Subscribe to our newsletter for free personal growth tools, brain facts, and other Mindstead delights.
Sign up for our newsletter
We respect your privacy
Subscribe to our newsletter for free personal growth tools, brain facts, and other Mindstead delights.
We respect your privacy
For anyone that feels stress, struggles with anxiety or dissociation, or sometimes feels disconnected from their body, this card is for you. It does not matter what age you are or if you have been to therapy before.
This card is a great reminder of techniques you can use to help stop dissociation, prevent the onset of a panic attack, decrease anxious feelings, and/or be more in touch with your body's nervous system. We carry a lot of stress around with us - not only in our heads, but also in the rest of our body. If you carry around this card and follow these steps, you can draw attention to the parts of your body where you are holding tension, along with the parts of your body that feel strong or energized in that moment.
I personally carried a card around similar to this one to help remind me that there are things I can do on my own when I am feeling overwhelmed or out of touch.
It has been proven time and time again that integrative approaches to mental health are more effective than single treatment approaches. This tool combines mindfulness with somatic therapy and some visulaization from ancient practices and creative arts therapies.
Jerath, R., Crawford, M. W., Barnes, V. A., & Harden, K. (2015). Self-regulation of breathing as a primary treatment for anxiety. Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback, 40(2), 107-115.
Masaoka, Y., & Homma, I. (2001). The effect of anticipatory anxiety on breathing and metabolism in humans. Respiration Physiology, 128(2), 171–177. doi:10.1016/S0034-5687(01)00278-X.
Weersing, V. R., Rozenman, M. S., Maher-Bridge, M., & Campo, J. V. (2012). Anxiety, depression, and somatic distress: Developing a transdiagnostic internalizing toolbox for pediatric practice. Cognitive and behavioral practice, 19(1), 68-82.
Rausch, S. M., Gramling, S. E., & Auerbach, S. M. (2006). Effects of a single session of large-group meditation and progressive muscle relaxation training on stress reduction, reactivity, and recovery. International Journal of Stress Management, 13(3), 273.
I did not create these techniques, this list was introduced to me by a fellow Drama Therapist, Jessica Bleuer, and was adapted from the practice of Generative Somatics.
