Episode 25: How to Stay Present (Grounding Techniques)

In this episode,

Lizzie goes over some key grounding techniques to help people stay in the present and overcome dissociation.

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Post-pod questions to consider

What is your favorite grounding technique? When have you found grounding most helpful?

Episode Transcript

Hey, you're listening to Midnight Philosopher with Lizzie. Thanks for tuning in. 

Today, I'm going to talk about grounding techniques. Grounding techniques are really important for helping people who have big feelings, especially associated with trauma. If you find yourself dissociating, grounding techniques can be really useful and helpful for you. 

A grounding technique is anything that uses your five senses and pulls you back into the present moment. Though, there's technically two other senses besides smell, touch, taste, feel, and hear, there's also your proprioceptive sense and your vestibular sense, which we'll get into a little bit later. But technically, any of your seven senses can help you get back into the present moment.

There have been many times in my life that I've used grounding techniques. One time, I was in a parking lot, and I felt my heart start pounding. And then my body flushed, hot and then cold, and I started sweating profusely, and I was having difficulty breathing. I knew this was a panic attack because I had been thinking of something triggering when it happened. 

In order to help my body calm down and bring myself back to the present moment, I started chewing minty gum. And then I started taking deep breaths and bringing my attention back to the flavor and texture of the gum. As I slows my slowed my breathing and focused on the gum, I was able to bring my mind back to the car I was sitting in. I started to feel the seat under my bottom and my grip on the wheel, and I started bringing my attention back to the sound of cars in the parking lot. I was able to calm my panic and bring myself back to the present moment. By using those grounding techniques of the senses of taste and hearing, I was able to draw my attention away from my panic and back into my body. 

Another time that I use grounding techniques is when I was a therapist. Sometimes as a therapist, my clients told me some very disturbing things, and I would want to have a visceral reaction. 
But instead of having an outward reaction, I would trace the outline of my keys from my fingers and use that tactile technique as a way to keep me present in the room. The grounding technique was simple and no one could see it, But it was really effective for keeping me present for my clients during those hard moments for them in session. 

You know, as a therapist, it's important to remember that I was a person like, I am a person too. And so, of course, when I hear horrible things happen to my clients who I cared very much about, of course, that would trigger and upset me. And it was my knowledge that I had to put the client at the center of the interaction that helped me think, "Okay, what can I do in this moment that will keep me grounded while also staying present for the client?" And so using the the sense of touch, with my keys, I was able to do that. 

And the third time I used a grounding technique was when I saw something gross like roadkill. I felt myself have a strong reaction, and so I used lotion to bring myself back to the present moment. I kept a little bottle right near my steering wheel. And if I noticed myself dissociating because of seeing roadkill, I would put some lotion on and bring myself back to the present moment. I would notice the weight of my body in the seat and I would wiggle my toes on the pedals and that and if I needed to, I would pull over. But using that sense of smell really helped keep me in the present moment. 

So, so far I've, you know, talked about some grounding techniques that are important if you're feeling triggered by a flashback or or having a lot of anxiety. These techniques and skills can bring you back into the present moment using your set senses. And as I talked about before, in addition to the five traditional senses of sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell, there are two other senses called the vestibular sense and the proprioceptive sense. The vestibular sense is what helps keep people keep balance. 

And so you can use grounding techniques with this sense, such as standing on a balance board. The proprioceptive sense is how we know where our body is in space. So, things you can do to use this sense in terms of grounding techniques is to wear a heavy backpack or to carry heavy books that literally ground your body in space. So an interesting thing about grounding techniques is they're not just something therapists tell you to do.

There's actually scientific backing behind them. And so, basically, when you're in fight, flight, freeze, or feigned analgesic death, also known as dissociation, you're in what's called your lizard brain. This is the part of the brain that is your brain stem, cerebellum, and basal ganglia. Or, in other words, this is your survival part of the brain. When you're in fight, flight, freeze, or faint analgesic death, you're in your lizard brain. You're survival mode. Your blood has gone away from your extremities to your heart to help it pump blood. You are not thinking clearly. You are thinking about surviving. 

But, however, when you use a grounding technique, you're taking yourself out of your lizard brain and into what's called, well, not called, but it's your thinking brain, which is your frontal lobes. 
So, using grounding techniques helps you spring away from your brain stem and into the upper part of your brain, which can actually help you think through things rationally and make decisions. That's why when you're in your lizard brain and you're triggered, it's hard to rationally think through things because your body is trying to survive. Your body is trying to survive and and it's and if you're triggered, it's from a past event usually, unless you actually need to be surviving in that moment. But if you're triggered, it's usually from a past event. And so in your lizard brain, you're stuck in that survival mode. 

And so grounding techniques can help you get into your thinking brain and be able to rationally assess your situation. So, what can you do if you're feeling triggered? What can you do to get yourself out of your lizard brain and into your thinking brain? Well, something to try is to try to engage your seven senses and think about ways that you can do that. So maybe write down two or three strategies for each sense. You could even keep the list on your phone so if you start to feel triggered, you can look at it when you need to. 

So, tonight, I talked about grounding techniques, and I talked about a couple times grounding techniques have been helpful for me, such as when I was having a panic attack or when I wanted to be present during hearing traumatic information or if I saw something disturbing like roadkill. And I also talked about how to ground yourself, you can use one of your seven senses, such as sight, sound, taste, touch, smell, your vestibular sense, and your proprioceptive sense. And finally, I talked about how grounding techniques can get you out of your lizard brain and into your thinking brain. 

Well, thanks so much for listening tonight. I'm gonna go spin in my computer chair to help ground my proprioceptive sense. Have a good night.