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Recovery skills 2 ( continued )
TO THE TRAINER
PART II : THE TRAINING
Aim . To practise exercises and skills ( including alternatives ) that strengthen awareness of the here and now .
After teaching several exercises , it may be useful to rehearse them or do some alternative exercises , to establish what the participants find most helpful . Make sure they feel they are acquiring skills and techniques they can use in their work with survivors and that they can do the exercises themselves . They need to feel confident that they can deal with triggers and overwhelming feelings , and assist survivors to reconnect with the here and now .
Remind the participants that repetition and practice are essential .
KEY POINT
The story shows that
• If one grounding exercise does not work , you can try another .
GROUNDING EXERCISE
Grounding Exercise 8 . Straightening the back . Lead the exercise yourself .
Ask the participants to collapse their chest and upper back . Ask them to notice how this affects their breathing , their feelings , their bodies and their thoughts . Ask them to say : “ I ’ m so happy !” several times while being in a collapsed position . Ask them if the statement matches their inner state at that moment . Then ask them slowly to lengthen their spine until it feels comfortable . Ask them to notice how this affects their breathing , their feelings , their bodies and their thoughts . Ask them to say the sentence : “ I ’ m so sad ”. Ask them if this sentence matches their inner state at that moment .
This exercise shows how directly our bodies can affect our state of mind . It will help the participants to become more aware of survivors ’ body posture and how it can affect the healing process . We carry ourselves with our spines . Collapsing our spine can be the body ’ s reaction to danger , and it can affect our posture . By changing our posture we give ourselves new strength and can more easily contain and manage our experiences . It is as though we offer ourselves a stronger back and reconnect with our bodily resources .
Give the participants a chance to comment on the exercise .