Grounding And Faith
Grounding is often suggested as a practice to reduce emotional dysregulation and bring the person back to the here and now. Exercises like placing one's feet on the floor, deep breathing, holding oneself, and noticing the environment are easily accessible for one to work with.
Having practised grounding for some time on my own and facilitated by someone else, I found the efficacy to be a hit or miss. As I reflected, I realised that grounding often rests on self-reliance as it depends on my own capacity to receive and integrate safety, and when capacity is limited, grounding becomes difficult to access.
I am aware of how much I need a presence greater than my own to meet the deeper needs of my mind, body, and heart, and am keenly interested to integrate my faith. Grounding in the traditional sense does not have this integration present since it misses out inviting God into the process.
At times when I am emotional, I find myself questioning if God can bring me to safety since, in the past, He seemed to do nothing when I desperately needed and/or cried out for Him to save. From a therapeutic perspective, it will caution that engaging God too directly can feel unsafe, thus it is advisable to first pace and cue safety to the body with grounding exercises, independently or supported by a regulated person, before approaching God. I do not dismiss their value. Yet, in my own journey, I have come to recognise that making felt safety a prerequisite before turning toward God can unintentionally reinforce self-reliance or delay the very relational encounter through which safety is formed.
Rather than bypassing or overwhelming the body, I am learning to let God meet me in my unsettled self. Knowing God enough through His word and other past experiences enables me to trust His character and heart in spite of my emotional questioning. This leads me to ask Him to ground me by holding me in His presence. Over time and as often as needed, my nervous system is being brought into the knowing of the truth of who God is, and learn to trust God as a safe Person.
I find my concept of grounding to shift. Instead of grounding within myself, it comes from the steady presence of God. Instead of grounding being internal, it becomes relational. Instead of grounding being self-reliant, it becomes God-reliant.
This shift would not be complete without anchoring it on what scripture says. Reflecting on Romans 12:1-2, I have heard the emphasis of being transformed in the renewing of my mind many times. Yet, this process is not complete without first dedicating the whole self, which is my body, mind and actions, as a living sacrifice to God in worship.
In application, what this means for me is, I am not required to bring myself to felt safety through grounding in the traditional sense, before presenting my whole self and allowing God to transform my mind. But, while I still have activated protective mechanisms that come from survival patterns, I will present this whole self fully to the Lord in worship. His presence meets my whole being and gently reorders me to experience safety in the here and now. He will bring back rational thinking and transform me in the renewing of my mind so that I can see Him rightly and conform to His good, pleasing and perfect will.
I conclude with this, that if God is truly safe, grounding with Him can actually be the pathway through which the nervous system learns that He is safe, rather than not involving Him until felt safety is pursued through one's own capacity to regulate, before turning toward God. While a regulated human can support the process, coming to God without the pressure to feel safe allows one to be present with the Lord. It is His presence that creates the conditions for grounding, and safety becomes a natural outcome. God is the secure base, and capacity grows through relationship and worship.
I find my concept of grounding to shift. Instead of grounding within myself, it comes from the steady presence of God. Instead of grounding being internal, it becomes relational. Instead of grounding being self-reliant, it becomes God-reliant.
This shift would not be complete without anchoring it on what scripture says. Reflecting on Romans 12:1-2, I have heard the emphasis of being transformed in the renewing of my mind many times. Yet, this process is not complete without first dedicating the whole self, which is my body, mind and actions, as a living sacrifice to God in worship.
In application, what this means for me is, I am not required to bring myself to felt safety through grounding in the traditional sense, before presenting my whole self and allowing God to transform my mind. But, while I still have activated protective mechanisms that come from survival patterns, I will present this whole self fully to the Lord in worship. His presence meets my whole being and gently reorders me to experience safety in the here and now. He will bring back rational thinking and transform me in the renewing of my mind so that I can see Him rightly and conform to His good, pleasing and perfect will.
I conclude with this, that if God is truly safe, grounding with Him can actually be the pathway through which the nervous system learns that He is safe, rather than not involving Him until felt safety is pursued through one's own capacity to regulate, before turning toward God. While a regulated human can support the process, coming to God without the pressure to feel safe allows one to be present with the Lord. It is His presence that creates the conditions for grounding, and safety becomes a natural outcome. God is the secure base, and capacity grows through relationship and worship.
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