Coping Skills
This is the practice of naming five things you can see, four things you can touch, three you can hear, two you can smell, and one you can taste.
What is grounding?
The most important priority when talking about trauma?
What is safety?
Traumatic events often affect this system in the body, keeping it stuck in "fight, flight, or freeze."
What is the nervous system? or What is the limbic system?
A person, place, or thing that brings up painful emotions is called this.
What is a trigger?
The reason many people begin using substances is often to do this.
What is to cope with pain?
This type of coping skill involves writing out your thoughts to process them.
What is journaling?
A behavior like setting boundaries, getting enough sleep, and saying no are all examples of this.
What is practicing safety?
One phrase often used to describe trauma responses is “hurt people…”
What is “hurt people”?
This tool helps you stay present and connected to your body, often using senses.
What is grounding?
Recovery is not about being perfect, it’s about _______.
What is progress?
Therapy teaches that instead of trying to control everything, we should focus on _________.
What is what we can control?
This type of place can be real or imagined and helps you feel calm and secure.
What is thinking safe place?
In trauma recovery, this type of therapy helps people stay in the present while exploring past pain.
What is trauma-informed therapy?
This type of trigger comes from inside the body or mind, like thoughts, memories, or emotions.
What is an internal trigger?
This is a healthy substitute for using substances to manage stress.
What is a coping skill?
This skill helps you get through distress without making it worse and includes things like calling a friend or listening to music.
What is a healthy distraction?
One of the best ways to build emotional safety in relationships.
What is setting boundaries?
Trauma-informed therapy teaches that trauma is not the person’s fault and recovery is ___________.
What is possible?
This type of trigger comes from the outside environment, like a place, sound, smell, or person.
What is an external trigger?
In recovery, this phrase is often used to help people focus on the here and now.
What is “one day at a time”?
This creative coping tool can involve drawing, painting, or making music to express emotions you can’t put into words.
What is art or creative expression?
A personalized set of steps someone creates ahead of time to help them stay safe during moments of crisis or emotional overwhelm.
What is a safety plan?
This concept refers to the ability to bounce back and adapt after experiencing hardship or trauma.
What is your resilience?
This strategy involves reminding yourself of where you are, what year it is, and that you are safe right now.
What is orienting to the present?
This set of strategies is used to identify triggers and build skills to avoid returning to substance use.
What is relapse prevention?