Studio partnered with Supporting Roles, an organization dedicated to creating and supporting a culture of mental health and equitable practice in all spaces where theater is made. They developed the following questions and practices for audience members to engage with after seeing Studio’s production of Jonah.
Remember when Ana taps her chest as Steven is knocking? Or when she eats Sour Patch Kids after meeting Jonah?
Whether she realized it or not, these somatic grounding activities helped calm Ana’s nervous system.
When you experience or recall a stressful memory or feeling, your body can go into a fight-flight-freeze response. By grounding in your body in the moment, your brain receives calming signals and can refocus on the present.
These activities work because they:
Engage the body and mind together, which is important in trauma healing, mindfulness, and general wellness practices,
Help down-regulate the nervous system, and offer a tool that can be used anytime, anywhere, by anyone.
Here are some ideas to try yourself:
TAPPING
Gentle, rhythmic tapping on specific acupressure points can help reduce stress, regulate emotions, and bring the body out of a fight-or-flight response.
Identify the feeling.
Tap gently with two fingers (top of head, between eyebrows, temples, under eyes, under nose, chin, collarbone, under arms, and side of hand).
While tapping, say a phrase that acknowledges the feeling while offering self-acceptance.
Continue tapping while noticing shifts in your body or emotions.
SOUR FOODS
Eating sour foods can sometimes help when a person feels anxious because the strong taste quickly stimulates the senses and redirects attention to the present moment. This sensory “shock” can interrupt spiraling thoughts and help the nervous system reset.
Try:
Sour candies
Pickles
Lemon slice or lemon water
Supporting Roles’s mission is to create and support a culture of mental health and equitable practice in all spaces where theater is made. We work at the level of the artist, production, season, and organization through trauma-informed, equity-centered, embodied programming to promote wellness in creative processes. Learn more at www.supportingroles.com