English Mental health and gender-based violence English version | Page 168

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APPENDICES

Appendix 2 . Grounding exercises

In this section , we have gathered together the grounding exercises mentioned in the training , making it easier for you to find and use them .
No . 1 . Grounding the body 44-45 No . 2 . The Hug 68-69 No . 3 . Progressive release of muscular tension 74-75 No . 4 . Creating a safe place 80-81 No . 5 . Re-orienting to the present 86-87 No . 6 . ‘ Squeeze-Hug ’ 88-89 No . 7 . Feeling the weight of your body 90-91 No . 8 . Straightening the back 92-93 No . 9 . Square-breathing 160 No . 10 . Breath counting 160
Grounding is an important therapeutic approach for handling dissociation or flashbacks , and reducing the symptoms of anxiety and panic . It is important to practice the exercises again and again until the skill becomes automatic and can be called on even during moments of distress . The aim of grounding is to take the survivor out of whatever traumatic moment she is remembering .
1 . Grounding the body . ( 10-15 minutes .)
Source : Jacobson , Edmund . 1974 . Progressive Relaxation . Chicago : The University of Chicago Press , Midway Reprint .
This exercise can help a survivor to come down from hyperarousal and find a more balanced emotional state . It can also be used to focus survivors who are in ‘ freeze-mode ’.
Sit on your chair . Feel your feet touching the ground . Stamp your left foot into the ground , then your right . Do it slowly : left , right , left . Do this several times . Feel your thighs and buttocks in contact with the seat of your chair ( 5 seconds ). Notice if your legs and buttocks now feel more present or less present than when you started focusing on your legs . Now move your focus to your spine . Feel your spine as your midline . Slowly lengthen your spine and notice if it affects your breath ( 10 seconds ). Move your focus toward your hands and arms . Put your hands together . Do it in a way that feels comfortable for you . Push your hands together and feel your strength and temperature . Release and pause , then push your hands together again . Release and rest your arms . Now move your focus to your eyes . Look around the room . Find something that tells you that you are here . Remind yourself that you are here , now , and that you are safe . Notice how this exercise affects your breathing , your presence , your mood , and your strength .
2 . The Hug . ( 5-8 minutes .)
This exercise deepens and anchors positive feelings and messages . It is taken from EMDR ( Eye movement desensitisation reprocessing ), a trauma processing method . The method employs bilateral physical stimulation ( in this case tapping ), which , combined with positive spoken messages , is said to deepen and anchor positive feelings . The sentence can also be spoken silently .