Spiral Technique To Shift Anxiety

Based on EMDR therapy, this guided visualization can help shift emotional overwhelm caused by distressing thoughts, images, or memories. It can be used as a grounding practice to enhance emotion regulation.

Transcript

Hi,

Welcome.

My name is Susan Guttridge.

For today's grounding practice,

I'm going to lead you through the spiral technique.

It's a guided visualization that can be helpful in easing out of emotional overwhelm.

Sometimes in life we can find ourselves stuck on a memory or a bothersome thought,

And in that stuckness lose touch with our good problem solving skills.

We can't connect with our strengths and inner wisdom.

The spiral technique is a helpful tool for shifting out of those bothersome memories or thoughts,

And as you probably already know,

Once you feel grounded in the present moments,

Your outlook changes.

Awareness of your strengths and abilities returns.

You can once again draw on past experiences to solve present day problems,

And this grounded place just feels better.

Okay,

I hope you have a quiet,

Cozy spot to listen.

Notice the connection of your feet on the floor,

Your sit bones resting comfortably in the chair you are in,

Or whatever you are sitting or laying down on.

Notice the sensation of air at your nostrils as you inhale in,

And exhale out.

Relax your shoulders down.

Give your neck a gentle stretch,

Just staying within the boundaries of movement that feels comfortable for you.

Inhaling in,

Exhaling out.

Thinking in terms of emotions,

We all have a window within which we can comfortably feel emotion without being overwhelmed by it.

For today's practice,

Let's set the intention that you will stay within your window,

Connecting with only enough emotion that you can comfortably feel.

You might connect with emotion that feels strong,

But not so strong that you are activated beyond your window.

To help with this intention,

Let's use a rating scale that ranges from 1 to 10,

Where 1 represents neutral,

And 10 represents the most distressed you've ever felt.

The intention for today's practice is that whatever bothersome thought you want to use,

We aren't going to pass a 3 on that rating scale.

One way to help with this is to think of your life in terms of a book.

You likely know exactly where the parts in the story are,

The chapters that contain memories with emotion that may spike you upwards of 5 on that rating scale,

Which may feel like you've gone beyond that window.

We're going to leave those chapters for another day.

For today's practice,

Choose a bothersome memory or thought that stirs up emotion only at a 3 on that rating scale,

So you can feel emotion,

But it's completely manageable.

The best way to learn a new skill after all is when you stay within that window,

Feeling emotion at a level that's manageable.

Okay,

Bring to mind that bothersome memory,

Thought or image.

When you think of it,

What emotion goes along with it?

What do you notice shift in your body as you think of that bothersome thought?

These body sensations are referred to as the felt sense of emotion and sometimes we notice what's there in our body right away and other times it's harder to notice.

Just scanning your body now,

Notice what sensations,

If it's okay,

That are there in your body.

When you think of that bothersome memory,

What feels tight or tense or tender or trembling?

Now here's where we tap into your powers of visualization.

If you could take that felt sense of emotion in your body and give it a colour,

What colour would you give it?

Now using your best imagination,

Pretend that feeling is energy.

If it was a spiral of energy moving in a circular direction within your body,

Do you notice it going in a clockwise direction or is it counterclockwise?

There are no right or wrong responses,

Just noticing the direction that energy is moving in.

Again,

Tapping into your best imagination,

Gently change the direction of that spiral of energy in your body.

So if that spiral representing the felt sense of emotion is moving clockwise,

Picture the direction changing so that now it's going counterclockwise.

Pausing here to take a deep breath in and releasing out and just being curious about what's there in your emotions and in your body now.

You may notice some sensations changed,

Maybe they dissipated as you made the direction of that spiral of coloured energy change directions.

As you scan through your body now,

What emotion is there?

What sensations are there in your body if it's okay to notice?

And we started out with a three on that rating scale,

So what's your number now?

Let's try this again together one more time.

First giving a colour to that felt sense of emotion in your body.

Picturing that colour.

Then using your imagination to really pretend that the sensation in your body is energy.

Seeing it as a spiral of energy moving in a circular direction in your body.

What direction is it flowing now?

With your best imagination gently visualise changing the direction of the spiral in your body.

So if it's moving counterclockwise,

Picture the direction changing so that now it's going clockwise.

Noticing how the colour of the energy shifts as the spiral shifts directions.

Pausing that spiral motion now to take a deep breath in and release it out.

Just being curious with what emotion is there now?

What sensations are there?

And on that rating scale,

What's your number?

Notice the connection of your feet flat on the ground,

Your sit bones comfortable and solid in the chair you are in,

Your breath flowing in and out.

If your number didn't drop during this practice,

Try the spiral again with the energy flowing in the opposite direction from what you just did.

Our goal with the technique is to keep your number on that rating scale reducing.

Being curious.

If during this practice you found that this technique really resonates for you,

Keep using it and with practice try it out on thoughts and memories that spark a bit stronger of emotion on that rating scale.

Instead of a three,

Try a four or a five with the goal of reducing strong emotion and always returning you to that window within which you can comfortably feel and be present with emotion.

Thank you for taking this time for yourself and for choosing me to guide your practice.

Credit for this spiral technique goes to Francine Shapiro,

The brilliant psychologist who developed many techniques for regulating emotion and who also is the pioneering mind of EMDR therapy.

I wish you wellness and go with kindness throughout your day.

Be sure to include you in your kindness.

Reviews

I was skeptical at first, but I absolutely love this meditation. It totally worked for me!

Thank you for being the rare individual who credits the Source of EMDR.

This is a valuable technique and your delivery was amazing 🙏🏼

Awesome technique. Worked quickly on my trigger thoughts. Thanks for sharing!

Wonderful exercise! Extremely helpful! Thank!