Stability through grounding & anchoring: how to find your way back to yourself when life pulls the rug out from under your feet.

Some situations in life literally pull us off our feet. We lose contact to our feelings or perhaps even with reality; we feel uprooted and like we’re in a weird dream.
This ability of our brain to ‘switch off’ in highly stressful moments is called dissociation. In dissociative states, we feel emotionally numb and are unable to comprehend what is happening around us. This protective mechanism, which is healthy and important in itself, can be detrimental to everyday life if it becomes too strong.
All of us have experienced mild dissociative states: we walk or drive home from work, lose ourselves in daydreams – and have suddenly reached home without being able to recall what exactly happened in the last few minutes of our journey.
Dissociations can affect people with severe trauma to a much greater extent – such experiences are called flashbacks. Flashbacks feel as if they’re back in the original traumatic situation – you can see in your mind’s eye what happened back then, you can hear, smell, taste and feel the sensory impressions of those moments. This triggers great anxiety and fear. Staying in the reality of the here & now with these impressions is very difficult and challenging.
Stability through grounding & anchoring: with special techniques for grounding and anchoring, feelings of dissociation can be weakened and contact with reality strengthened. Examples include describing objects with all your five senses, reciting poetry, walking barefoot, seeking pleasurable activities or putting on a talisman.
Do you recognise the feeling of dissociating? What helpful techniques would you like to try in such moments?
Let’s talk about it in a free initial session!
#dissociation #grounding #anchoring

