Grounding Kit:
I started a grounding kit this week! Each grounding kit will be unique because each person who makes one is different. Here is what is in my grounding kit so far-
Adult coloring books with colored pencils and markers (fun, has me doing something, pretty colors)
Moon calendar (cardstock, good for holding emotions chart, the moon is awesome)
Emotions chart (yeah just because)
Kava kava stress relief tea (I normally use this to help with sleep but I wanted a backup in my kit for anxiety)
Mints (To engage my sense of taste)
Tea tree essential oil (Aromatherapy, tea tree is good for skin and is sometimes used as an antiseptic, cleansing)
Rosemary essential oil (Aromatherapy, rosemary is said to help with concentration)
Juniper Berry essential oil (Aromatherapy, juniper berry is said to be energizing, I picked it up on intuition, my earliest childhood friend had juniper trees at her house)
Lavender essential oil (Aromatherapy, lavender gives you what you need- energy if you need it or calming if you need it, Lavender is also antiseptic)
Motherwort tops tincture (Engages my sense of taste- Motherwort tastes green and chocolatey brown, I learned about Motherwort from reading the crazyherbalist.com blog on CPTSD)
Grounding Exercises:
I picked these two exercises up from some counselors this week. I’ve been doing the tapping in exercise daily and it seems to help me.
Rainbow Game- Going through the rainbow in order (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet) look for objects in your environment that are each color.
Tapping in- This exercise actually comes from Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR). EMDR is said to work like REM sleep: moving your eyes rapidly back and forth helps process things, and EMDR is popularly used for processing discrete traumas.* Sometimes taps or vibrations that alternate between your left and right side are also used in EMDR, as in this exercise. Take a seat and put your left hand on your left knee and your right hand on your right knee. Your arms should be relaxed/comfortable. Start by thinking about a place where you felt that you were in your body and you felt good. Think about what it looks like there, what sensations you feel on your skin there, what sounds and smells are there…. When you have a good sense of being there and the good feelings you had there, tap your knees left- right- left-right for a total of ten taps. Repeat as necessary.
*Note: EMDR is often used for trauma but different EMDR techniques are appropriate for different types of trauma. The EMDR techniques that are most often used for trauma may not be appropriate for Complex PTSD and can destabilize us. EMDR for Complex PTSD often focuses on grounding and stabilization. If you have Complex PTSD and are interested in EMDR you will want to make sure you are being given techniques that are specifically appropriate for Complex PTSD.
I also found a whole list of grounding techniques here.
addressingtrauma 