🎧🎵 Listen with headphones -bilateral stimulation music track is Motion by Liborio Conti- Thank you
Bilateral stimulation is a technique that involves alternately stimulating the left and right sides of your brain which can be done using different techniques including bilateral music or tones or eye movements side to side or tapping. This type of back-and-forth movement has been shown to have a calming effect on the brain and nervous system.
Bilateral stimulation may help transition the body from fight-or-flight mode to a more restful state, it can also help with thinking through problems or making sense of them.
Enhancing communication between the brain’s hemispheres: During bilateral stimulation, the alternating left-right pattern activates both hemispheres of the brain, allowing them to communicate more effectively with each other. This communication helps to create new neural pathways (problem solving and processing).
A self-soothe grounding sensory toolkit is a collection of physical objects that help you focus on your five senses. Focusing on your senses can help you re-center, get grounded, and calm yourself down.
How to make a self-soothe grounding box
Get a box or basket or some container that has good meanings for you. Personalise it and decorate it with things you like, possibly photos, draw flowers or other such things on it, personal to you and what you like. Keep in it a list of grounding technqiues and a list of positive affirmations and happy memories. Keep contact details of trsuted friends and family members who will support you. Keep smal sensory objects and items in it such as essential oils, stress ball, had creame or other soothing items. Possibly music mp3 player or a magazine you like or book. Possibly items linked to your hobbies or interests, even things to do or make connected to your interests. A list also of comforting things for you, possibly also a small note pad or journal to note your thoughts. Look to include things that cover all 5 senses, sight, touch, hearing, smell and taste.
- "Instructions for practising external focus of attention"
The world around us is full of different sounds, colours, objects, textures and events. During your practice sessions, we would like you to become more aware of what is happening around you. As you do so, you will probably find that you become less aware of yourself. Each practice session should have three components.
1. Becoming aware of different sounds/sights
In the first step, try to become aware of the range of different sounds and/or sights around you.
Practising inside
• Listen to a music CD or the radio: in turn pay attention to the different instruments that are playing (guitar, drums, piano, violin, clarinet, etc).
• Alternatively sit quietly and pay attention to the sounds in the room and any sounds you can hear outside.
• Now pay attention to what objects are around and the colours can you see? Where is there light and where is there shade? Pay attention to what it would feel like to touch these objects. What textures would they be? Would they be hard or soft?
Practising outside
• Go for a walk outside: pay attention to the sounds around you. What sounds can you hear nearby? What sounds can you hear further away? Can you hear cars, people, birds etc?
• Now pay attention to what buildings, plants, traffic and people are around? What colours and shading can you see? Pay attention to those. What are the different textures around you?
2. Switching your attention between the different sounds/sights
In the second step you need to switch your attention between the different sounds and sights. You can try this equally well indoors and outdoors
• Choose several different sounds.
• Start by focussing on one of the sounds, noticing all that you can about it and letting it fill your awareness.
• Don’t worry if your attention shifts onto something else, gently bring it back to the first sound.
• After following the first sound for a little while (maybe a minute), shift your attention to another sound and become absorbed in following that.
• Do the same for a third sound.
• Now move on to colours, objects, or textures.
3. Pulling everything together
• Once you have spent time focussing on a number of different sounds and/or sights, try to become aware of all of them at once and for a few minutes let them all fill your attention.
• Let yourself get lost in the outside world.
• Don’t worry if your attention drifts back on to yourself. Simply notice this and gently shift your attention back to the outside world.
We suggest trying this in many different situations. At this practise stage you can take it step-by-step. The final aim is to be able to simply focus your attention externally and be aware of what is really going on ‘out there’.
Kings College London Centre of Anxiety Disorders and Trauma 2015/16- "Instructions for practising external focus of attention"
