Here is a simple Grounding and Resourcing Exercise that I use in my sessions for clients when they feel dysregulated or unsafe in the body. It helps when you are anxious or overwhelmed or feeling dissociated (like daydream, or trouble focusing). I also have will post a video of me reading this script on my Instagram at therapy.shanni
Grounding Exercise: Healing Light
Visualize a healing light in your favorite color (except black or red). For this exercise, I will pick the color green to represent serene and green forests. Close your eyes and imagine the green healing light shining down like an angel with a halo, and slowly the green halo band touches the top of the head and you feel calm and at ease.
Slowly you take a slow 1-2-3-4 breath in through your nose, and hold 1-2-3-4 seconds and then out through your mouth like you are blowing through a straw and the healing light reaches and embraces your eyes and ears. Then slowly through your whole head, and you feel relaxed and light like a feather.
With each breath, you notice the healing light now in your shoulders, and filling your arms, all the way, down down down to your fingertips and then through your chest. Next, the green light comes all the way down to your stomach, and notice your breath going in and out of your belly. Now the green light is down from your head to the belly.
Now allow the green healing energy to come down to the butt and thighs and slowly down to the knee and calves. Then to the ankles and then to the toes. Now you are filled with the green light.
You can reverse it now, and start filling the healing light from your toes up to your head.
Resourcing Exercise: Peaceful Place
Imagine a peaceful place that is real or imagine: Examples can be wood, forest, beach, bed
Imagine a nurturing figure that is real or imaginary (imagine is better because there's no conflict of interest): Examples can be your pet cat or dog, mama bear, mama dog, mama cat, Mother Teresa, mother nature, your therapist LOL, etc.
Imagine a protective figure: example: ninja cat, Dumbledore from Harry Potter, Jesus, God (only if you practice and believe), and Wonder Woman. Etc.
For this exercise, I will pick the beach, my cat Coco boos and Jedi Yoda, and Ninja Turtles lol.
You will use your favorite tapping, going left and right, and tapping at the speed that you feel comfortable and intense (light tap or harder tap).
You can tap back and forth on the side of your thighs, or the side of your temple (head), or Butterfly taps on your chest or collarbone, and many variations.
Close your eyes, notice your breathing, and notice what is happening in your body. With each breath, you notice you feel lighter, so light that you feel like a feather.
Now you will tap your collarbone left and right, with each tap, imagine walking left and right closer and closer to your imaginary beach. After 10 steps, you have arrived at your destination.
What do you see? Imagine seeing the sun shining on the water and reflecting with gleaming light and the beautiful white sands, and a big umbrella chair that you can lie down. You see Coco (my pet cat) sitting next to you with her paws on your hands. She has eyeglasses on because it's too bright. There are ninja turtles surrounding the premises in a circle like guards to protect and limit worries, bad thoughts, or bad people coming in, and also Jedi Yoda meditating and saying good prayers for Mother Nature.
What do you hear? Notice the sounds of the waves, repetitively crashing towards you, and the sound of children laughing.
What do you feel and touch? You feel the sand as it escapes your hand the warm Turkish cotton towel and the fur and warmth of Thick White Cat Coco purring and sitting next to you. You can feel the sunlight and the cool water on your feet.
What do you taste? You taste the salt water and the sand smacking at your mouth whenever you breathe in and out, and Coco's cat fur because she sheds a lot.
Take a moment and notice you are light, relaxed, calm supported, and at peace. Now you will tap in the count of 10, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and slowly you return to your room, and you slowly open your eyes. You may return to your peaceful place whenever you like.
I like to stretch after doing grounding and resourcing, and do a few yoga poses, child pose, downward dog, and shaking off my hands and shoulder rolls.
I hope you enjoy this, let me know if it works. :)
If you are interested in learning more about counseling for women and how it can help you, please contact me to book a 15 minute consultation.
