Resources

Different things work for different people, if we're working together we can discuss how to adapt these resources to your specific needs and which may work better for you.

Meditations

54321

I really recommend the 54321 meditation as it's a simple, focused, grounding mediation. You don't need to clear your mind and you can do it anywhere: home, work, tea break, while doing the washing up etc. It only takes a minute to do so doesn't take out time if you're stressed and can help you pause and refocus.

If there's part of you that's hyper vigilant, ask that part to check around you for imminent danger. If there's nothing you need to act on immediately to keep yourself safe, ask that part to notice that and then focus on noticing the below the things. You are noticing that you are here in the present not back somewhere in the past in this exercise.

Notice 5 things you can see. Try and notice small details like light/shadow, textures etc

Notice 4 things you can physically feel. The ground beneath your feet, any other points of contact with your body (chair, bed etc), clothing, any jewellery or glasses you're wearing, perhaps your hair on your neck, whatever is relevant for you in that moment.

Notice 3 things you can hear. Sounds outside or inside, bird song, street noise, whirl of a  computer, your breathing etc.

Notice 2 things you can smell. Is the air fresh or stale, warm or cool? Lift your hand to your nose if you need to for an additional smell or to notice your breath against it if you don't have a sense of smell.

Notice one thing you can taste. The taste in your mouth maybe toothpaste, coffee, the last thing you ate.

Take a few deep breaths.

Dreams and Nightmares

For people who have nightmares or troubling dreams I recommend trying the dream completion technique by Justin Havers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv38dzpcxfA

IFS Meditations

IFS meditations can be useful for unblending from parts that might be holding challenging feelings and for encouraging self energy. It's useful to find a voice that works well for you.  You can find a lot through an internet search of IFS meditations. My colleague Ella Shannon has some excellent meditations on her page. https://ellashannon.com/guided-meditation/ I also recommend Loch Kelly Mindful Glimpses meditations for Self energy https://lochkelly.org/ 

Use of AI for Therapy

A number of people are turning to AI for therapy. Whilst AI can be a valuable tool for many applications there are multiple ethical concerns with its general use and I do not recommend general AI for therapy. Be mindful that you are providing highly sensitive information in an AI therapy chat and there are privacy issues especially on free platforms. Some AI bots are programmed to manipulate users to spend more time on them and tell you what the machine calculates that you want to hear. One of the more ethical tools I have come across is IFS Buddy for anyone familiar with IFS and looking for support unblending between therapy sessions. If you do want to use this tool, as with all AI, check you're happy with the privacy policy first https://www.ifsbuddy.chat/about