4 Gentle Bilateral Grounding Exercises You Can Try at Home
Bilateral stimulation is a steady left-right rhythm, delivered through eye movements, gentle taps, or sounds. It's a core part of how Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy helps the brain reprocess difficult memories. A slower, gentler version of that same rhythm can also help calm the body in everyday moments of stress.
The four practices below are that gentler version. They won't process trauma, and they aren't a substitute for working with a therapist. What they can do is help you settle when you feel anxious or overwhelmed. If you want to understand the therapy itself and who it can help, our guide to how EMDR works walks through it.
Walk with Awareness
Walking is a natural form of bilateral stimulation. As you walk, notice the rhythmic left-right impact of your feet as they make contact with the ground. Keep your eyes up and let them naturally scan the environment from side to side rather than focusing on one fixed point. This simple practice gently anchors your nervous system in the present moment.
The Butterfly Hug
Cross your arms over your chest so each hand rests on the opposite shoulder or upper arm. Slowly alternate gentle taps (left, right, left, right) while breathing naturally. Developed by Lucina Artigas and Ignacio Jarero for survivors of Hurricane Pauline in Mexico, it's a self-administered form of bilateral stimulation that many people find calming during acute stress [1].
Cross-Crawl Marching
Slowly march in place, touching your left hand to your right knee, then your right hand to your left knee. Crossing the body's midline this way helps bring your awareness back into your body and can feel grounding when your thoughts are racing.
"Tapping In" a Positive Resource
Drawn from Laurel Parnell's resourcing method, this exercise helps you build an internal sense of safety [2]. Bring to mind a place, a person, an image, or a memory that makes you feel safe, calm, or supported. Let that comforting feeling fill your body. Once you feel it clearly, begin to slowly and softly tap your thighs or shoulders in an alternating pattern for one to two minutes.
When to Use These, and When to Reach for More Support
You can use these anytime, though they tend to help most when you catch stress early, before it builds. Keep the one or two that feel best to you and let the rest go.
If you notice that grounding brings up more than it settles, or that the same distress keeps returning no matter how often you practice, that's worth exploring with support rather than managing on your own.
Footnote References
[1] Jarero, I., & Artigas, L. (2021). The EMDR therapy butterfly hug method for self-administered bilateral stimulation. Iberoamerican Journal of Psychotraumatology and Dissociation, 10(1).
[2] Parnell, L. (2008). Tapping in: A step-by-step guide to activating your inner resources through bilateral stimulation.
