87
Recovery skills 2
SAID ALOUD
Recovery skills 2
Aim. To practise grounding exercises and give tools that enable a person to stay in her window of tolerance.
Trainer. Now we are going to practise an exercise together. We call it a grounding exercise because it grounds and anchors us in the present. We can use it to calm a survivor whose traumatic anxieties and fears have been triggered, or awaken her energy if she lacks energy.
PART II: THE TRAINING
“ Are you willing to try a grounding exercise?”
Grounding Exercise 5. Re-orienting to the present.( 10 minutes.)
Form pairs and sit together. One of you plays the Helper and the other the Survivor. Helpers should assist Survivors to use their senses to put themselves fully in the present and feel safe. Take turns.
GROUNDING EXERCISE
• Look around and name 3 things you see.
• Look at something( an object, a colour, etc.).
• Tell yourself what you are seeing.
• Name 3 things you hear. If it feels comfortable, you can close your eyes.
• Listen to a sound( music, voices, other sounds).
• Tell yourself what you are hearing.
• Name 3 things you touch.
• Touch something( different textures, different objects).
• Tell yourself what you are touching.
• Now, notice your state of mind.
• Do you feel that you are more present in the room after doing the exercise, or less present?
• Do you feel calmer or more energised?
When you finish the exercise, take time to note how you feel. At the end, remember to come out of your role. Brush away the role you have played and say aloud“ I am [ me ]”.