Three-stage Technique

2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-31 14:10

I start working with almost every client by mastering this technique. Its usefulness for the process of therapy, life and work with stressful situations or psychological trauma cannot be overstated.

Effects of the three-step technique:

• raising awareness
• improving the quality of contact with the body and sensations
• improving the quality of contact with feelings and experiences
• improving the quality of contact with reality
• increasing the inner container and the ability to contain
• improving contact with your desires and needs
• improving the quality of living of the senses
• increased stress resistance
• calmness, even in difficult situations
• a sense of stability and support
• enhancing a sense of safety and comfort
• improving the quality of interaction with difficult, stressful and traumatic situations
• increasing the efficiency of getting out of difficult, stressful and traumatic situations
• quick recovery from difficult, stressful and traumatic situations
• improving the quality of life

Three-step Technique is a set of simple actions that help you get in touch with yourself, your body and the reality around you. These actions can be done easily and unnoticed by others in any position, environment and situation. The effectiveness of the technique is based on the physiological and psychological reflexes of the human body and does not depend on belief in it. Most of the exercises described below are widely known and often practiced by people, even unconsciously.

In this version of the three-stage technique, the simplest and meanwhile the most effective influences are collected. However, variations on Grounding, Breathing and

Centering is infinity, each of you can supplement and change the technique for your convenience.

In theory, there is no upper limit to mastery of this technique, but the better you master it, the more effective it will be.

Starting practice:

• It will be helpful to sit comfortably in a quiet place, it will make it easier to feel and concentrate;
• It is not recommended to lie down, because when lying down, an untrained person quickly falls asleep and no practice will work;
• Start the practice with the easiest conditions, for example, 1-2 times a day for several minutes, and only when it starts to work out well - increase the number and duration;
• You should not force yourself to train the technique so that aversion to it does not form, it is better to find an easier and more enjoyable training regimen;

To start:

• Sit comfortably with your feet on the floor and your back with your head supported;
• Hands can be placed on the armrests of the chair or on your knees;
• Check that there is no pain anywhere, no pressure, no pricking, etc.;
• You should sit down so that you can relax and concentrate in this position;

1. BREATH

Pay attention to your breathing. Follow it for a couple of inhalations and exhalations. Notice its characteristics: the depth of inhalation-exhalation, frequency, pause time between entering and exhaling, the muscles involved in the process, sensations in the throat and chest. Now make your breathing deep, even and calm. The main word is even. Breathe in your belly. Do not try to breathe too deeply, here a calm comfortable rhythm and filling the lungs with air are more important.

Metaphor: I breathe - it means I live, I exist. If there is oxygen and there is enough of it, then everything is in order.

Hints: Abdominal breathing or diaphragmatic breathing means that the diaphragm (and not the intercostal muscles) does most of the work of inhalation, which pulls the pleura behind it and causes the lower lobes of the lungs to expand, which, like a pump, begin to suck in air … When breathing with the stomach, the diaphragm goes down as you inhale, and the stomach inflates, while exhaling, the diaphragm is pulled back up, and the stomach contracts, pushing the air out of the lungs.

For convenience, you can imagine as if the inhalation or diaphragm comes down to the small pelvis.

Addition for a difficult situation: If you exhale through your mouth through tight lips, then you can for a while" title="Image" />

1. BREATH

Pay attention to your breathing. Follow it for a couple of inhalations and exhalations. Notice its characteristics: the depth of inhalation-exhalation, frequency, pause time between entering and exhaling, the muscles involved in the process, sensations in the throat and chest. Now make your breathing deep, even and calm. The main word is even. Breathe in your belly. Do not try to breathe too deeply, here a calm comfortable rhythm and filling the lungs with air are more important.

Metaphor: I breathe - it means I live, I exist. If there is oxygen and there is enough of it, then everything is in order.

Hints: Abdominal breathing or diaphragmatic breathing means that the diaphragm (and not the intercostal muscles) does most of the work of inhalation, which pulls the pleura behind it and causes the lower lobes of the lungs to expand, which, like a pump, begin to suck in air … When breathing with the stomach, the diaphragm goes down as you inhale, and the stomach inflates, while exhaling, the diaphragm is pulled back up, and the stomach contracts, pushing the air out of the lungs.

For convenience, you can imagine as if the inhalation or diaphragm comes down to the small pelvis.

Addition for a difficult situation: If you exhale through your mouth through tight lips, then you can for a while

Press your lips together, make a hole between them (as if holding a large straw in your mouth or blowing hot tea), exhale. Repeat as needed.

2. GROUNDING

The first aspect is the legs. Pay attention to your legs. Move your attention to your feet, especially the skin of your feet, which is in contact with the floor. Try to feel the skin of your feet as best you can. Feel the pressure with which your feet are pressed to the floor. It doesn't matter if you have bare feet or in shoes, it doesn't matter what floor you are on, it doesn't matter if you are standing or sitting. The main thing is that the feet are on the surface of the floor and you can feel the contact of the skin of the feet with the surface (boot, floor, ground). If you have high heels on your shoes, take them off.

Hints: You can use different methods to improve the feeling: stretch your feet with your hands; skidding with your feet on carpet or any other rough surface; try" title="Image" />

2. GROUNDING

The first aspect is the legs. Pay attention to your legs. Move your attention to your feet, especially the skin of your feet, which is in contact with the floor. Try to feel the skin of your feet as best you can. Feel the pressure with which your feet are pressed to the floor. It doesn't matter if you have bare feet or in shoes, it doesn't matter what floor you are on, it doesn't matter if you are standing or sitting. The main thing is that the feet are on the surface of the floor and you can feel the contact of the skin of the feet with the surface (boot, floor, ground). If you have high heels on your shoes, take them off.

Hints: You can use different methods to improve the feeling: stretch your feet with your hands; skidding with your feet on carpet or any other rough surface; try

For convenience, you can think of this aspect as grounding in electrical networks - as if "excess", excess emotional energy goes through the feet into the ground.

The second aspect is the body … Focus on your physical body. Feel its physical characteristics: weight (how your butt is pressed into the seat, how heavy your arms and legs are, the heaviness of muscles and organs in the abdomen), density (the difference in the density of bones, muscles and skin), the temperature of different parts of the body, other physical sensations present in body at the moment. Pay attention to the skin (how it shapes your body and delimits it from the outside).

Hints: To help yourself feel better, you can: Examine your body carefully. feel it; slightly move all parts of the body.

It can also help you Scanning Technique: walk your attention from bottom to top and top to bottom through your physical body like a scanner, noticing all possible sensations that are present in it at this moment (pressure, compression, expansion, heaviness, lightness, tension, relaxation, warmth, cold, pain, soreness, pleasant sensations, comfort, discomfort, itching, tickling, tingling, trembling, burning, pulling sensations, etc.).

For convenience, you can think of this aspect as if your body is a voluminous jug, and feelings and experiences are water that is poured into this jug and fills it, but does not overflow, but is completely placed in it.

Metaphor: Grounded means I stand firmly on my feet on solid ground. If I have support under my feet and I can stand on my own feet, then I can cope with any situation, I have something to lean on.

Addition for a difficult situation: In order to help yourself recover from a difficult or stressful situation, you can use Indicative Reflex … Slowly and calmly turn your head from side to side (180 degrees), as if you are looking around - this will unblock the neck muscles (if the tension does not go away, you can massage the shoulders and neck with your hands). At the same time, look around, moving your gaze to different objects around you - this will unblock the muscles in the eyes and restore peripheral vision. At the same time, listen to distant sounds (traffic, street noise, conversation in the next room) - this will unblock the muscles of the inner ear. Wiggle your jaw in different directions or massage the jaw muscles with your fingers to unblock the jaw muscles. It is useful if during the "inspection" you meet the eyes of people who treat you well. Eye contact and touch from a safe person helps to get out of a stressful situation in a person as a social animal.

It is useful for people working on nervous work to do this technique periodically on an ongoing basis.

3. CENTERING

Choose a method that is closer or more understandable to you.

1 way. The anatomical center of the body is the spine. Pay attention to your spine. Feel it as best you can. Feel it as the center, the axis of your body. All other parts of the body and organs are attached to your spine (fused with the pelvis) with the help of ligaments, joints and muscles: the head, arms, legs, internal organs of the chest, abdominal cavity and pelvis. Feel how your body gathers around your spine and attaches itself to it. The spine is your base and universal fulcrum.

Hints: To help you feel your spine better, you can visualize it and its position in your body, feel it or move it a little.

Method 2. Energy center / center of gravity of the body - the so-called" title="Image" />

3. CENTERING

Choose a method that is closer or more understandable to you.

1 way. The anatomical center of the body is the spine. Pay attention to your spine. Feel it as best you can. Feel it as the center, the axis of your body. All other parts of the body and organs are attached to your spine (fused with the pelvis) with the help of ligaments, joints and muscles: the head, arms, legs, internal organs of the chest, abdominal cavity and pelvis. Feel how your body gathers around your spine and attaches itself to it. The spine is your base and universal fulcrum.

Hints: To help you feel your spine better, you can visualize it and its position in your body, feel it or move it a little.

Method 2. Energy center / center of gravity of the body - the so-called

Hints: To help yourself get a better feel for this energy center, you can place your hands on the center projection on your stomach, or place your hands in front and behind with the center between them. You can move your pelvis a little to feel it inside, or forcefully feel your pelvis, as if you want to stretch your bones, or sculpt your pelvis out of clay.

Metaphor: Centered - means I have a beginning and integrity. If I have a center, then it gathers me around it and keeps me in a holistic state. I do not fly to pieces and do not disintegrate from exposure, but remain whole.

Addition for a difficult situation: If you feel that you are losing a sense of integrity or feel as if you are "falling to pieces" you can help your body by supporting your spine: lean on the back of a chair / chair, on a wall, or even ask a safe person to support you with your hand / hands on your spine in your chest or lumbar region; and the pelvis: sit on a hard surface, feeling the ischial bones, shift on the ischial bones, or move, as if the impulse to move begins in the pelvis. You can also ask a safe person to sit or stand back to back and allow yourself to lean on your elbows. Focus on the skin as well. Feel it. To do this, you can pat yourself on the skin, or simply touch or stroke. Feel that you are inside the skin and it, like an integral "bag", does not allow you to fall apart, keeping you inside itself.

The three-stage technique there are two conditions: discipline and time. To master this technique, like any skill, despite all its simplicity, it takes time, do not expect an instant result. Also, practice requires discipline - the more regularly and more often you train it under normal conditions, the more efficiently it will work and the easier it will be to remember about it in a stressful situation.

Ideally, the technician needs to work out to the state of automatic inclusion at the slightest need.