Grounding Tips

​The grounding tips below are based on the research carried out by Marie Grace Brook and published in the journal The Psychology of Religion & Spirituality in 2021.

245 people who had experienced struggles integrating a spiritually transformative experience (STE) rated each grounding practice from 0 to 4.0. On this page I have listed all of the grounding practices that they rated as 3.0 or higher.

Please note that different grounding techniques work for different people at different times. Therefore, identifying which ones work best for you may take some trial and error.

Grounding Practice

Rating

#1 ​I practiced compassion.
#2 I found calmer environments.
#3 I allowed my psychological and spiritual issues to surface rather than resisting them.
#4 I found ways to adjust to more awareness of metaphysical events.
#5 I found ways to express my inner experience through some other creative practice.
#6 I studied information about the nature of spiritual experience and spiritual transformation.
#7 I practiced forgiveness.
#8 I practiced humility.
#9 I found ways to find and live a revised purpose more fulfilling for me.
#10 I found ways to adjust to increased awareness of inner sensations.
#11 I practiced honesty.
#12 I practiced gratitude.
#13 I spent more serene time alone.
#14 I worked on getting in touch with my feelings.
#15 I spent more time in nature.
#16 I worked on getting in touch with my thought patterns.
#17 I found ways to minimize stress in my life.
#18 I spent more time with relaxed people.
#19 I found ways to radically shift my sense of reality after my STE.
#20 I found ways to express my inner experience through drawing or painting.
#21 I found ways to adjust to more sensitivity to others’ suffering.
#22 I found at least one reliable safe place to let down and authentically share what was happening with someone else.
#23 I sensed that on some level I had chosen to create the radical change happening in my life.
#24 I nurtured calmer interactions with people.
#25 I practiced daily prayer.
#26 I chose the right people to share the experience with.
#27 I found ways to adjust to more sensitivity to light, sound, smell, taste, or touch.
#28 I practiced surrender to the divine.
#29 I found ways to match my new spiritual values with my earthly expectations and the expectation of others.
#30 I increased relaxation.
#31 I read holy books within my tradition and/or other spiritually uplifting books.
#32 I found ways to accept returning from the expanded place of my STE back to the earthly realm.
#33 I considered or sought help from alternative medical professionals and/or healers.
#34 I found people to listen to my inner experiences in a non-judgmental way.
#35 I found ways to adjust to more awareness of other’s thoughts and/or feelings.
#36 I found ways to express my inner experience though writing.
#37 I shared with at least one friend who was interested, supportive, and helpful.
#38 I practiced daily meditation.
#39 I minimized junk foods.
#40 I found ways to verbally express what I had experienced.
#41 I worked on exploring my unconscious “dark side”.
#42 I attended to serving others, even if in small ways.
#43 I found assurance that others had experienced and were experiencing similar things.
#44 I found ways to express my inner experience though movement.
#45 I worked on developing healthy relationships.
#46 I chose not to take prescription medicine for psychological balance.
#47 I practiced walking or other slight exercise in a pleasant environment.
#48 I slowed down and minimized busyness.
#49 I practiced simple focused calming activities.
#50 I found ways to adjust to more sensitivity to toxic chemicals.
#51 I discontinued recreational drugs.
#52 I spent more time in natural light.
#53 I found ways to have regular communication with my partner or a trusted friend.
#54 I found people to validate my experiences and assure me that I was not psychotic.
#55 I increased rest.
#56 I engaged with a supportive spiritual community.
#57 I increased receiving massages.
#58 I cut alcohol out of my diet.
#59 I increased self-massage and/or bathing and showering.
#60 I practiced visualizing my energy field connecting to the centre of the earth through the base of my spine and/or the soles of my feet.
#61 I found ways to adjust to more sensitivity to electromagnetic fields.
#62 I practiced visualizing my energy field withdrawing to my centre and/or dropping from my head to lower body.
#63 I increased sleep.
#64 I scheduled regular exercise.
#65 I moderated sexuality, to adjust to my fluctuating libido.
#66 I scheduled regular sleep cycles.
#67 I cut sugar out of my diet.
#68 I scheduled regular meals.
#69 I found ways to adjust to more ability to predict the future.
#70 I found ways to endure the responses I got from some people I told about my STE.
#71 I increased light manual work such as gardening or housekeeping.
#72 I found ways to accept which part of my story interested other people (sometimes things not important to me intrigued them, or things important to me were overlooked or discounted by them).
#73 I sought psychotherapy or counselling.
#74 I focused on remaining active in society.

4.00
4.00
4.00
4.00
4.00
​3.98

3.98
3.98
3.98
3.97
3.96
3.95
3.94
3.93
3.93
3.93
3.93
3.93
3.92
3.91
3.91
3.90

3.90

3.90
3.90
3.89
3.88
3.88
3.88

3.86
3.85
3.85

3.85
3.85
3.85
3.83
3.83
3.82
3.82
3.82
3.82
3.82
3.82
3.81
3.80
3.80
3.79
3.78
3.78
3.78
3.77
3.74
3.71
3.71
3.70
3.70
3.69
3.66
3.62
3.59

3.55
3.55

​3.54
3.53
3.48
3.48
3.47
3.42
3.40
3.32
3.23
3.21


​3.19
3.13

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Brook, M.G. (2021). Struggles Reported Integrating Intense Spiritual Experiences: Results From a Survey Using the Integration of Spiritually Transformative
Experiences Inventory. Psychology of Religion & Spirituality, 13, 4, 464–481.