol

[linasayshush]

I don't really like human interaction, so the things I do to calm down are usually very impersonal. I'm not into vocalizing or talking to someone or anything, I usually listen to some no talking ASMR and drink water and moisturize, hug my dogs, take a shower, light a candle, stuff like that.

[domg.]

I'm doing research for writing and I'm honestly so glad for subtitles! My adhd is blessed rn

[untappedinkwell]

I tend to do a jaw/chin/cheek massage from time to time, because a theater professor once taught us that we hold way more tension in our jaws than we realize. They're kind of difficult to do well, so they require some focus and they're very tactile. I don't know that it engages that sensation exactly in the way described, but it works pretty well.