Grounding techniques are an invaluable coping tool for people suffering with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSS).
At its core, PTSS is a disorder that keeps us stuck in the past. However, grounding techniques can help us reconnect with the present.
Finding grounding techniques that work for your PTSD symptoms has been a long journey. While grounding techniques may not work for everyone, they’re worth trying out if you’re struggling with PTSS.
Grounding techniques often rely on the five senses: vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. When your mind is caught in the past, reminding itself of the reality of the present is a powerful way to break free. Below are a few ways to ground yourself through each of the five senses:
Sight–Counting the number of objects I can see in a particular color helps me stay grounded. Describing my surroundings to myself when I’m having flashbacks is another technique I use.
Practice makes perfect
When you’re feeling down, grounding yourself through sight can be a great way to get back into the present moment. One of my favorites ways to do this is to count how many things I can see in a particular color. Another technique I’ve found helpful is describing what I’m seeing right now to myself. These two methods help me stay grounded during flashbacks.
Nothing snaps you out of your daydreams faster than an unpleasant smell. Aromatherapy can be a great tool to help you get grounded again after being lost in thought. Essential oils such as lavender can be very effective in helping you reorient yourself.
Sound can help ground us if we’re feeling disconnected. But it doesn’t have to be noisy or dramatic. Listen to the sounds around you—the gentle breeze rustling through the leaves, the birds singing, the traffic passing by. These are the sounds that connect us to our surroundings.
When I first started experimenting with grounding techniques, I found them irritating. Why would anyone talk about something that wasn’t going to heal my PTSD? But then I began to see how grounding could actually help me cope with the stressors of daily life. Rather than curing my PTSD, these techniques were designed to give me peace of mind during times of high anxiety.
And if I’m being honest, I really do feel better after doing any one of these grounding exercises. So maybe I should stop complaining and start trying out new things!