Grounding is a technique used during therapy that can boost an individual’s connection to the moment, the situation, and the ground beneath their feet.
This is a useful technique for individuals to learn, no matter what context, as it allows people to bring themselves back into focus, back to the moment, and back to being able to deal with different stimuli that may be arising.
When an individual is struggling with addiction, the effects of this can often make it hard to concentrate, hard to maintain focus, and hard to deal with one issue at time.
However, by committing to learning a technique like grounding or similar, any individual can make improvements to their grounding technique and learn how best to apply it to themselves and the situations that they may face.
Grounding works by creating contact between an individual and the physical ground beneath them. Though this may not always go so far as to be standing barefoot on bare earth, the theory remains the same.
Many individuals nowadays may spend a lot of time sitting on chairs in houses, lying in bed, or travelling in cars or other vehicles.
This limits the time that individuals spend focussed on the moment, their connection with the earth, and their general wellbeing by association.
There are arguments to suggest that grounding is a technique used to neutralise positive charge that has built up in the body by connecting with the earth, which is of negative electrons, balancing the two out.
Studies have also shown that grounding can be especially beneficial for those who may have experienced trauma (1) or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
In terms of addiction, therefore, grounding can be an incredibly beneficial technique to teach individuals.
At its most basic, grounding is a way to stabilise an individual’s perception of what is around them, as well as drawing attention to the self and any internal issues.
By focussing completely on the self, an individual may be able to identify any issues, therefore identifying them and bringing this to other areas of their recovery i.e., different therapies, for example.
A therapist may introduce a grounding exercise into an individual’s treatment programme as a way to encourage them to stay on track in their own independent recovery. This grounding exercise could be something more general, or the therapist and the individual could work together to make something more specific for them.
There are some well-known grounding techniques that are used for a number of different disorders, as they are consistent and can be flexible dependent on the individual’s situation and needs at the time.
One of the most well-known of these is the 5-4-3-2-1 technique. Also known as the ‘Senses Grounding’ technique, this is a very practical technique that can be completed in a short amount of time and serves as a ‘distraction’ for the individual.
This technique can be used with all individuals, from young children (2) all the way to older adults.
The following subheadings outline the process, as well as some examples.
The first stage of the 5-4-3-2-1 technique is to identify 5 things that an individual can see. Using their eyes, they should identify different things around them.
This serves as a great way to bring attention back to the individual’s surroundings and can be something as simple as a tree, for example, all the way to more complex descriptions such as ‘a man walking down the street’.
An individual should identify 5 things that they can see within their immediate area before moving on to the next sense.
As the next stage, an individual should then reach around them (if they are able) and find 4 things that they can find to touch.
The sense of touch is strong when it comes to grounding, as it directly draws attention to what is around us and how we can interact with different items in our surrounding area.
Being able to touch 4 things can include things as simple as feeling the chair that the individual is sitting on, the clothes that they are wearing, something in their pocket, or a pen on the desk in front of them, for example, but could also include the individual thinking more deeply about what is immediately around them that they could reach out for.
After touching 4 things, the individual can move on to the next sense.
With sound, the individual may have to focus a little more – something which can greatly improve their focus and distract them from situations that may have previously been intervening with their situation i.e., strong emotions, distressing emotions, distressing feelings etc.
For sound, individuals must listen and list 3 things that they can hear. This can be a little more challenging, especially if the individual is focussing in a quiet room, but it is often surprising at how much we can hear, even in apparent silence.
If the individual is struggling, they may be able to hear their breathing and their heart rate – another activity that is renowned for its calming and focussing nature.
After hearing 3 things, an individual can think about the next sense.
The next step is to see what the individual can smell in the area around them.
The individual must use their nose to smell out 2 things in their immediate area.
This is also slightly more challenging but is designed to bring the individual’s focus into the activity at hand and away from any unwanted memories or traumatic memories, for example, as well as the risk of relapse in the case of addiction and recovery.
After this, the individual only has one more sense to implement into this technique.
As the final stage of this process, the individual must identify one thing that they can taste. This does not mean that the individual should seek out the closest thing that there is to them to put into their mouth but refers instead to deeper thinking.
The individual should focus on what they can already taste in their mouth, perhaps reminding them of an earlier days’ activity, for example.
With all of these senses together and in this order, an individual brings their focus in more and more, grounding themselves fully and bringing themselves back to the moment and able to concentrate on other things.
If the 5-4-3-2-1 senses grounding technique does not appeal to an individual or is not suitable, then there are many other different techniques that an individual may choose.
These can also be taught during an individual’s time in rehabilitation but can also be carried through to many different areas of an individual’s life.
The following two subheadings outline two other techniques that can be used for grounding.
Another way to effectively achieve grounding is to get the individual’s breathing under control. Often, in stressful and emotional situations, individuals can allow their breathing to get out on control, leading to spiralling and worsening of the issue.
By controlling their breathing, an individual is able to control both their physical self and the mental effects of the situation.
Counted as a form of physical grounding techniques and mental grounding techniques, the 4-4-4 grounding technique involves breathing in for 4 seconds, holding this for 4 seconds, and then taking a further 4 seconds to exhale.
This process can be repeated as many times as necessary.
As a slightly more holistic form of grounding, an individual may also opt for Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT).
At its basis, this technique involves applying pressure (tapping lightly) on the body in specific places to achieve specific effects.
The most common areas of the body that individuals tap are side of the hand, eyebrow, top of the head, under the eye, collarbone, chin, and the side of the eye.
While this technique is more commonly used for individuals struggling with anxiety (3), there is still a lot of evidence to suggest that this may be beneficial is other areas of treatment and for addiction and rehabilitation, as well.
Grounding is an important technique for individuals to consider if they have ever struggled with addiction.
During rehabilitation, these kinds of techniques can help an individual to make an effective and efficient recovery and can be continued to be practised long into the individual’s recovery journey – and often years down the line.
To learn more about grounding, addiction, and rehabilitation, talk to Rehab 4 Addiction today to find out how we can help you or someone you know.
Our friendly and professional team handle all calls in a non-judgemental and confidential manner, so get in contact with us today on 0800 140 4690.
[1] Bartanian, G.J., 2019. Mindful Grounding and Trauma. University of the West.
[2] Cardoso, R., 2021. THE MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK-LONG CURRICULUM.
Boris is our editor-in-chief at Rehab 4 Addiction. Boris is an addiction expert with more than 20 years in the field. His expertise covers a broad of topics relating to addiction, rehab and recovery. Boris is an addiction therapist and assists in the alcohol detox and rehab process. Boris has been featured on a variety of websites, including the BBC, Verywell Mind and Healthline. You can connect with Boris online at LinkedIn or X.com.
