Lesson 3B: Practicing Mindfulness

Practicing mindfulness can help trauma survivors by calming the nervous system, reducing anxiety, and rebuilding a sense of safety and control.

It isn’t about forgetting trauma but reclaiming control over how your body and mind respond to it.

If you’re new to trauma, you should start with guided, trauma-sensitive techniques.

We’ve already mentioned a couple of these, the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding exercise and the box breathing exercise. Here are a few others:

• Safe Place Visualization: Imagine a place that’s calm and secure, like a pine forest, using all your senses. What do you hear rustling in the branches above you? What does the tree bark feel like as you lean against it? What smells waft from the forest floor when you kick up leaves?

• Mindful Walking: Take a stroll and notice each step, the ground beneath you, what’s in front of you and up above.

• Object Focus: Hold a small item and pay attention to its features: its texture, weight, temperature, etc.

As you begin practicing mindfulness, do it in small portions and work your way to longer periods. When your mind starts to wander, stop. The important thing is to ensure you’re reconnecting safely with the present moment.