15 happen , because it makes it difficult for them to stay connected with the here and now . Often , though they have learnt this as a useful way of coping . Here ’ s a basic exercise you can walk through with them when they may have become disconnected or dissociated :
1 . Get the young person to sit down or hold onto something solid 2 . Encourage them to feel the sensation of being connected to the floor , wall , chair or thing . 3 . Get them to think or talk about three things they can feel – e . g . clothes on their skin , chair under their legs , wind 4 . Get them to notice three things they can see – what is happening around them in the here and now 5 . Get them to notice three things they can hear around them now 6 . Remind themselves of where they are and what they are doing .
Other Strategies Some other ideas could be using music , blowing bubbles or other sensory distractions such as a strong nice smell such as lavender . All of these indicate to the body and mind that it is unlikely there is a current threat .
Be careful , sometimes techniques such as relaxation or calming triggers a young person as this feeling may be associated with their trauma or it may be a feeling of vulnerability that then triggers their arousal .
Sometimes , though you may have some more time to explore different strategies and make a bit more of a plan about how they might manage a difficult situation in the future .
A great way to have this chat is to get them to think about a simple and common trigger for them such as a place or person . Something that may trigger an increase in heart rate and shallow breathing provides a good opportunity to practice these more helpful strategies . Then use this to reflect on strategies that may be useful to cope with the situation before it happened , during the event and afterwards .
' Before ' Skills
This may be simple things such as looking after themselves by getting enough sleep , eating well and drinking enough water or may look at them prepping themselves before they know they may be triggered .
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