Why Do Counsellors... Use Grounding Techniques?
Sometimes in therapy you may notice a counsellor suggesting a breathing exercise, inviting you to focus on your senses, or encouraging you to slow your breathing. For some people this can feel unusual or even slightly awkward at first.
This blog is part of a short series exploring some of the skills counsellors use in therapy. In a previous article I explored why counsellors sometimes stay silent in therapy. In this article I want to explore another commonly used approach in therapy: grounding techniques.
Understanding why counsellors introduce grounding techniques can help make the therapeutic process feel more collaborative and less mysterious.
What is a grounding technique?
Grounding techniques can sometimes feel like such an obvious thing to do in therapy. But what is a grounding technique?
If we think about the word grounding from an electrical point of view, when there is a risk of electric shock it is safer if something is connected to the earth. In other words, it is grounded.
When we talk about grounding techniques in therapy, we are talking about exercises, strategies and experiments that emotionally, physically and psychologically connect us to the present moment. They help bring our awareness back to the here and now.
Grounding techniques have been used for many years as a way of helping people calm down, feel safe and feel present. They are often used when people experience anxiety, panic or trauma responses. These techniques can help slow down the physiological and emotional reactions to events, memories or experiences that affect a person.
The science behind grounding techniques
These techniques are supported by research in neuroscience. Harvard Medical School has written accessibly about the body's stress response and how our nervous system reacts to perceived threats (Harvard Health Publishing, 2020).
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-the-stress-response
When a person becomes activated by an event that causes panic or anxiety, their breathing may become rapid and their heart rate may increase. Using a grounding technique such as a breathing exercise can help regulate breathing and heart rate. As breathing slows and becomes more structured, bodily sensations may reduce and the body can gradually return to a calmer state.
When I feel anxious and cannot catch my breath, focusing on a structured breathing technique such as square breathing can be helpful. In this exercise you breathe in for four seconds, hold for four seconds, breathe out for four seconds and hold again for four seconds.
Instead of erratic and unstructured breathing, the breath becomes more steady and regulated.
But what is happening inside the body when anxiety or panic begins to take hold?
The fight, flight and freeze response
When we experience a situation that feels frightening or threatening, our body can move into a state often referred to as fight or flight. This response has existed since the earliest stages of human development and helped our ancestors survive by reacting quickly to danger. Although we may not encounter predators today, our brain still scans for potential threats.
For example, when crossing a busy road or walking down a dark street at night we may feel an unsettled sensation telling us to be cautious. This response is our brain attempting to keep us safe.
As well as fight or flight, sometimes we freeze. This can feel like shutting down or becoming very still, much like a rabbit staying motionless so as not to be seen. This can be a response that people with anxiety and trauma often experience.
Inside the brain, a structure called the amygdala becomes activated and sends signals throughout the body. These signals can include a faster heart rate, quicker breathing and the release of stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. This is why people sometimes experience butterflies in their stomach. Blood is redirected away from digestion and towards the arms and legs so the body can prepare to act quickly. All of this happens within seconds and can be experienced as anxiety.
Why do grounding techniques work?
Grounding techniques can help for several reasons. One important effect is that they can help slow the heart rate.
When the heart rate slows, the parasympathetic nervous system becomes more active. This system is sometimes referred to as the body's rest and digest system, and it helps counteract the fight or flight response. As the body begins to calm, cortisol and adrenaline gradually reduce. This allows the thinking part of the brain to re-engage.
When we are highly activated, the amygdala can dominate our response while the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for reasoning and decision-making, becomes less active.
A helpful way of understanding this is through the Hand Brain Model, developed by psychiatrist and clinical professor Dr Daniel Siegel (Siegel, 2012). If you hold up your hand, your wrist represents the brain stem, your thumb folded into your palm represents the limbic system including the amygdala, and your fingers folded over the thumb represent the prefrontal cortex. When we become overwhelmed it can feel as though the fingers lift up and the thinking brain disconnects. This is sometimes described as “flipping the lid.”
Grounding techniques such as breathing exercises can help the prefrontal cortex re-engage so we can think more clearly again. It is worth noting that grounding techniques can be helpful across all three responses: fight, flight and freeze.
Some modern trauma-informed approaches also explore how the nervous system responds to safety and threat through polyvagal theory, which describes how different states of the nervous system influence feelings of connection, mobilisation or shutdown. If you would like to explore this idea further, you can read more about the polyvagal system here:
https://counsellingtutor.com/trauma-informed-practice/the-polyvagal-system/
Research into trauma also suggests that difficult experiences can be held in the body as well as the mind. Approaches that reconnect people with physical sensations and the present moment can therefore be helpful in reducing distress (van der Kolk, 2014).
Grounding techniques as psychoeducation
It is important to remember that when counsellors discuss grounding techniques, relaxation exercises and so on, these are sometimes called psychoeducation, a recognised and valued part of the therapeutic process that helps you understand what is happening inside your body and why your body is acting in that way.
These techniques are helpful, but they do not fix you. Think of them as a tool that will sometimes help reduce the intensity of the feeling. They will not always work and are not a substitute for speaking to someone or getting medical advice from a specialist if these difficulties continue.
When in a session your counsellor offers a breathing technique, they will hopefully explain why they are suggesting it. They might model the exercise and encourage you to practise it. Like most skills, grounding techniques work best when they are practised regularly. It can be helpful to practise them when you are not feeling anxious so that you become more familiar with the technique.
Grounding techniques you can try
I have already mentioned square breathing.
Another commonly used grounding exercise is the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique, which uses the senses to reconnect you with the present moment.
This exercise invites you to notice:
- 5 things you can see
- 4 things you can touch
- 3 things you can hear
- 2 things you can smell
- 1 thing you can taste
By focusing on these sensory experiences, attention shifts away from overwhelming thoughts and back to the present moment.
Another simple grounding exercise involves running cold water over your hands. The sudden temperature change stimulates sensory receptors in the skin and may help encourage the parasympathetic nervous system, supporting the body towards a calmer physiological state.
In conclusion
Grounding techniques can sometimes feel unusual or awkward when you first try them. However, their purpose is to give you additional tools that may help you manage feelings of anxiety or trauma responses.
It is always okay to ask your counsellor questions about how and when to use these techniques.
Understanding why counsellors introduce grounding techniques can make therapy feel more transparent, collaborative and supportive.
References
Harvard Health Publishing. (2020). Understanding the stress response. Harvard Medical School.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-the-stress-response
Siegel, D. (2012). The Developing Mind: How Relationships and the Brain Interact to Shape Who We Are.
van der Kolk, B. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma.
Counselling Tutor. (n.d.). The Polyvagal System.
https://counsellingtutor.com/trauma-informed-practice/the-polyvagal-system/
Sincerely Yours, Paul
Transparency notice: This post was developed with the assistance of AI and carefully reviewed, edited and approved by the author