getting stuck in headspace

[Corey Alexander]

Someone yesterday (in my class "Wrapping It Up: Drop, Aftercare, and
Closing Strategies" talked about getting stuck in subspace, and there
was not really time to address this issue fully. Some of the
strategies I suggest on the handout are:

-Talk to play partner about it
-Give yourself aftercare and do closing rituals
-Talk to peers/mentors about it, esp. people who do the kind of play
you do
-Doing things that inspire/make you feel closer to baseline
-Walking yourself back to baseline in some kind of planned ritual
-Grounding (try doing things that put you in your body—pay attention
to the five senses, wiggle your toes, place your feet/body on the
ground, focus on your breathing)
-Create skin/boundaries (wrap yourself in a blanket, shut a door, tap
your skin all over, take a cold shower)
-Address the stuck energy—find a way to release it: physical activity;
shake it out
-Address your emotional needs—give yourself what you need, be your own
Daddy/Dominant, express your control in other areas of your life
-Do it yourself: Give yourself the aftercare you need, closure ritual,
nurturing, compassion, orgasm, energetic release
-Say it to yourself: say what you need to hear, reassure yourself,
praise yourself, remind yourself your needs are valid, remind yourself
your reaction is normal

If you feel your needs were not met...
-Make a plan: creating a plan to get your needs met next time might
help you be less anxious
-Express how you feel about not getting your needs met

Do you get stuck in headspace? If so, how do you find you way out of
it? What has worked? What hasn't worked?

Corey