Fear Of Change - A Gentle Creative Visualisation

Change can stir uncertainty, tension, and resistance, even when part of us knows it’s necessary. This gentle creative visualisation offers a safe, grounded space to meet fear with compassion and ease.

Through calming imagery and steady guidance, you’ll be invited to soften protective patterns, release emotional tightness, and reconnect with a sense of inner steadiness. Rather than pushing yourself forward, the practice supports a gradual feeling of safety, allowing openness to emerge at your own pace.

A subtle subliminal layer is woven beneath the music to gently reinforce feelings of reassurance, trust, and inner support.

This extended visualisation is especially supportive during times of transition, uncertainty, or when fear of change feels present beneath the surface.

Transcript

Find somewhere comfortable to sit or lie down where you will not be disturbed.

Take a moment to get truly comfortable and then focus on your breathing.

As you breathe in through your nose,

Close your eyes and breathe out through your mouth.

Breathe in slowly,

Filling up your lungs and breathe out,

Releasing all the air in your lungs.

Allow your out-breath to last a little longer than your in-breath.

As you continue to breathe in and out,

Invite your mind and your body to begin to relax.

Let the busyness of the day drift away from your body like clouds drifting past in the sky.

Now that you are feeling relaxed,

Find a rhythm of breathing that feels comfortable and natural to you.

Imagine yourself standing barefoot in a clearing,

An open space in nature.

Not far from where you are standing,

You see a river flowing.

The water seems to be moving quickly.

Listen.

Can you hear the gushing of the water as it meanders and finds its way over and past the rocks lying on the riverbed?

Let's walk towards that river.

Let's go to see and hear it from a closer proximity.

Take a few steps forward.

As you step forward,

Feel the soft,

Warm,

Damp grass under your feet.

Feel it compress as you step on it.

Feel and enjoy the warmth of the sun shining down on your face.

It's such a beautiful clear day.

Blue sky above,

Green grass beneath.

Keep walking,

One step at a time,

Towards the riverbank.

As you walk towards the river,

A mist quickly and unexpectedly rolls in,

Blotting out the blue sky above,

The green grass beneath.

How do you feel as you continue walking forward,

Unable to see where you're going,

Unable to see where you're placing your feet?

You're feeling nervous,

Right?

A bit apprehensive about moving forward when you can't see where you're going.

What if you trip?

What if you reach the riverbank and don't realize it and fall into the fast-flowing water?

It's not a nice feeling.

It's not a pleasant experience walking when you can't see what lies ahead of you.

The mist that has rolled in has changed your experience,

From a simple dander towards the river on a bright sunny day,

To a fear-filled and anxious walk towards fast-flowing water,

Something that now feels frightening and dangerous.

The mist,

Like when we experience any change in our life,

Brings with it a fear and uncertainty of what lies ahead,

Of what is currently unknown to us.

Are you tempted to stop walking until the mist clears?

Are you feeling lured into turning around and walking back to where you came from?

Instead of retreating or stopping,

I invite you to simply pause for a moment.

Reach into your pocket and bring out the torch that you find there.

Turn it on.

The light from the torch doesn't dispel the mist,

However,

It does reveal one step ahead of you,

One step at a time.

Rather than retreating,

You chose to dig deep and connect with the light of your inner wisdom and intuition,

And although it cannot show you the full path ahead in one go,

It can guide and direct you one step at a time.

This inner wisdom and intuition is something you can connect with and apply each time you find yourself navigating change in your life.

As the torch lights one step after the other,

Encouraging you to continue your journey towards the riverbank,

Repeat to yourself,

Either out loud or quietly in your head,

I don't need to see the whole path.

I only need to trust each step I take.

My inner light guides me through the unknown.

As you safely navigate your way to the riverbank,

Taking one step at a time,

The mist gradually begins to lift.

Through connecting with the torch within,

Your inner wisdom,

Your intuition,

The darkness,

The confusion,

The fear of the unknown has slowly lifted once again,

And you can see a little further ahead.

As you look across the river,

On the other side you see a lush green meadow,

Filled with beautiful colourful meadow flowers gently swaying in the breeze.

The pinks,

Purples,

Yellows,

Reds of the flowers look so playful,

So inviting.

There are bright little butterflies flitting from flower to flower,

Gathering their nectar before darting off.

The meadow looks so enticing,

Like a meadow you'd read about only in fantasy novels,

Or that you'd only experience in a dream.

Shall we make our way to the beautiful lush meadow?

How will we cross the river though?

Looking up and down the river,

There is no bridge in sight.

All you see are large stepping stones creating a path across.

The stepping stones are your only option at this place in the river to cross.

They seem large enough.

However,

Can you tell without stepping on them if they're secure enough?

It's impossible to tell,

Isn't it?

You have a few possible options.

You can stay where you are on this side of the riverbank.

You can return to the clearing back through the mist behind you.

Or you can engage the courage you know you have deep inside you and cross the river using the stepping stones.

Are you ready to be brave?

Are you ready to be courageous?

As you stretch your leg towards the first stepping stone,

Your mind starts to panic and is keen to remind you the water's flowing really fast.

What if you fall in?

It's okay to feel nervous.

However,

Don't let it stop you moving forward.

Carefully step onto the first stone.

When you plant your first foot on it,

You discover that it's strong,

It's steadfast,

It's sturdy.

You've taken your first step.

Now take your next step.

Look down at your feet and survey the next stepping stone ahead of you.

You can see a little bit of moss growing on the stone.

Moss can be slippy.

So your mind again is eager to point out the danger.

What if you slip and fall into the fast flowing water?

Don't listen to your fearful mind.

Engage your courage another time and step forward onto the stone.

Again,

You find yourself standing on a stone that is strong,

Steadfast and sturdy.

Again,

You overcame the fear of failure induced by your mind,

A fear that is oh so common when you navigate any change in your life.

Can you see how you're learning with every step to quieten the voice of fear and better engage your inner courage?

Are you beginning to appreciate that the fear of failure is just that,

A fear?

That it's not based on any foresight,

On any precedent,

That it carries no substance?

There's one final stepping stone between you and the other side of the riverbank.

Are you ready to step forward one last time?

As you ready yourself to step forward,

Your persistently reliable,

Fear-filled mind kicks into gear once more.

What if the stone sinks?

What if this final stone is the weak link in the chain?

Wouldn't it be better to go back?

Are you going to let your fear-filled mind win and stop you taking this final step?

Remember what you've learned through stepping forward on the previous stones.

The fears were unsubstantiated.

So step forward one final time,

Onto the final stepping stone to the riverbank ahead.

As you take this final step,

Say out loud or quietly in your head,

I am capable and courageous.

And I learn from every step I take.

Every step I take is a success in itself.

Standing now on the other side of the river,

Having crossed the river successfully,

Take a moment to look into the water.

From this side of the river,

The water doesn't look so frightening.

It doesn't seem to flow so fast.

Indeed,

The river seems calm.

And as you look into the water,

It's like looking into a mirror.

As you peer into the water,

However,

Instead of seeing your own reflection,

You see the reflection of others,

Doubters,

Naysayers,

People far too keen to judge you for your choices and actions.

While some of the fears carry expressions of support and encouragement,

Most look critical and disapproving.

Is this the reflection you want to see before you?

A reflection that makes you feel small?

A reflection that hurts?

A reflection that judges you?

Of course it's not.

Reach down to the ground and lift a nearby stone.

Drop it into the river water and watch as the ripples it creates erases the faces of judgment.

When the ripples disperse and the water becomes still and mirror-like once more,

Look down into it again.

This time you see only your own reflection.

Through courage,

Tenacity and strength,

You have eradicated any fear of judgment you may have manifested.

And now,

Through your own reflection,

You see only your own strength,

Authenticity and kindness reflected back to you.

As you look at your reflection,

Say out loud or quietly in your head,

I am worthy just as I am,

Regardless of others' opinions.

I choose to honor my own truth over the fear of judgment.

You have successfully navigated your way to the other side of the river.

Standing still for a moment,

Look around you.

See the lush green meadow grass filled with colorful flowers.

Colors of purple,

Pink,

Yellow,

Red.

Watch as the bright little butterflies start and flit from flower to flower,

Gathering their nectar.

This is the meadow of dreams,

The meadow of fantasy.

You overcame so much to reach here.

You overcame many of the fears so often experienced when navigating your way through change.

The fear of the unknown.

The fear of failure.

The fear of judgment.

Now,

No matter what change comes onto your path in the future,

You know you have the courage,

The strength and the resolve to keep stepping forward.

To keep walking through your fears,

One step at a time.

Standing in this idyllic meadow,

Full of color and life,

Suddenly a gust of wind blows through,

Leaving you feeling unbalanced and shaky.

Just when you thought you had reached your destination,

Just when you thought the challenges of change were behind you,

Something unpredictable almost knocks you off your feet,

Leaving you feeling that you've lost control.

Remember,

This unpredictability is again something you'll often experience when you're navigating a change in your life,

And it can leave you feeling like you've lost control,

Creating fear within you.

Like all the other fears you have experienced on this journey,

However,

You have the ability and the means to stay standing,

Upright,

Strong.

As you stand,

The wind blowing past you in gusts,

Imagine,

Sense and feel roots growing from the soles of your feet deep into Mother Earth.

Feel these roots anchor and center you.

Through these roots,

Sense the strength and fortitude from Mother Earth,

Keeping you anchored and connected.

As the roots grow and become more embedded and established,

You find it easier to stand firm,

Upright and strong against the wind.

Until the wind begins to lose its strength and settle back down to a warm,

Gentle breeze.

As you stand,

Firmly rooted,

Say out loud or quietly in your head,

I am grounded in who I am,

Even when life feels uncertain.

I have the strength to experience change whilst remaining strong and steadfast.

For a final few moments,

Take in the beauty of the colourful,

Life-filled,

Vibrant meadow around you.

You have come so far.

The fears you faced on your journey here are now behind you.

Ahead of you is your transformed life,

Filled with opportunities,

Growth and peace.

With a deep sense of accomplishment and strength,

Recognise the courage you now know you have to move forward.

No matter what lies ahead,

No matter what change may come onto your path and challenge you,

It's time now to leave this beautiful meadow of transformation and return to the present moment,

To the here and now.

However,

Remember,

Any time change comes onto your path,

You can always navigate your way back here to this beautiful,

Colourful,

Life-filled meadow.

As we leave this meadow,

Remember this deep sense of accomplishment and strength that you're experiencing now,

Now that you accept the courage you know you have to move forward.

No matter what lies ahead,

No matter what change may come onto your path,

Take this feeling with you.

As we come closer to returning to the present moment,

Focus again on your breathing,

On the rhythm of your breath.

Begin to sense the space and the room around you.

The chair,

Floor or bed that is supporting you.

Perhaps shift the weight on your hips.

Wiggle your fingers and wriggle your toes.

And stretching your arms and legs away from you,

When you feel ready,

Open your eyes.