Validation of the grounding assessment tool for identifying emotional awareness and emotion regulation

Grounding is an accepted concept in the field of dance movement therapy and expresses an aware and regulated physical and emotional experience. Previous studies have shown that movement interventions to improve the physical sensation of grounding contribute to an increase in emotional awareness and regulation. The aim of the current study is to explore the convergent validity of the Grounding Assessment Tool (GAT) with emotional awareness and regulation. A convenience sample of 43 participants (age, M = 28.5, SD = 8.6) were assessed in an observation of walking and free movement for 10 min, recorded on video, and filled out the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-26 [TAS-26] and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire [ERQ]. Emotional awareness was measured by the TAS- 26 refer to the ability to recognize emotions that arise in himself and others. The results indicated a significant negative correlation between the GAT score and the level of alexithymia (r = −.36, p = .02), and between the GAT factor which examines fluid and rhythmic movement and suppression strategy in the ERQ (r = −.336, p < .05). No relationship was found between the GAT score and the reappraisal strategy as reported in the ERQ. The fact that no associations were found between the grounding score and the reappraisal regulation strategy can be explained by the difference between emotion regulation strategies. These strategies are: avoiding the expression of emotion versus expressing emotions in the body. The findings contribute to the theoretical understanding of the physical expression of processes related to emotional awareness, and emotion regulation.