Lowering Stress in the Nervous System

Course Cut-OutMoving Through Trauma
Written By Austin Cavaliere

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Excerpt: Grounding Exercise - Lowering Stress in the Nervous System - Trauma Session 4

Course: Moving Through Trauma

Speakers: Matthias Barker

Your Quick Toolkit for Calm: Simple Grounding Activities for Stressful Moments

Before we delve deeper, let's add another valuable tool to your grounding toolkit – a simple tapping technique. These activities can be used in moments of stress, overwhelm, or even as a gentle way to start or end your day, helping you anchor yourself in a state of calm.

Easy Tapping Techniques for Immediate Calm

  1. The Karate Chop Point: Locate the soft pad on the side of your hand, right beneath your pinky knuckle. Gently begin tapping this point. This is a readily accessible spot you can use anytime, anywhere. Adjust the pressure and speed to what feels most comfortable for you.

  2. Between the Knuckles: You can also tap the area right underneath the space between your pinky knuckle and your ring finger. Experiment with light or firm taps, and find a rhythm that feels soothing.

Connecting to Your Body's Awareness: Remember when we discussed how individuals with complex trauma might experience lower activation in the insular cortex, making it harder to notice and regulate bodily sensations? Simple techniques like these help bring you back into an awareness of your body and can powerfully regulate your nervous system.

More Focused Tapping Points

  1. Above the Lip: This point might feel a little more intense for some. Gently tap the area right above your upper lip. This can be particularly helpful towards the end of a grounding exercise.

  2. Between the Eyebrows: Another focused point is right in the space between your eyebrows.

  3. Under the Collarbone (Bilateral): For a more encompassing sensation, cross your arms and gently tap the area right underneath your collarbone on both sides, alternating your taps. A slower rhythm often feels particularly soothing here.

Combining Tapping with Breath for Enhanced Calm

Let's integrate breath into our tapping practice for an even more potent calming effect.

  1. Inhale with a Short Top-Up: Breathe in deeply through your nose. When you reach the top of your inhale, take one small, additional short breath in.

  2. Exhale Through the Mouth: Gently release the breath out through your mouth.

Repeat this breathing pattern while tapping any of the points we discussed, three or four times in a row.

The Power of Breath and Tapping: This combination of breathwork and tapping has been shown to quickly lower stress levels in your nervous system. It's a valuable tool to use before a test, after a stressful conversation, before a challenging workday, or simply to unwind at the end of a long day. By bringing awareness to both your breath and gentle physical touch, you can effectively guide your body back to a state of calm and presence.

 

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Austin Cavaliere
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