The 4 Elements | Guided Stress Release

This guided practice can be used to help reduce stress. Use it as a break from the busyness of your day to reduce stress and foster a habit of emotional regulation, or simply to settle down for sleep. Based on EMDR and 4 elements, this grounding practice combines self-soothing and emotion regulation techniques designed to help you shift your emotions and anchor back into the present moment. This practice was created by psychologist, EMDR facilitator, consultant, and author, Elan Shapiro.

Transcript

Hi, Thank you for joining me for this relaxation exercise. My name is Susan Guttridge and today I'm going to lead you through a grounding practice called the Four Elements. Get comfortable in a seated position. Taking a moment to notice the chair beneath you, Supporting you, The sensation of your feet on the floor. If you prefer to lay down, Just modify my statements to fit the position you are in. This is your practice, So you get to choose your experience based on your needs. Let your eyes close, Or if you prefer, Let your gaze just drift downward. You might find that your mind wanders while you are listening. That's okay. It happens at times to everyone. If you catch that your mind is wandering, Bring yourself back to the sound of my words, Just offering kindness to yourself, Perhaps saying, There I go again. Then shift or wiggle your body to recenter, To recreate connection to the chair you're sitting in. And let's get started now with the first element, The element of earth. To connect with the element of earth, We bring ourself more fully grounded into this moment. So to do that, To shift into the safety this one moment offers, To bring yourself more fully into this present moment, Notice the sound of my voice, Any other sounds in the room around you. The sensation of your sit bones on the chair, Landing just here, Just now. Drifting your attention downward towards your feet, Notice the connection of your feet on the floor. Gently push your toes into the ground and lift your heels, Letting that stretch flow up your calves. Then lower your heels, Feel your feet flat on the floor, Strong and solid. Lift your toes and press your heels into the floor, Feeling the stretch slowly spread up your shins. Then lower your toes so that your feet are flat once more, Solid and strong on the floor. If your eyes have been closed, Open them now and look around the room you're in. Allow your attention to flow outward from yourself, Like the beam of a flashlight. It had been first shining down towards your feet and now lifting the beam to shine outward to illuminate the room around you one small section at a time. As you look around the room, Notice three things you perhaps haven't noticed in a while. Breathing in, Slow deep breath out. Notice the sensation of your feet on the ground, Strong and solid like an anchor. Notice the weight of your body in the chair, Fully held. Comfortable, Relaxed. And now with your body grounded in this moment, We'll move on to the second element, Air. We connect with the element of air by using our breath for centering. When we feel stressed, Our breath often becomes rapid and shallow. The more we breathe in a rapid and shallow manner, The more our body ramps up into a stress response. The message sent to our brain is that we're in danger. We shift into the stress response system, Fight, Flight, Or freeze. So to counter this, We slow and deepen our breathing, Coming back to a centered, Grounded place. And by so doing, We foster internal safety and our body relaxes. So just letting your breath be there, Allowing it to flow in, Your abdomen expanding as you inhale, And then softening as you exhale when it feels right. And now as you breathe in, Say to yourself, I am breathing in. And as you breathe out, Say to yourself, I am breathing out. I am breathing in. I am breathing in. Repeat that for a few more breath cycles at a pace that feels right for you. Letting yourself settle into the rhythm of your breath, A quiet, Steady rhythm that calms the mind. With each breath, Your body releases a little more, Relaxing, Softening, Releasing. So now, With your body grounded in this moment and your breath slow and deep, Let's move on to the third element, The element of water. We use this element to create calm within our body. We harness the element of water to switch our body's innate relaxation response on. I invite you to draw your attention to the surface of your body. Draw your attention now to your mouth. Any sensations there, Including the sensation of saliva. You see, When we feel stressed or anxious, Our mouth goes dry. As we ramp up into the stress response system, Our body's natural survival response is to turn off systems that aren't needed to aid in survival at that very moment. That includes the digestive system. When we make saliva in our mouth, We switch on the relaxation response. Then our mind can settle and our body can begin to relax. Experiment with this with me now. With your awareness at your mouth, Imagine biting into a juicy wedge of lemon or eating a sour gummy or whatever your favorite food is. Just be curious. Notice what happens as you imagine biting into that food. Notice how your mouth seems to automatically generate more saliva and that as you do so, You naturally swallow. Notice how your thoughts might get a little clearer, Your focus a little sharper. Generating saliva and swallowing is aiding your nervous system as it relaxes. It enables your brain to think, Okay, I'm safe in this moment. Danger is not present because if it were, I wouldn't be sitting around eating this food. With your focus on generating saliva to the best of your ability, Notice those small indicators of your nervous system. Your body shifting, Of your body starting to settle into calm. And now noticing the connection of your feet strong and solid on the ground. Lifting your feet and pressing them into the ground to anchor back into that sensation of connection. Notice your breath, Slow and deep. And noticing the moisture of saliva in your mouth, That indicator of your body switching into its relaxation response. Exactly where we want it to be. And now we move on to the fourth element of our practice today. The fourth element of light. To do this, We'll draw your attention upwards to light up your imagination with thoughts of a peaceful place. Using your very best imagination, If you could be anywhere in the world feeling peaceful and at ease, Where would your imagination take you? And as you picture yourself there, Notice how you start to feel in this moment. When we imagine things, Our body reacts as though what we are imagining is actually happening right now. It's why when we imagine the worst case scenario, Our body ramps up into stress. Our body is just feeling what we're giving it. So I believe we can harness this power for good, To use it like our very own superpower. To connect with calm as needed. When you imagine your peaceful place, Fully with as much detail as possible, Your body experiences it as though you are there. Picture that peaceful place now in your mind's eye and anchor into connection with it. In that peaceful place, What would be around you? What would you see and hear? Would you be standing or sitting? Would there be others around you or would you be simply there alone? Notice what emotions you feel now as you picture yourself in that peaceful place. What starts to shift in your body? Maybe your shoulders relaxing. Any clenching or bracing that had been in your body starts to relax. And now as you picture yourself in your peaceful place, I'd like to invite you to add in bilateral stimulation. To do this, Place your arms across your chest. So that your hands are resting gently on your opposite shoulders. In EMDR therapy, This is called a butterfly hug. Now picturing yourself in that peaceful place, Use your hands to tap on your shoulders, Alternating one then the other. Just back and forth in an alternating pattern on each shoulder. Picturing in your mind's eye, All that would be around you in your peaceful place. How it makes you feel in your body right now. The emotions you feel and tapping back and forth. And now stopping tapping, Letting your hands rest back in your lap. Notice any sensations of calm or peace that shifted into your body. Enjoying yourself just here, Just now, In the safety of this one moment. As we near the end of our practice today, Take a moment to consider how you will remember this so that you can use it again in any moment that you might need it. Noticing your breath, Slow and steady. A deep, Easy inhale in. Relaxed, Exhale out. When it feels right for you, Let your eyes drift open. Re-orient to the room you are in. Thank you for taking this time for yourself. Be well today.