Managing symptoms of trauma can be a lot. They can make it hard to get through the day by wrecking your peace of mind, blocking your productivity, and keeping you from growing into the person you want to be. In this article, we will explore a few techniques to help cope with Trauma from a mindfulness perspective to help you get back to enjoying your life.
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is a state of active and non-judgmental awareness of the present moment. It involves paying attention to our thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations without labeling them as good or bad. The underlying idea of mindfulness is that by being caught up in concepts, stories, and judgments about the past, present, or future, we cause ourselves to suffer. When coping with trauma, (a condition impacting both mental and physical well-being), it is crucial to begin to build an awareness of your own unique experience and the varying patterns interconnected with trauma.
What Impact Might These Techniques Have?
When practicing mindfulness techniques for trauma, the goal is to reduce experiences of dissociation or hypervigilance to return a person to a positive state of functioning. We are going to look at varying forms of grounding, anchoring, and self-regulation techniques to establish balance in the nervous system with the intention of helping people manage their symptoms and feel safer in their bodies.
A Note of Caution:
Please use caution when working with your own trauma. Each person’s experience of trauma is unique, so the triggers that initiate distress might be different from each other. For example, stillness or silence can be activating for some traumatized individuals. At a certain point, the distress a person is experiencing might become overwhelming and harmful when the intention is to reach a workable and therapeutic level of discomfort. This concept is called Window of Tolerance and you can learn more about it here. Work at a slow, gradual pace, especially if you’re feeling distressed, dissociated, or disconnected.
TECHNIQUES
5-4-3-2-1 method:
Use your senses to shift into a present state. Focusing your attention on your sensory experience in the here and now is a way mindfulness can help ground you in the current moment. Notice 5 things you can see, 4 things you can feel, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, 1 thing you can taste. Don’t rush through this activity. It is not a to-do list, but rather a process. Spend the time like you would at a museum: giving attention and curiosity to things that you are sensing.
Breathing Exercises:
These can be done either in seated meditation with your eyes closed, or informally during any part of your day. Here two:
A) Count your breaths- as you breathe in silently count 1, as you breathe out silently count 2, in 3, out 4, and continue this until you reach 10 and start over. Any time you get distracted just start over at 1.
B) Extend your exhale- this one’s great for stress and anxiety. Breathe in for 2 seconds and out for 4. Try to make the breath relaxed and comfortable as you do this. If you want to go further, try in for 3 out for 6, or in for 4 out for 8.
Walking Meditation:
Find a place where you can walk back and forth in a straight line for about 15 paces. Make sure the location is uncluttered and free of distractions or stressors. Slowly walk from one end to the other, noticing every sensation happening in your feet and legs as you raise your foot, move it, place it down, shift your weight, and repeat on the other side. When you get to the end of the line take a deep breath in and slowly let it out before turning around and repeating. See if you can get into the rhythm of holding your attention on the bare experience of walking. Inevitably your mind will distract you with other thoughts, or judgments/commentary about the experience. Gently let those go and return to walking. Do this for as short or long as you’d like.
Mindful Self-Compassion:
This is the practice of extending kindness, understanding, and care toward oneself, particularly during difficult or challenging times. It involves treating ourselves as we would treat a good friend who is suffering, rather than engaging in self-criticism or self-judgment. You can learn more of the nuances of this practice here in one of our previous blog posts. When dealing with trauma, it can be vital to practice mindful self-compassion in order to unravel negative self-beliefs formed through the experience and symptoms of trauma. Additionally, processing trauma can create dysregulation within our systems, which makes this an important tool for supporting one’s own therapeutic journey.
Start Working with an Asheville Mental Health Therapist
It can be overwhelming to know where to begin, how to make sense of your own experience of trauma, or to know if you're moving in a positive direction. If you’re curious about how to get started, we have caring therapists who utilize mindfulness in many approaches of therapy such as EMDR, ACT, and more! You can start your therapy journey with Strive On by following these simple steps:
Meet with a caring therapist
Start experiencing the benefits of mindfulness!
Other Mental Health Services Available at Strive On Counseling
As Asheville therapists, we understand that every individual has a unique set of mental health needs. Therefore, we offer many services and forms of therapy. More specifically, our services include individual counseling, anxiety treatment, EMDR trauma therapy, therapy for men’s issues, mindfulness, buddhist counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy, teletherapy / online therapy. Some other resources we offer include guided meditations, supplements, a list of books and other useful resources, and online courses. If you would like more information about any of these services, please reach out today, and start doing therapy in North Carolina!