Grounding Techniques to Interrupt Dissociation
Day-to-day dissociation is problematic. Here's how to disrupt the process.
Posted February 5, 2023 | Reviewed by Abigail Fagan
This post was co-authored by Laura O'Loughlin.
Steering out of a driveway, I noticed a squirrel sprint onto the sidewalk near my car, so I stopped to watch. A companion squirrel ran after and stopped as well. The first squirrel started convulsing which turned into a long violent seizure. The other squirrel and I watched, stunned. After many moments, the first squirrel died. The other one, in a very human sort of way, looked distraught, scared, and sad. As I watched this scene, I noticed a fog descend over me. I was frozen and floaty. I couldn’t think straight. This was a familiar feeling; I was dissociating .
The sort of dissociation I am referring to is that feeling of disconnecting from physical reality—people describe it in a variety of ways: feeling checked out, blurred out, outside of one’s body, here but not here, spacey. It has many iterations and degrees, from a mild moment of lost time to feeling like you’re floating above your body, to a complete separation from one’s primary personality .
Here’s the thing about the dissociative state: compared to what is happening in front of us (like watching a dying squirrel or, more commonly, feeling personally threatened), it feels pretty good. The neurobiological processes that underlie dissociation are similar to those that occur when one is under the influence of certain psychoactive drugs
But there’s a downside.
Outside of responding to an imminent threat, habitual dissociation is a problem.
Some people lean toward the habit of dissociating a lot, the way that other people might lean toward hyper-vigilance or panic or angry outbursts (not that any of these states are mutually exclusive).
Dissociation is wired in as a means of helping us tolerate life threats or alarming encounters. However, when we’re dissociating in the day-to-day, it’s problematic. In other words: dissociating during a car collision is expected; dissociating when your boss is asking for clarification is a problem. In a dissociative state, one is not able to interact with others or the environment in an effective way. It’s hard to manage confrontations, it’s hard to feel connected and loved, and it dampens the richness of life experiences. Despite this, the dissociative state pulls and lures.
It takes gentle diligence to notice times when you're checking out and then to reel it back in — to reconnect with your bodies. There are classic ways of grounding the body that many therapists teach clients. “Focus on the bottom of your feet and imagine roots growing down,” “describe five things you see, four things you hear, three things you can feel,” “push against a wall, or push hand against hand,” and “hold onto a piece of ice.”
Here are some of my favorite grounding exercises:
Here’s the big secret about grounding: There’s no formula. The most effective ways to ground are the ones you discover for yourself through trial and error or through happenstance. There’s no universal formula. Take initiative in learning what you respond to. No matter what you choose to do, a ssume an attitude of curiosity about you in your body : what do I feel in my feet, my hands, my shoulders? What is my mood, how is my balance? Am I buzzing or jittery or smooth? Am I feeling bouncy or heavy? This mindful stance is like salt in the stew. if you to add that to your activities, it makes everything pop.
Who knows what will work! Experiment. When do you feel that click? Pay attention.
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2014-05660-006
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7553818/
More info on dissociation:
https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/October-2020/5-Things-I-Wish-My-Loved-Ones-Knew-About-Dissociation
https://www.isst-d.org/resources/dissociation-faqs/
More ideas on grounding:
https://did-research.org/treatment/grounding
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Cara Gardenswartz, Ph.D., founded Group Therapy LA and Group Therapy NY, a psychology practice offering comprehensive care for individuals, couples, children, and groups. She earned her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and holds a Doctorate in Psychology from UCLA.
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This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.