Grounding Techniques for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Grounding is a coping strategy designed, as the name suggests, to "ground" or immediately connect you with the present moment. When you feel yourself caught in the grip of fear or anxiety, focusing your sensations in the present moment can help you get out of those distressing thoughts and feelings.

Grounding techniques are often used as a way of coping with flashbacks or dissociation when you have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They can also be helpful in other types of anxiety.

Because it focuses on being present in the moment, grounding can be considered a variant of mindfulness. Grounding techniques can also be a distraction, getting you out of your head and away from upsetting thoughts, memories, or feelings.

How Grounding Works

Grounding techniques often use the five senses—sound, touch, smell, taste, and sight—to immediately connect you with the here and now. For example, singing a song, rubbing lotion on your hands, or sucking on sour candy are all grounding techniques that produce sensations that are difficult to ignore or distract you from what's going on in your mind.

How you ground yourself is highly personal. What works for one person may trigger anxiety or flashbacks in another. You may need to do some trial and error to figure out what grounding techniques work best for you. Pay attention to the coping mechanisms you've already developed to help you get through flashbacks and anxiety and see if you can build on them and/or use them as grounding techniques.

Grounding Techniques

To connect with the here and now, do something (or several things) that will bring all your attention to the present moment. Be sure to keep your eyes open while you're grounding yourself so you're aware of everything that's going on around you.

If you notice that you're slipping into a flashback or a dissociative state, try some of these grounding techniques.

Sight

• Complete a crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search, or other puzzle.
• Count all the pieces of furniture around you.
• Play a distracting game on your tablet, computer, or smartphone.
• Put on your favorite movie or TV show.
• Read a book or magazine.
• Take a mental inventory of everything around you, such as all the colors and patterns you see, the sounds you hear, and the scents you smell. Saying this out loud is helpful too.

Smell

• Get some essential oils that remind you of good times (freshly cut grass, rain, clean laundry, or sugar cookies, for example) and smell one.
• Light a scented candle or melt scented wax.
• Sniff strong peppermint, which also has the benefit of having a soothing effect.

Sound

• Call a loved one.
• Put on some nature sounds such as birds chirping or waves crashing.
• Read out loud, whether it's a favorite children's book, a blog post, or a novel.
• Talk out loud about what you see and hear, or what you're thinking or doing.
• Turn up the radio or blast your favorite song.

Taste

• Bite into a lemon or lime.
• Let a piece of chocolate melt in your mouth, noticing how it tastes and feels as you roll it around with your tongue.
• Suck on a mint or chew peppermint or cinnamon gum.
• Take a bite of pepper or some hot salsa.

Touch

• Cuddle and pet your dog or cat if you have one.
• Drink a hot or cold beverage.
• Grab an article of clothing, a blanket, or a towel and knead it in your hands or hold it to your cheek. Concentrate on what it feels like.
• Hold an ice cube and let it melt in your hand.
• Massage your temples.
• Pop some bubble wrap.
• Put your hands under running water.
• Rub your hand lightly over the carpet or a piece of furniture, noting the texture.
• Take a hot or cool shower.

Other

• Dance.
• Go for a walk or run.
• Send a letter or card to someone you care about.
• Sit in another room or area for a change of scenery.
• Stretch your arms, neck, and legs.
• Take 10 slow, deep breaths.
• Write in a journal about how you're feeling, or keep a list of prompts handy to help you decide what to write about.

Benefits of Grounding Techniques

The nice thing about grounding is that many of these can be done in any environment. You might be home alone or out in public, but once you feel that flashback or dissociation coming on, you can use grounding to move your focus back to the present.

For example, some people find that a rubber band on their wrist is useful for snapping them back to the moment. The ultimate goal is to live in the now and focus on the present when the past starts coming up.

When to Seek Professional Help

Ground can be a helpful way to manage symptoms of anxiety, dissociation, and flashbacks. If the symptoms you are experiencing are causing distress or interfering with your life, it's important to talk to a mental health professional. The specific treatment your doctor or therapist recommends will depend on your diagnosis.

PTSD Treatments

Your doctor may prescribe medications, including antidepressants or antipsychotics, to help manage your symptoms. Different types of psychotherapy, including cognitive processing therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, and cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) can be helpful. 

Anxiety Treatments

Anxiety is also typically treated with therapy and medication. Medications that may be prescribed for anxiety include antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and beta blockers. CBT and exposure therapy can be highly effective.

Helpful Resources

If you aren't getting treatment for your PTSD but would like to, you can find PTSD treatment providers in your area through the Anxiety Disorder Association of America website.

The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD) also provides a wealth of information on the connection between trauma and dissociation, how to cope with dissociation, and links to therapists who treat trauma and dissociation.

Takeaways

Grounding techniques can be extremely helpful for those moments when you feel yourself getting caught up in your own head. It can be as simple as paying attention to the world around you or engaging your senses to help distract you from anxious, fearful feelings. This can be particularly helpful if you have a condition such as PTSD or anxiety. However, it's important to remember these techniques aren't a substitute for treatment. If you are struggling with anxiety or symptoms of PTSD, be sure to talk to your doctor to learn more about treatments that can help.