The Power of Resourcing: Grounding Techniques for Stability and Calm
In our fast-paced, high-pressure world, it's easy to become overwhelmed. Stress, anxiety, and trauma can leave us feeling ungrounded, disconnected from our bodies, and detached from a sense of stability. When this happens, it becomes difficult to access our natural resources for calm and resilience. However, the human body has an innate ability to heal, and through somatic therapies such as Somatic Experiencing (SE) and Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP), we can learn powerful techniques to ground ourselves, reconnect with our bodies, and find stability in challenging times.
This post explores the concept of resourcing, a key principle in somatic therapies, and offers practical grounding techniques that can help you find calm amidst the storm. Whether you're navigating intense emotions, coping with trauma, or simply seeking more stability in your day-to-day life, these techniques can support you in cultivating a deeper sense of safety and connection within yourself.
Understanding Resourcing in Somatic Therapy
In somatic therapies, resourcing refers to the practice of accessing internal and external sources of safety, comfort, and strength. Resourcing can be anything that helps us feel more grounded, whether it's a memory, a place, a person, or a sensation in the body. The goal of resourcing is to enhance our capacity to handle difficult emotions and sensations without becoming overwhelmed or disconnected. By building up our internal resources, we can anchor ourselves in the present moment and increase our resilience in the face of stress or trauma.
One of the foundational principles of Somatic Experiencing is that the body is the primary resource for healing. SE works with the body’s natural ability to regulate itself and recover from stress. By paying close attention to bodily sensations and gently guiding the nervous system back to a state of balance, we can reduce the impact of trauma and restore a sense of safety within ourselves.
AEDP, a relational, emotion-focused therapy, also emphasizes the importance of creating a safe and supportive environment where healing can take place. In AEDP, the therapist works to co-create a space where the client feels deeply seen, understood, and held. This sense of safety allows for the exploration of painful emotions and trauma in a way that is healing, rather than re-traumatizing.
Both approaches highlight the importance of cultivating resources that can anchor us in safety and stability, even when we are facing overwhelming emotions or sensations.
Why Grounding is Essential for Stability and Calm
When we experience stress or trauma, our nervous system can become dysregulated. This may manifest as feeling hyper-aroused (anxious, jittery, overwhelmed) or hypo-aroused (numb, disconnected, fatigued). In these states, it can be challenging to feel grounded in the present moment. Grounding techniques help us regulate the nervous system by bringing our awareness back to the body and the present, creating a sense of safety.
Grounding is not just about reducing stress in the moment—it is also about building the capacity to handle future stressors with greater ease. By practicing grounding techniques regularly, we strengthen our ability to return to a state of calm and stability more quickly after moments of overwhelm.
Somatic Resourcing Techniques: Cultivating a Sense of Safety
The following grounding techniques are rooted in somatic therapy principles and are designed to help you access your internal and external resources. These practices can help you feel more stable, calm, and connected to your body.
1. Orienting to the Present Moment
Orienting is a simple yet powerful technique used in Somatic Experiencing to bring awareness to your environment and help your nervous system relax. It involves using your senses—sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste—to connect with your surroundings. This practice helps to shift your focus away from internal distress and onto the external environment, which can create a sense of safety.
How to Practice:
Begin by looking around the room or space you’re in. Notice what you see: the colors, shapes, and textures of objects.
Pay attention to sounds around you. Can you hear distant traffic, birds chirping, or the hum of a fan?
Tune into what you can feel in your body. Notice the surface beneath you, the texture of your clothes, or the sensation of your feet on the ground.
Allow your breathing to slow as you take in these sensory details. This practice can help anchor you in the present moment and calm the nervous system.
Why it Works:
By orienting yourself to the present moment, you give your body and mind a chance to step out of the fight-or-flight response and into a state of relaxation. This simple act of noticing can help your nervous system recognize that, in this moment, you are safe.
2. The Resource of Breath
The breath is one of the most accessible and powerful resources for grounding. When we feel overwhelmed, our breath often becomes shallow or erratic. By consciously slowing and deepening our breath, we can help calm the nervous system and bring ourselves back to a state of balance.
How to Practice:
Find a comfortable position, either sitting or lying down.
Place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly. Take a slow, deep breath in through your nose, allowing your belly to expand as you breathe in. Feel the rise of your hand on your belly.
Exhale slowly through your mouth, feeling your belly gently fall. Try to make your exhale longer than your inhale.
Repeat this for several breaths, focusing on the sensation of the breath moving in and out of your body.
Why it Works:
Deep breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the body’s "rest and digest" response. This helps to counteract the stress response and brings the body into a state of calm.
3. Somatic Tracking: Building Body Awareness
Somatic tracking is a key technique in Somatic Experiencing that involves bringing mindful awareness to bodily sensations without judgment or attachment. By observing sensations as they arise and pass, you can build your capacity to tolerate discomfort without becoming overwhelmed.
How to Practice:
Sit quietly and take a few deep breaths to settle into your body.
Bring your attention to any sensation you notice in your body. It could be tightness in your shoulders, warmth in your chest, or tingling in your hands.
Simply observe the sensation without trying to change it. Notice its texture, intensity, and location. Does it stay the same, or does it shift?
Stay with the sensation as long as it feels comfortable. If you start to feel overwhelmed, return to your breath or shift your focus to a different sensation in your body that feels more neutral or pleasant.
Why it Works:
Somatic tracking helps to build body awareness and increase your ability to stay present with physical sensations. This practice can strengthen your capacity to regulate your nervous system in moments of stress or overwhelm.
4. Tapping Into External Resources
External resources can be people, places, or objects that bring you a sense of safety, comfort, or joy. By intentionally focusing on these resources, you can strengthen your sense of connection and stability.
How to Practice:
Think of a person, place, or object that makes you feel safe and supported. This could be a loved one, a favorite spot in nature, or a comforting item like a blanket or piece of jewelry.
Close your eyes and bring this resource to mind. Imagine being with this person, in this place, or holding this object. Notice how your body responds. Do you feel more relaxed, calm, or supported?
Stay with this image for a few minutes, allowing yourself to fully experience the sense of safety or comfort it brings.
Why it Works:
External resources help to create a sense of connection and support, which can be grounding in moments of distress. By focusing on these resources, you remind your nervous system that you are not alone and that safety is available to you.
5. Pendulation: Moving Between Calm and Activation
Pendulation, a concept in Somatic Experiencing, refers to the process of gently moving between states of activation (stress, tension) and relaxation (calm, ease). This practice helps to build resilience by allowing you to experience both discomfort and comfort without becoming stuck in either state.
How to Practice:
Start by noticing any area of your body that feels activated or tense. Bring your awareness to this area and observe the sensations.
After a few moments, shift your focus to a part of your body that feels more neutral or relaxed. It could be your hands, feet, or the surface beneath you.
Gently pendulate your awareness back and forth between the area of tension and the area of relaxation. Spend a few moments with each sensation before moving to the other.
Notice how your body responds to this gentle movement between activation and relaxation.
Why it Works:
Pendulation helps to regulate the nervous system by allowing you to experience both tension and relaxation in a controlled way. This practice can increase your capacity to stay present with difficult emotions and sensations without becoming overwhelmed.
Integrating Grounding Techniques into Daily Life
Grounding techniques are most effective when practiced regularly. By integrating these somatic resourcing practices into your daily life, you can build a stronger connection to your body and develop greater resilience in the face of stress or trauma.
Here are a few ways to incorporate grounding into your routine:
Start your day with a few minutes of deep breathing or body awareness.
Take short breaks throughout the day to practice orienting or tapping into external resources.
Use grounding techniques before or after stressful situations to help regulate your nervous system.
Grounding through resourcing is a powerful way to find stability and calm amidst life’s challenges. By building a toolbox of somatic practices that help you reconnect with your body, you can enhance your ability to navigate difficult emotions and trauma with greater ease. These practices, rooted in Somatic Experiencing and AEDP, remind us that the body holds the key to healing, and that through gentle, mindful attention, we can access the safety and resilience that is always available to us.
