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Regulation / Body Widely used

Notice what is around you

Explore one sense at a time. Skip any that do not suit you.

This is a reference tool, not a replacement for EMDR therapy. EMDR must be delivered by a trained clinician. If you are using these tools outside of therapy and become distressed, stop, ground yourself, and contact a mental health professional.

Keeps your choices. You can return to this guide at any time.

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Name 5 things you can see

Look around. Tap the button as you name each one out loud or in your head. You can skip any sense or use another prompt. You do not need to touch, smell, or taste anything.

5
remaining
Clinical sources

Clinical sources

5-4-3-2-1 Grounding

What the evidence supports

Research on a complete therapy does not establish that an isolated activity or this website produces the same outcomes. EMDR includes assessment, preparation, memory work and follow-up with a trained clinician. Its mechanisms are still being studied.

These pages compile published sources. An independent clinical review of this site and a trial of its tools are not documented here. Labels describe the technique’s use context; they are not an efficacy certification.

VA: EMDR evidence and limitations · NICE: recommendations by age and context

  • Widely used in trauma-informed care; documented in grounding technique literature.
How to use this activity and clinical context

What this is

A brief sensory grounding exercise used across trauma-informed care. It pulls attention back into the body and the current environment by asking you to name things you can sense right now.

When to use it

  • In-session: If a client is dissociating or becoming overwhelmed during processing.

  • Closure: To ensure the client is present before leaving.

  • Home use: Whenever something reminds you of the past and you’re starting to feel pulled away from the present.

  • TF-CBT coping practice: An optional present-moment activity to discuss with the therapist, alongside relaxation and emotion-regulation skills. This widget is not a validated TF-CBT treatment on its own.

Clinical notes

The user taps a button for each thing they name — the tool only counts, it does not store what they name. This is intentional: the exercise is the process, not the record.

Skip any sense that feels uncomfortable or is not available to you. Keep your eyes open if you prefer, and pause or stop if distress increases.

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