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Grounding Techniques useful for trauma survivors
If you have experienced a trauma, you may experience traumatic symptoms. Grounding exercises can be so helpful in getting you back into your window of tolerance! When youâre out of your window you may experience flashbacks, panic attacks, dissociation, a numbness, foggy brain etcâŠ
So here are a list of techniques! Please practice! If you can practice them whilst you are feeling ok and are in your window you are much more likely able to use them when you experience a trigger! Itâs about trial and error with lots of practice! Wishing you lots of healing hugs and positive thoughts. Stephanie xx
Mental GroundingâŠ.
- Pick a category and try to think of as many objects as possible that fit in that category. (Eg. Types of dogs, cities, crayon colours, sports.) - Pick a letter & think of all the words that begin with that letter - Pick a colour & look for things of that colour in the room - Say or think the alphabet backwards or alternate letters & numbers (A1 B2 C3 D4.) - Describe an everyday event or process in great detail, listing all of the steps in order & as thoroughly as possible (e.g. How to cook a meal, how to get from your home to work or school, how to do your favourite dance.)
Reorientation Grounding TechniquesâŠ
- Say or think to yourself⊠âMy name isâŠ. I am safe right now. I am âŠ. years old. I am currently at âŠ. The date isâŠ. If I need help, I am with âŠ./ can callâŠ.. Everything is going to be alrightâ - List reaffirming statements. (I am fine. Everything is going to be okay. I am strong. I can handle this.) - Ask yourself⊠Ask yourself where you are, what day of the week it is, what day of the month it is, what month it is, what year it is, what season it is, how old you are, who is the current political leader of your country.) - Name 5 things you see, 4 things you feel, 3 things you hear, 2 things you smell or taste & 1 thing you like about yourself. - Think about a fun time you had with someone recently or call them and ask them to talk about it with you.
Sensory Grounding TechniquesâŠ
- Run cool or warm (not too cold or hot!) water over your hands or take a cool or warm bath/shower. - Spritz your face (with eyes closed), neck, arms & hands with a fine water mist. - Spray yourself with your favourite perfume (One that is not linked in any way to trauma experienced or reminds you of a traumatic experience or person) and focus on the scent. - Feel the weight of your body in your chair or on the floor and the weight of your clothing on your skin. - Touch & hold objects around you. Compare the feel, weight, temperature, textures, colours & materials. - Keep a small object with you to touch or play with when you get triggered. - Bite into a lemon, orange or lime & notice the flavour, scent & texture or suck on a sour or minty candy or ice cube. - Listen to soothing or familiar music. If possible jump around and dance to it. - Pick up a book and read the first paragraph out loud. - Hug a tree or another person (If interpersonal touch isnât a trigger). Pay attention to your own pressure and physical sensations of doing so. Register the smells of being outside, the wind & the sights around you.
Movement Grounding TechniquesâŠ
- Breath deeply & slowly & count your breaths - Grab tightly onto your chair or press your feet against the ground as firmly as you can - Rub your palms and clap your hands or wiggle your toes within your socks. Pay attention to physical sensations of doing so - Stretch out your arms or legs, roll your head on your neck, or clench and unclench your fists. - Stomp your feet, walk around, run, jump, ride a bike, do jumping jacks - While walking, notice each footstep & sat to yourself ârightâ and âleftâ to correspond with the foot currently moving - Squeeze a pillow, stuffed animal or ball - If you have a soft pet (dog or cat) brush its fur and stroke it. If you donât, brush your own hair slowly and without pulling it too much - Write what ever comes to mind even if itâs nonsense. Try not to write about the negative thoughts or feelings until you are more capable of doing so without increasing a them - Pop bubble wrap or blow and pop actual bubbles - Dog in the dirt or garden, jump on a pile of leaves or splash around in puddles or mud - Rip up paper or stomp on aluminium cans to crush them
In case of a flashbackâŠ
- Tell yourself that you are having a flashback and are safe now - Remind yourself that the worst is over and you survived it. What you are feeling now is just a reminder of the trauma and does not fit the present moment - Breath deeply and slowly. Count your breaths and make sure that youâre getting enough air - Use the other Grounding Techniques above to distract and calm yourself - If possible or necessary, go somewhere where you can be alone or with a close friend, where you will feel safe, or where you feel protected or shielded - Be gentle to yourself and take the time to really recover. If what helps you to recover is to colour, take a bubble bath, hug a stuffed animal or watch a childrenâs movie and if it would not be disruptive to do such things at that point in time, embrace those options whole heartedly - If possible note or write down what triggered the flashback, what Techniques you tried to use to disrupt the flashback & what helped - Remember you are a survivor. You are strong, you can make it through this, though it might take some time. Be patient with yourself throughout the process of healing.
Things I Didnât Know Were Symptoms of C-PTSD
Getting overwhelmed in crowds
Getting upset or angry at a loud alarm
Ordinary nightmares (that have nothing to do with the circumstances, just stupid nightmares much more often than the average person)
Getting sharp pains in your back/neck/collarbones that make it hard to breathe (due to hypervigilance/constant high anxiety)
Learning that âhigh anxietyâ does not mean âgeneralized anxietyâ like other people have with panic attacks and not feeling that they can accomplish thing. PTSD anxiety just means this frenetic energy that makes you want to talk/think/do things (even as an introvert) to avoid stopping.
Feeling constantly bored like you have to chase after something, even if youâre just at home: I spend hours on tumblr, pinterest, watching tv, reading books, making art, never just laying there aloneâŠbecause if you stopâŠthe darkness is there
Thinking up stories before bed. This is a symptom of high anxiety because youâre trying to calm down and fall asleep in a âsafe worldâ where people are looking out for you and caring for you.
Trouble falling asleep (which is distinct from insomnia) because turning off electronics etc. doesnât help since your heartrate/fight or flight response is engaged
Periods of racing heart (mine has gotten to 120bpm for five hours) that make you feel like youâre waiting for something to happen
Exaggerated startle response. When I was a kid I used to hide behind corners to surprise my sisters. Two years ago my friend hid under my desk to scare me. I literally screamed, fell out of the chair, and started crying. She was laughing because she thought the joke went well, and then got concerned because I kept crying.
Purposefully âtankingâ a bad day with sad music/tv/movies/books because it âwas already ruined anywayâ
Coping with negative symptoms
- Remember that peopleâs worth is not based on their productivity, there is no lowest bar for basic humanity, you are worthy by the simple fact of existing as you.
- Follow your interests, however shallow they may feel. Donât starve what little interest you do have. You feel like watching melodramatic k-dramas? Then thatâs what you ought to be doing, and no one gets to tell you otherwise!
- Try to make up ways of rewarding yourself for little tasks. Even just a system where you get to cross out the things youâve dealt with, can be helpful for some.
- Use open communication with your surroundings. Tell them when youâre self-isolating. Let them know itâs not on them. Tell people if you have a hard time expressing emotions, so they wonât feel let down by your lack of response.
- That said: You donât owe anyone your time or love and itâs okay to exist on your own without interacting with others, whether that be only sometimes or always.
- Reach out for help. Say yes to the help that is offered to you. Existing is so hard: Donât make it harder for yourself by not accepting the help others are willing to give.
-Thereâs nothing wrong with microwave meals and toast. It might not be the healthiest but it sure beats not eating at all. Donât be too hard on yourself.
-Vitamins, omega 3 etc. is your friend if you have a hard time eating well. Itâs not âcheatingâ, itâs taking care of your bodyâs needs in the best way you can.
-Brushing your teeth every other day is better than never brushing your teeth. It doesnât have to be at night/in the morning. Brush your teeth when you feel like itâs possible
-That said: If itâs possible for you to get in the habit of doing things, they will become easier than if you force yourself every time. But it takes a while to get in the habit and thereâs no shame in not being able to reach that point.
-Be aware that negative symptoms are often made worse by negative expectations about oneâs own abilities, a feeling of being âbrokenâ bc of psychosis. Challenging your own negative expectations in little ways may increase your feeling of self-efficacy, but be careful not to bite off more than you can chew. This might best be done with the help of a therapist, but I still think itâs useful to consider that negative expectations towards your own abilities may be playing a role
-Finally and importantly.. seriously⊠be gentle with yourself. You have a chronic illness and itâs affecting you and that seriously sucks, but itâs no use beating yourself up about it. Youâre doing your best and thatâs good enough. This is not a personal failing of yours, and youâre not alone.
Please add more ^^
Learn about schizophrenia from a schizophrenic - a masterpost
Iâm schizophrenic and hereâs a selection of my posts about living with schizophrenia - click a link or two if youâre curious:
What is schizophrenia?
What to do when your schizophrenic friend talk about their hallucinations and delusions
8 myths about schizophrenia and why they arenât true
What to keep in mind when dating a schizophrenic person
Why you shouldnât correct schizophrenic people when they say âIâm schizophrenicâ instead of âI have schizophrenia.â
Why fighting the stigma of schizophrenia must include fighting racism and anti blackness
Why you shouldnât dismiss or invalidate schizophrenic people when they open up to you about their hallucinations or delusions
Why you donât have to add âbut some mentally ill people ARE violentâ when mentally ill people talk about stigma and demonization
Why you actually have to talk to your schizophrenic friend about their illness if you want to know how to support them
Why you arenât helping mentally ill people by trying to weed out fakers
Why mass shootings in the US canât be blamed on mental illness
Why recovery doesnât necessarily mean âbecoming neurotypicalâ
Why armchair diagnosing killers with mental illnesses doesnât solve anything
Why you shouldnât force your spiritual and religious beliefs onto schizophrenic peoples experiencesÂ
Why you shouldnât armchair diagnose shooters and other killers
What the non psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia are like
Why we need to talk about the taboo topic of being mentally ill and struggling with personal hygiene
Why you shouldnât stigmatize schizophrenic people as violent killers
Why you shouldnât be afraid of obviously psychotic people
Why you should respect schizophrenic people who choose not to take meds
Why you canât pick or choose which mentally ill people to supportÂ
Why you shouldnât call people you donât agree with delusional
Why I donât want to hear that âmy diagnosis doesnât define me.â
Why anti psychotic meds wonât âcureâ schizophrenic people
Why we need to talk about the negative symptoms of schizophrenia
Why schizophrenic people are vulnerable to abuse
Why the stigma against depression canât be compared to the demonization of schizophrenia
Why âweâd all be diagnosed with something if we went to a psychiatristâ is bullshit
Tropes you should stay away from if you want to write a schizophrenic character
Why âyou donât seem schizophrenicâ isnât a compliment
What having schizophrenia feels like
How schizophrenic people face a different kind of stigma than people with depression and anxiety
Why saying âif youâre aware that youâre mentally ill youâre not REALLY mentally illâ is bullshit
How to be respectful to severely mentally ill people during Halloween
Why itâs important to share positive stories about schizophrenia
Why you should let schizophrenic people talk about their psychosis
Why you shouldnât tell your schizophrenic friend about that conspiracy theory
Why murderers can be fucked up without being mentally ill
When your schizophrenic friend talks about delusions or hallucinations
Donât:
Tell us itâs real.
Add more information or details to our delusions.
Try to take control of or change our delusions.
Give us examples of what it could be besides a delusion or a hallucination as in âwhat if these shadow people you see are ACTUALLY ghosts.â
Tell us that weâre stupid or crazy or dumb or sick for believing what we see and think is real.
Tell us not to talk about it.
Confront us with the fact that it isnât real and that weâre sick unless youâve talked to us first about whether that helps and gotten our permission. Youâre not our therapist and we might not need or want you to confront our illness, we might just want you to be supportive and listen.
Dismiss or invalidate our thoughts and experiences. Theyâre very real to us.
Do:
Ask us what we need from you - do your friend need and want you to confront them with the fact that theyâre sick and it isnât real or would you doing that make everything worse?
Listen and be empathetic. Example: âwow, that must be scary, I totally get that youâre upset - can I do anything to make you feel better?â
Tell us that what we see and hear canât hurt us and that weâre safe even though weâre experiencing these upsetting things.
Try to distract us - ask if we want to do something active with you like playing a board game or going for a run or going to the mall to get our minds off things and connect us to reality.
Understand that what we think and experience is real to us.
Help us feel safe and let us be weird in the attempt to feel safe. Let us pour salt on the floor if it keeps the demons away, give us water from and unopened bottle if thereâs something wrong with the water in the taps, taste our food to check if itâs poisonous and help us cover the cameras so they canât watch us.
Let us talk about it. We have the same need to share and talk about our thoughts and experiences as everyone else and sometimes we just need someone to listen without judging or invalidating us.
You know that feeling when youâre telling someone something that is really serious to you and a person you trusted just dismisses you and tells you that youâre making a problem out of nothing and overreacting?
Thatâs not a nice feeling right?
Thatâs how it feels to psychotic/schizophrenic people when we tell you about our hallucinations or delusions and you respond with any variation of: âdonât be ridiculous, that obviously isnât real.â
Iâm not telling you to tell us itâs real - donât ever do that - but listen with empathy and compassion. Let us talk about it. Try to put yourself in our place and consider how terrifying it would be if what we describe were a 100% real to you.
Forced reality checks are equal to you telling me that your partner is cheating on you and me responding with âyouâre a liar whoâs making a problem out of nothing.â
Our delusions and hallucinations are real to us, and we need your support, not your judgment and ridicule. Our world is scary enough already without a friend dismissing and ridiculing our very real living nightmares.
Non psychotic schizophrenia things (because all the schizophrenia posts focus on the psychotic aspects of the illness)
The things that used to bring you joy doesnât bring you joy anymore. Your favorite tv show is boring. Drawing isnât fun anymore. You listen to your favorite album and feel nothing.
Everything feels like a chore, even the things you used to do for fun.
Not being able to find the energy to shower for a week.
Feeling empty and grey and being emotionally disconnected from everything and everyone.
Not being able to find the motivation to do anything.
Not being able to concentrate and focus and having to give up on homework, on reading, on simply watching a movie.
Being unable to figure out how to go about cleaning your room or preparing a meal or doing your laundry.
Not feeling passionate about anything anymore.
Isolating yourself from friends and family.
Lying in bed all day because you canât find the energy to even move.
Forgetting all kinds of things, both minor and really important stuff.
Not being able to structure and perform even simple tasks like making a sandwich or brushing your teeth.
Not speaking much or at all.
Losing interest in everything - your hobbies, your relationships, your studies.
âWhatâs having schizophrenia like?â
Itâs like having contact to several different realities and having to fight to stay in the one where everyone else are.
Itâs like having good trips and bad trips without touching drugs.
Itâs like being eaten and losing the best parts of yourself to apathy, lethargy and anhedonia.
Itâs like not being able to trust your own mind and your own senses, experiences and perceptions.
Itâs like having special powers.
Itâs like regularly experiencing things that nobody around you can understand or relate to.
Itâs like not knowing whatâs real or whatâs rational and whatâs not.
Itâs like dreaming while being awake.
Itâs like living in a horror movie.
Itâs like bring stuck in thoughts and theories that no one else understands.
Itâs many different things and itâs hard to describe and summarize.
The worst misconceptions people held about me when I was misdiagnosed with depression
That I was lazy
That I was faking
The worst misconceptions people have about me now that Iâm diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia - just to mention a couple examples:
That I can fall into a murderous, violent rage any second
That nothing I say deserves to be taken seriously because Iâm paranoid and psychotic
That Iâm a danger to society
That Iâd be better off dead
That Iâm a monster
That Iâm inhuman/have supernatural powers
That I might kill someone.
That I should be locked up for the rest of my life/excluded from society
That society should be protected against me
That I donât deserve the same human rights and freedoms as everyone else
Like excuse me but acting like thereâs the same level of stigma towards anxiety and depression as there is towards schizophrenia is completely ridiculous
tips for helping psychotic people
donât force them to tell you what their delusions or hallucinations are. they could be afraid to tell you because they feel theyâre being spied on, theyâre ashamed, w/e. just respect their boundaries.
donât treat them like a child. treat them like you would any other person, theyâre human, too.
donât immediately dismiss their delusions/hallucinations just because you think they should be able to tell theyâre not real. the psychotic might not know at all, because hallucinations look and sound SO real to us.
listen to what they have to say. if they say there is a camera in the room, cover where they say it is with tape. if they say they canât go somewhere for whatever reason, donât force them to go there. if they think their food is poisoned, prove to them it isnât.
donât get offended if they donât trust you. theyâre delusional, and canât help it. they want you to be on their side so prove you can be trusted.
communication is key. ask them what you can do to help, because even the most extensive list of coping tools and methods isnât 100% inclusive of everyoneâs exact needs.
donât use their illness against them. donât tell them lies. donât joke about it (unless they say itâs okay).
donât allow them to abuse you. like any relationship, you can choose to leave whenever for whatever reason. learn to recognize abusive behaviors.
feel free to add on.
helping someone with psychosis
schizophrenia and psychosis (a key symptom of schizophrenia) are mental states that can cause symptoms including paranoia, hallucinations, delusions, disorganised thoughts and unusual behaviours. friends and family are extremely important to a personâs recovery from schizophrenia and psychosis. your empathy and love can make a big difference.
support for communication difficulties
- some people with psychosis may be unable to think clearly. speaking at your normal pace is fine, but you may need to give your loved one a little extra time to absorb and process what youâve said, and be willing to repeat it if they didnât understand.
- if your loved one shows a limited range of emotions, be aware that it doesnât mean they arenât feeling anything. some people with psychosis simply have difficulty expressing how they feel.
- understand that sometimes, people experiencing psychosis express âinappropriateâ emotions, eg. laughing at something upsetting. donât take this personally and try to remain patient if this happens. if you need to clarify the reaction with the person, do so in private and in a calm manner.
- some people struggle to make eye contact and find it unsettling. if your loved one is clearly avoiding eye contact, donât make a big deal out of it - theyâre not trying to be rude, rather, itâs a symptom of their illness. you may find that your loved one prefers to sit beside you over being in front of you as itâs less confrontational, so you could try to do this more often.
support for hallucinations
- avoid encouraging the belief that the hallucinations are real if possible, and instead use language such as, âi donât see anything, what do you see?â so that they feel they can talk to you about it.
- donât mock or laugh at your loved oneâs experiences unless they do first or have stated that itâs okay if you make light of it.
- offer distractions such as watching tv or listening to music.
support for delusions
- recognise that their delusions may be very real to them. donât dismiss, minimise or argue with them about these experiences, and do not act alarmed or embarrassed by them. however, itâs important to be careful that you donât inflame your loved oneâs paranoia - donât actively encourage it, and instead, offer your empathy. - be as empathetic as you can. if your loved one is experiencing paranoia and is afraid because of that, understand that they legitimately feel fearful even if you think the paranoia is unfounded. express that you understand why they feel this emotion and ask them what you can do to help in future.
support for social isolation
- encourage your loved one gently, never forcefully, to partake in social gatherings when itâs appropriate. perhaps suggest a weekly outing, for example, a walk in the country, seeing a movie together or a meal somewhere quiet.
- small things go a long way. they donât overwhelm and sending something uplifting every so often encourages recovery. remind your loved one that youâre thinking of them and that you care about them.
- if your loved one forgets their medication, drop them a reminder every so often. itâs important that they keep taking it if it helps them.
crisis intervention
- know that you canât reason with acute psychosis and that your loved one is unwell. they may say or do things that they wouldnât normally do and they may not understand that those things could upset you.
- understand that the person may be fearful of their feelings and their loss of control over them. because of this itâs important that you donât express anger or irritation and donât use sarcasm as a weapon. donât raise your voice. speak in a calm, level way.
- avoid making continuous eye contact and avoid making physical contact without permission or warning if the person is agitated or afraid.
- remove objects that the person may use to harm themselves if they express wishes to self-harm or attempt suicide. this includes anything sharp and tools that they could use to inflict burns.
- provide options for getting help. your loved one may be more willing to seek help if they feel they have control over the situation. for example, suggest a doctors appointment to get started on medication, but suggest that you or someone else will go back with them if the medication doesnât help or has too many side effects.
- donât leave the person alone. if they have a support network, get in contact with people who can help and stay with them.
- contact emergency services when the person is in immediate danger.
C-PTSD (Complex Post traumatic Stress Disorder)
The symptoms of PTSD apply well to people who have experienced a discrete or short-lived traumatic event, such as a motor vehicle accident, natural disaster, or rape. However, the symptoms of PTSD do not always completely map onto the experiences of people who have experienced chronic, repeated, or long-lasting traumatic events, such as childhood sexual and/or physical abuse, domestic violence, or captivity (such as being in a prisoner of war camp).
The traumatic events connected to Complex PTSD are long-lasting and generally involve some form of physical or emotional captivity, such as childhood sexual and/or physical abuse or domestic violence. In these types of events, a victim is under the control of another person and does not have the ability to easily escape.
Symptoms of Complex PTSD
The following symptoms stem from exposure to a chronic traumatic event where a person felt captive.
Emotion Regulation Problems-Â People with Complex PTSD experience difficulties managing their emotions. They may experience severe depression, thoughts of suicide, or have difficulties controlling their anger.
Changes in Consciousness-Â Following exposure to a chronic traumatic event, a person may repress memories of the traumatic event, experience flashbacks, or experience dissociation.
Changes in How a Person Views Themselves-Â Symptoms in this category include feelings of helplessness, shame, guilt, or feeling detached and different from others.
Changes in How the Victim Views the Perpetrator-Â A person with Complex PTSD may feel like he has no power over a perpetrator (the perpetrator has complete power in a relationship). In Complex PTSD, people might also become preoccupied with their relationship with a perpetrator (for example, constant thoughts of wanting revenge).
Changes in Personal Relationships- These symptoms include problems with relationships, such as isolating oneself or being distrusting of others.
Changes in How One Views the World-Â People exposed to chronic or repeated traumatic events may also lose faith in humanity or have a sense of hopelessness about the future.
Complex PTSD can be a debilitating condition. Most people with Complex PTSD also meet the criteria for a PTSD diagnosis. They may also be at greater risk for abusing substances as a way of trying to cope with severe emotional pain. Many people with Complex PTSD also engage in deliberate self-harm. If you have been exposed to a chronic traumatic event, it is important to seek out help.