This blog looks at ideas around stress and connecting to our bodies. It sounds simple but as humans, we tend to spend so much time caught up in our thoughts, we can forget that we even have a body! James Joyce’s story of Mr Duffy illustrates this very well. Joyce…
This blog looks more closely at how to find calm when we have been pulled into fight, flight or freeze states. My last few blogs looked at Stephen Porge’s Polyvagal Theory which I would very often explain to my clients. The polyvagal theory is useful firstly because it allows people…
The polyvagal ladder exercise Continuing on from my previous blog, Deb Dana, clinician and Coordinator of the Traumatic Stress Research Consortium in the Kinsey Institute in the US, has taken Stephen Porges theory and found ways to explain it simply and powerfully. The polyvagal ladder exercise involves us imagining our…
This final article about grounding tools and techniques introduces you to my favourite grounding tool! It also looks at mindful distraction and self-soothing. All of us could sometimes do with a little grounding and all grounding techniques are designed to do one thing: to help us to connect with the…
This blog gives a list of powerful physical grounding tools. All of us could sometimes do with a little grounding! Although grounding does not solve the problem that is contributing to your unpleasant emotions, it does provide a temporary way to gain control over your feelings and prevent things from…
This blog looks at ten powerful mental grounding tools. All of us could sometimes do with a little grounding! All grounding techniques are designed to do one thing: to help us to connect with the present in a focussed way which gives both our body and mind a chance to…
What is Grounding? People often use the expression “I need to stay grounded” when they feel themselves being pulled too much into overthinking and worrying about things or being pulled into very strong emotions. As a counsellor, I find that knowing and using grounding tools and techniques can make a…
