What is grounding?
Grounding is a practice that can help you detach from emotional pain. In other words, it is using a set of simple techniques to distract you by focusing on the external world instead of inward toward yourself. Grounding is not the same as relaxation in that grounding requires more active participation and focuses on distraction.
Why do we need to use grounding?
Sometimes we experience so much emotional pain that it is too overwhelming to tolerate or manage. The emotional pain can be intense emotions such as anger, anxiety, and sadness, which can lead to drug cravings, self-harm or other unsafe impulses. Especially after a trauma, it is normal to experience flashbacks, anxiety, anger, and other uncomfortable symptoms. Grounding techniques can help manage these symptoms by turning attention away from what you are experiencing, and refocusing on the outside world and the present moment. It can prevent you from being engulfed by your pain and feeling the pain is all that exists. It helps create some safe distance between you and the pain.
Guidelines for Grounding:
- Keep your eyes open. Avoid closing your eyes and scan your surroundings to keep in touch with the present.
- Maintain a nonjudgmental attitude. There is no “good” or “bad”. Just describe the facts without assigning values or how you feel about them.
- Check in with yourself before and after a grounding exercise. Rate your level of distress on a scale from 0 to 10 (0 being calm/neutral, 10 being the highest level of distress) before and after. This can give you a better idea of what works for you.
- Start early and practice often. Notice the signs of distress and start early with grounding so that you will have a better chance of managing it. Try to practice often, even when you are not experiencing emotional pain. It will help you use the techniques when you are in distress.
Tree Grounding Visualization Exercise