Feel your feet containment: an exercise for cogegulation & when feel we are leaving the body. Disassociation is wise and helpful but having another present can make it feel safer to come back to embodiment. (*I believe this exercise is from Peter Levine.)

I used to do this with clients in crisis when I worked frontline because it’s simple, doesn’t lean into personal space too much and can be done mostly anywhere including on the streets. Relevant for in the classroom, in treatment rooms, in frontline situations/at demonstrations or at home with your kids.

Exercise: sitting or standing facing each other, take a few breaths together to center. Then the person providing containment puts their feet on top of the feet of the person needing support. Then is asked to track their awareness of their feet while different pressure is applied. Simply: Can you feel your feet? (It’s not uncommon to not feel if very dysregulated) What parts are in your awareness and what parts aren’t? Can you track any internal sensations while feeling your feet on the ground? Can you trace the outline of your foot or toes in your mind?

** in practice it may be different. If the person needing support is very disregulated questions may not be possible - just holding some weight on their feet with yours can be enough the start cueing the body into coregulation while sharing a cup of tea or having casual conversation.