Welcome to this practice of softening fear and finding safety within yourself.
Find a position that feels both comfortable and alert.
You are creating a space of safety right here,
Right now,
Simply through your presence and attention.
Place one hand on your heart and one on your belly.
Feel the rhythm of your breath and the beat of your heart.
These are constants in your life,
Reliable,
Trustworthy signs that you are alive and capable of healing.
Fear has been both your protector and your prison.
It tried to keep you safe by avoiding vulnerability,
By seeking control through compulsive behaviors,
By keeping your heart locked away.
Take a moment to acknowledge fear with gratitude for its protective intention,
Even as you prepare to soften its grip.
Notice where fear lives in your body.
Perhaps its tightness in your chest,
A clenching in your stomach,
A tension in your shoulders.
Whatever you find,
Breathe into that space with curiosity rather than judgment.
Fear is not your enemy,
It's simply energy that needs your compassion.
Imagine yourself as a small child who learned that love was dangerous,
That opening your heart led to abandonment or betrayal.
This child developed fear as armor,
As a way to survive.
Place your hand more firmly on your heart and speak silently to this frightened part.
You are safe now.
I am here with you.
Visualize yourself surrounded by a warm golden bubble of light.
This light is created by your own growing self-compassion,
Your commitment to healing,
Your willingness to show up for yourself.
Feel how this light creates a boundary between you and any external threat,
Real or imagined.
Now imagine yourself as an adult reaching out to that frightened child within.
You have wisdom now that that child didn't have.
You have choices now that that child didn't know existed.
You can offer protection from your strength rather than your fear.
Take a deeper breath now and feel your body settling into this moment.
Notice that right now in this breath you are safe.
Right now you are not being abandoned.
Right now you are choosing to be present with yourself with kindness.
This is what safety actually feels like,
Not the absence of uncertainty but the presence of self-compassion.
Imagine roots growing from the base of your spine deep into the earth.
These roots anchor you to something solid and reliable.
No matter what emotional storms may come,
These roots keep you grounded.
You are connected to the earth's stability,
To the strength that comes from being rooted in truth.
Feel your breath naturally deepening as your nervous system begins to relax.
Fear often keeps us in shallow breathing,
In a state of readiness to flee.
But here,
Now,
You can breathe fully.
You can let your belly soften,
Your shoulders drop,
Your jaw unclench.
Now,
I want you to bring to mind one person who has offered you genuine kindness.
Perhaps a friend,
A therapist,
Even a stranger who smiled at you.
Feel how their kindness created a moment of safety.
Now turn that same quality of kindness toward yourself.
You can be both the giver and receiver of this healing energy.
Place both hands over your heart and feel it beating with steady courage.
This heart has survived every moment of fear,
Every experience of abandonment,
Every time love felt dangerous.
Your heart is stronger than your fear.
Your capacity for love is greater than your need for protection.
Repeat these affirmations with growing confidence.
I am able to feel fear without being controlled by it.
I am able to create safety through self-compassion.
I am able to open my heart while maintaining healthy boundaries.
Again,
I am able to feel fear without being controlled by it.
I am able to create safety through self-compassion.
I am able to open my heart while maintaining healthy boundaries.
I would like for you to take three more nurturing breaths,
Allowing safety to settle into your bones,
Into your cells,
Into the very core of your being.
When you're ready,
Slowly return your attention to your surroundings.
And remember,
You are able to carry this sense of safety with you wherever you go.
