Immediate action drills
For when it's happening right now. Practice these on calm days so they're automatic on hard ones.
A flashback pulls you into then. Grounding drags your attention back to now by flooding your senses with evidence of the present. It's the first drill to reach for.
Grounding is a standard skill taught inside most trauma treatments. It has few stand-alone trials, but clinicians rely on it because it helps people stay present enough to do the deeper work.
| 01 | OrientOut loud or in your head: today's date, where you are, one true detail. "I am here. It is now. I am safe enough." | 20 sec |
| 02 | Run 5-4-3-2-1Name 5 things you see, 4 you can touch, 3 you hear, 2 you smell, 1 you taste. | 1–2 min |
| 03 | Plant your bodyFeet flat, push them into the floor. Press your palms together. Feel the chair holding you up. | 30 sec |
| 04 | Name it"This is a memory. It already happened. It will pass." | 10 sec |
Safe for nearly everyone. If you dissociate heavily, keep your eyes open and use touch and sound more than inward focus.
| ✕ | Fault: Only practicing at peak distressCorrection: Rehearse daily when calm. Drills are learned in training, not in contact. |
| ✕ | Fault: Expecting the feeling to vanishCorrection: The goal is staying present while you feel it, not erasing it. |
If you lose time, flashbacks happen most days, or grounding stops working, talk to a trauma-trained therapist. Those are signs the memories need processing (Part IV), not just managing.