The Containment Technique (or CT): A 15-Second Emotional Regulation Skill

The CT (Containment Technique) is a quick and effective emotional regulation skill, proven effective to manage unwanted thoughts or feelings that haven’t “nested” long enough to activate the limbic (fight/flight) part of the brain. In other words, it is a 15-20 second emotional regulation skill to help you manage the annoying thoughts and feelings that are pecking away at your brain, but haven’t activated the limbic system or any of its associated panic attacks, sexual surges, or fight/flight/freeze reactions.

To initiate the CT, the FIRST step is to identify an unwanted thought or feeling that has been bothering you today... or yesterday. This works well with both unwanted thoughts AND feelings, but because it is sometimes easier to manage thoughts than feelings, let’s start by having you identify an unwanted THOUGHT that has been pecking away at your brain.

Step Two: Imagine a Container

After you have identified an unwanted thought, the SECOND step is to pretend and imagine that there is a container in front of you, into which you will “breathe” your unwanted thought. This container could be made of wood, glass, plastic, or metal. Decide which material you want your container to be made of.

Step Three: Breathe Abdominally

The THIRD step is to “breathe abdominally.” Close your eyes and take some long slow breaths, making sure all the air goes IN through your NOSE and comes OUT of your MOUTH. With your eyes closed, pretend and imagine that there is a hose connected from your nose to an imaginary balloon in your stomach. When you breathe into your nose, ALL of the air goes into the balloon and it inflates. If you put a hand on your stomach, you should be able to feel your hand slightly raise, as the imaginary balloon inflates. Now, contract your stomach muscles (or do an ab crunch) and you should be able to feel your hand drop and a puff of air comes out of your mouth. So, air goes in through the nose and the stomach (balloon) inflates. Then contract stomach muscles and air comes out of your mouth. Try to minimize the amount of air that goes into your chest area. This type of abdominal breathing stimulates the vagus nerve and will help relax you. So, by itself, this activity can be a very relaxing activity, but we will add two other aspects to this activity, to make it even more potent.

Step Four: Breathe the Thought Into the Container

After you practice this for a few minutes, the FOURTH step is to breathe in (through your nose) and lock on to your unwanted thought. Then breathe that unwanted thought out of your mouth into your imaginary container. Once it’s in the container, float it away from you down a river, around a corner, out of sight, so that it is temporarily gone. In your imagination, you can even dump it off a waterfall, if it helps.

Step Five: Go to Your Peaceful Place

Once your thought has been temporarily “floated away,” the FIFTH and final step is to go to a peaceful place and quickly focus on what you see, hear, and feel. This peaceful place could be a beach, a mountain overlook, a temple, a cabin in the woods, a picnic table in the canyon, or any other place where you can feel relaxed, loved, connected with others, or any other emotion that is important that you feel. After you decide where your “peaceful place” is, with your eyes still closed, go there and identify one thing you see, and something you hear. This process helps you activate memory networks and make the last part of this CT (Containment Technique) more effective. Now identify 3 emotions (or feelings) you can feel as you sit quietly in your peaceful place. For example, perhaps your 3 feelings are: joy, connection, and peace. The acronym J.C.Penny might help you remember these fundamental feelings.

First, breathe in the feeling of joy. Fill every fiber of your being with joy (and perhaps happiness), then relish this wonderful feeling for a few moments — from head to toe. Next, breathe in and fill yourself up with the feeling of connection with anyone with whom you have a healthy relationship. Notice how meaningful and fulfilling these connections are (and perhaps sense a feeling of love for, and love from, these people). This feeling of being safely connected with a significant person has been proven to be fundamental to human happiness. Notice how good it feels. Enjoy it for a few moments. Finally, fill yourself up with a feeling of peace (and perhaps relaxation). Let it melt away all your tension, tightness, and stress. Now open your eyes, and you are done.

Several Concluding Thoughts

This activity can be done as quickly as it takes you to take four long, slow, deep breaths. One breath to lock on and float your unwanted thought or feeling away from you, around a corner, temporarily out of sight, and perhaps off a waterfall. A second breath to notice what you see and hear, then focus on joy. A third breath to enjoy connection, and a fourth breath to enjoy peace.
If you practice this 10 times a day for a week or two (which will take less than 5 minutes of your day) it can become automatic, like putting your right foot on a brake pedal when driving down the road and seeing a stop sign or red light. What kind of an impact would this have on your life, if it became automatic — and started itself every time you had an unwanted thought or feeling?
One of the best ways to remember to practice this ten times a day is to set up an inconspicuous HOURLY ping or vibration on your watch or phone for every hour you are awake. When the alarm sounds, practice this 15-second Containment Technique.

The Containment Technique pairs well with the 2-Minute Surf Sequence: the CT handles the smaller, annoying thoughts and feelings that haven’t yet activated the limbic alarm, while the Surf Sequence manages the full compulsive surge once it has. If you’d like help putting these skills into practice, our clinicians offer sexual compulsion recovery treatment in person at our Pleasant Grove, Utah clinic and by telehealth across Utah, Arizona, and Idaho.

The Containment Technique (CT): A 15-Second Emotional Regulation Skill