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PTSD Grounding Toolkit

mental_health · medium · 2-5 minutes per grounding episode

What is PTSD Grounding Toolkit?

A portable set of grounding techniques for flashbacks, dissociation, and hyperarousal. These aren't therapy — they're emergency tools to bring you back to the present moment when your nervous system time-travels to the trauma.

Is there evidence for it?

EVIDENCEstrong

How do you do PTSD Grounding Toolkit?

  1. 1.5-4-3-2-1 Sensory Grounding: Name 5 things you see, 4 you touch, 3 you hear, 2 you smell, 1 you taste. Forces your brain into the present
  2. 2.Temperature shock: hold ice cubes, run wrists under cold water, or bite into a lemon. Intense sensation overrides the flashback
  3. 3.Orientation: say out loud 'My name is ___. I am in ___. Today is ___. I am safe right now.' Repeat until you believe it
  4. 4.Feet on the floor: push your feet hard into the ground. Feel the pressure. Stomp if needed. Physical grounding interrupts dissociation
  5. 5.Carry a grounding object: a smooth stone, essential oil, textured keychain. Touch it when triggered — it becomes an anchor to the present

How long does it take?

2-5 minutes per grounding episode.

Is it hard to start?

medium.

PRACTICE ITArriving home in the present — 5 minute guided meditationFree guided audio, no signup, nothing to install. From Neuro Atelier, our meditation studio.
Source: EMDR therapy toolkit, VA PTSD protocols, Bessel van der Kolk (The Body Keeps the Score)
mental_health · anxiety · emotional · stress · recovery
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This is one entry from the library Shift matches against. It is general information, not advice about you, and nothing on this page came from anyone's conversation.