Traumatic experiences can shape the way that many people view their surroundings. Those in recovery for their own trauma may constantly see dangers or experience anxiety or depression on a regular basis, ultimately affecting their world view. Addressing recovery and implementing any number of regular therapeutic practices is important, but is most effective once a person has first already established a shared sense of reality with their supports. Keeping a set of core strategies that allow a person to objectively view their surroundings without the tinted lens of anxiety, panic, or PTSD can help each person further personalize and focus their recovery efforts in a healthy and productive way.
Getting a Grasp on Time
Grounding strategies such as taking a break and counting to ten in stressful situations or practicing conscious breathwork are important in creating a shared sense of time. Experiencing high levels of anxiety or panic can create the illusion that the world is spinning too fast for a person to keep up, creating the feeling that a person doesn’t have time to react to any particular stressor. Counting or otherwise detaching and focusing only on one’s breath rather than the outside stressors for a few seconds can directly combat this, reestablishing a shared sense of time and an objective level of urgency in any given situation.
Sharing a Space
Reconnecting with reality also includes sharing a sense of physical space. Naming the physical, tangible objects that a person can see in their environment is a great grounding tool that can help a person realize their own surroundings, even through panic or stress. At home, naming things, like one’s desk or lamp, can help with practicing this technique. Verbalizing one’s findings can help to reconnect with the reality around you, as well. These activities can also help you to share in that reality with your supports, ultimately creating a starting point to implement other necessary coping techniques.
Reconnecting with reality can be very difficult in a moment of high anxiety, depression, or stress. Learning to determine your physical environment and take a breath can make all the difference in implementing the right coping strategies, and can provide someone with the sense of time they need to contact necessary supports. Sharing and communicating a sense of reality is important for each step in recovery moving forward. To learn more about the importance of sharing in reality as a part of one’s grounding techniques, or to learn more about our various practices and therapeutic approaches available, call The Guest House today at (855) 483-7800.