Grounding with Smell

Grounding skills help reorient a person to the present to the here-and-now. They are vitals tools to have when you deal with anxiety, flashbacks and dissociation.

A powerful way to help ground is through the use of smell. However, it is important to be aware that smell is also a powerful memory evoker, so be mindful when choosing a smell to ground you. As it is important to plan ahead and having something at hand to help ground you when needed, choose something that evokes strictly positive memories, or something neutral.

Grounding using smell works best when you have something near at hand, so I like to recommend carrying around something in your pocket or purse that you can use anywhere. This could be by way of scented lotion, essential oils, scented hand sanitizer, gum, perfume or cologne. If you are in a place that lends itself to these things you can also make use of your environment, light a scented candle, go outside and smell the flowers, smell the ocean air, nature is often a good source for this.