REFERRALS and RESOURCES (under construction)

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IF YOU ARE IN CRISIS,call 988 https://988lifeline.org/  

The National Crisis Lifeline​

Alameda County Crisis line (24/7)  510-420-2460 or 800-309-2131

Contra Costa County Crisis line (24/7)  800-833-2900

Sonoma County:  Crisis Line (24/7)  707-576-8181

Solano County Crisis line (24/7)  (707) 428-1131

San Francisco County Crisis Line (24/7) 415-781-0500

Sacramento County Crisis Line (24/7) (888) 881-4881 ​

24-hour National Suicide Prevention Hot line:  (800) 273-8255

 

A list of all California Crisis Lines LINK ​​​

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ADDICTIONS: I highly recommend finding your nearest 12 step meetings that most closely align with your 'drug' of choice and work that program "like your life depends on it" - First.

Being grounded in a recovery community is one of many supports that make therapy successful. ​

 

IF YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT DANGEROUS BEHAVIOR, The "Say Something" site may be the right way to protect someone you know.​​

 

ARTICLES​​

A great article: 21 Tips on how to make the most of therapy​

Articles on the nature of Developmental Trauma, Complex PTSD, Codependence, Flashback care and the Inner Critic:  Pete Walker, MFCC  ​

Couples resources: Managing vs resolving conflict Article    --Gottman

Four Horsemen (behavior) of the Apocolypse    --Gottman  

Antidotes for the Four Horsemen...     -- Gottman         ​

 

GROUNDING SKILLS

THESE ACTIVITIES will bring you out of difficult thoughts and feelings, focusing your attention on the present moment. 

The activities work best when they include 3 components: mental + social + activity.

Increase the physicality and complexity of the activities, to counter increased overwhelm.  ​

 

Accessible suggestions:

Name a supportive person for each key on your key ring. 

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Compliment and thank those you interact with, at the dry cleaner, convenience store, gas station, coffee shop, etc.  You will have to use your observation skills to find a compliment in these fast interactions.  Challenge yourself to find something about the way they do their job, to mean what you say.  You will often be rewarded with a thankful smile that will warm your heart.

 

Recount a recent kind interaction with a friendly person and take a moment to feel their kindness toward you.

 

Pick a compassionate "other," like Buddha, Jesus, Quan Yin, Rocky or Super Woman, and hear their kind, warm, supportive, committed expressions toward you - take a moment to feel their compassion for you.​

 

30 other Grounding suggestions (link)​

 

Additional tips  (https://www.healthline.com/health/grounding-techniques#bonus-tips)

 

Grounding yourself isn’t always easy. It may take some time before the techniques work well for you, but don’t give up on them.Here are some additional tips to help you get the most out of these techniques:

 

Practice. It can help to practice grounding even when you aren’t dissociating or experiencing distress. If you get used to an exercise before you need to use it, it may take less effort when you want to use it to cope in the moment.

 

Start early. Try doing a grounding exercise when you first start to feel bad. Don’t wait for distress to reach a level that’s harder to handle. If the technique doesn’t work at first, try to stick with it for a bit before moving on to another. Perhaps add another level of activity, thinking or recall, to make it a more complicated activity.  The more focused you are on the activity, the more grounded you will become in the present moment.

 

Avoid assigning values. For example, if you’re grounding yourself by describing your environment, concentrate on the basics of your surroundings, rather than how you feel about (your environment).

 

Check in with yourself. Before and after a grounding exercise, rate your distress as a number between 1 and 10. Keep your eyes open. ...It’s often easier to remain connected to the present if you’re looking at your current environment.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

 

Ezrimayr Chioma, MA LMFT 97369, CCTP~  831-337-4104 Web Site Design by Wix template and Ezrimayr Chioma