My Ma's

a story about aura shields

When I was a little girl, I always carried my Ma’s (i.e., my teddy bears) around with me, building an energy shield wherever I went.¹ When something bad happened, I hugged my bears until the bad went away.

I don’t carry my Ma’s around with me anymore. Unfortunately, it does not feel socially acceptable to do so. However, I still carry aura shields with me: my journal, my binoculars, my pink water bottle.

I now realize it was never about the object, but more about the feeling. In trauma-informed and anxiety-related psychology practices, therapists may refer to objects (like my Ma’s or grown-up items) as grounding tools: sensory anchors that help bring you back to the present moment and a regulated emotional state.²

My grounding tools (or as I like to call them, aura shields) serve as a tangible form of joy, peace, and self-confidence. When I am living my life and catch a glimpse of these items, I am reminded of who I am. I am reminded to pause, take a breath, and be present in what I am doing. I am brought back to myself like Riley is by Pouchy (little metaphor for my fellow Inside Out 2 people).³

Do you have any aura shields? What about when you were a kid?

Thanks for reading, and see you next time on:

xoxo,

Ally

1. Big Thief. (2022). "Simulation Swarm." On Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You [Song]. 4AD.

2. Lisa M. Najavits, Seeking Safety: A Treatment Manual for PTSD and Substance Abuse (New York: Guilford Press, 2002).

Judith L. Herman, Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence—From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror (New York: Basic Books, 1992).

Therapist Aid LLC. (2018). Grounding techniques. https://www.therapistaid.com/worksheets/grounding-techniques

3. Docter, P. (Producer), Collins, M. (Producer), & Powers, K. (Director). (2024). Inside Out 2 [Film]. Pixar Animation Studios; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.