Before we begin.
Please make sure you're somewhere safe where you can fully relax not driving,
Not operating machinery,
Just free to let your whole system rest.
If your mind has been replaying things you wish had gone differently.
Or pulling you back into old moments.
Then tonight can be a chance to release the past and begin trusting yourself again.
I'm Chibza Okereke and I'm glad you've arrived here.
When I say release the past.
I don't mean deleting memories or pretending things didn't happen.
I mean something much more realistic.
I'm talking about letting the past stop gripping you,
So you can remember without reliving.
So it takes up less space in your body and less space in your mind.
And when I say trust yourself again,
I don't mean forcing confidence or trying to talk yourself into being a different person overnight.
I mean rebuilding something steady.
The quiet sense of I can handle what comes next.
I can make the next decision.
I can pause if I need to and I can begin again.
You can let my voice do the organizing.
For the next little while.
You can listen closely.
Or you can let the words drift past you.
Both are OK.
And if you notice yourself drifting towards sleep,
That's perfectly okay.
Sleep is welcome here.
And if at any point something I say doesn't feel right for you,
You can let it pass by like background noise.
And keep only what helps.
You're always in control and you don't need to try hard for this to work.
Now.
Take a moment to get comfortable.
Make any small adjustments you need.
Pillow.
Blanket.
Temperature.
The position of your arms.
The way your head is supported.
And if you need to move at any point.
To swallow.
To scratch.
To shift your legs.
That's completely fine.
You don't have to stay perfectly still.
You're simply letting your body find the position that feels easiest to rest in.
And tonight you don't need to work with one specific memory.
This can stay vague.
And your subconscious can do the sorting,
Quietly,
In the background.
And if anything feels like too much.
You can let it pass for now.
And if you're ready,
I invite you to take one slow breath in.
And a longer,
Slower breath out.
As if the body is receiving a simple message.
There's nothing to do right now.
There's nowhere to go.
Just letting yourself settle.
Exactly as you are.
Now,
Just noticing the surface beneath you.
Notice how it holds you.
Notice how it supports your weight.
Without you needing to do anything.
And you may begin to sense a gentle heaviness.
Not forced.
Just natural.
As if your body is remembering Oh,
This is where I can let go.
And now.
Just bringing your attention gently.
Back to the breath.
Not changing it.
Just noticing it.
And if it feels comfortable.
You can allow the out breath.
To be a little longer than the in-breath.
Nothing forced.
Just a softer exhale.
Like a quiet signal to your system saying,
It's ok to unwind now.
And you may notice.
As the breath slows.
Your body follows.
Starting at the top of the head.
You can let the scalp soften.
As if the skin itself is relaxing.
The forehead smoothing.
The tiny muscles around the eyes releasing.
The cheeks soft.
And you may notice the space behind the eyes.
Quietening.
As if thoughts can sit further away now.
Let the jaw hang a little looser.
Not open.
Just unclenched.
And as the jaw loosens.
You may also let old words,
Old moments lose their sharpness.
And if you notice the teeth touching.
You can allow a small gap.
Little more space.
The throat easy.
The neck,
Long and supported.
And in your own time.
Allow the shoulders to drop.
As if they no longer need to hold anything up.
And as the shoulders drop.
The past can feel less urgent.
Less close.
Any tension that's been living there.
Can begin to melt.
Slowly.
Quietly.
And you may notice that heaviness.
Moving down into the arms elbows soft.
Forearms Heavy.
Wrists loose.
Hands relaxed.
And perhaps each finger can soften too.
As if the hands can finally stop gripping.
And as the hands soften,
You're practicing not gripping.
Not holding.
Not carrying.
Now.
Bring your attention to the chest.
Noticing the chest rising and falling.
And if there's any tightness there.
You don't have to push it away.
You can simply make room for it.
And with each out breath.
Allowing the chest to soften.
Just a little.
Let the breath move lower now.
Into the belly.
The belly is allowed to be relaxed.
No holding in.
No bracing.
Just the natural movement of breathing.
And you might notice.
As the belly softens.
Your whole body begins to feel safer.
More settled.
Becoming aware of your back.
The way your back meets the surface beneath you.
The shoulder blades supported.
The middle back held.
The lower back easing.
And you may notice your spine.
Running gently down the centre of you.
And it's okay if you don't feel it clearly.
Just the idea of it is enough.
Letting that softness move into the hips.
The pelvis heavy.
Supported.
And down through the thighs.
The muscles loosening as if they can finally stop working.
Knees relaxed.
Calves softening.
Ankles loose.
Feet heavy.
And if you notice any last little pockets of tension.
Anywhere at all.
You can let your next out breath move through them.
No effort.
Just allowing.
And as your body settles.
More and more.
I'm going to count down slowly from 10 to 1.
Not to rush you.
But to give the mind something simple to follow.
So the deeper part of you can begin to do something else.
Quietly.
Naturally.
Letting the past sit further away.
And letting trust return.
In its own time.
And you can take each number.
As an invitation.
To drift a little deeper.
And with each number.
You may also notice.
It becoming easier.
To release.
And to come back to yourself.
10.
Settling.
Feeling the bed holding you.
And letting the past stay where it belongs.
9.
Slowing down.
As the replay begins to soften.
Less gripping.
Less pull.
8.
Loosening the grip.
In the jaw.
In the chest.
In the hands.
As if your body is learning.
It doesn't need to hold on.
Seven.
Remembering without reliving.
Letting old moments lose their sharpness.
Becoming more distant.
More neutral.
6.
Safe enough.
To set it down.
Safe enough.
To stop carrying it.
Even for tonight.
5.
Halfway down now.
And you may notice a little more space.
A little more ease.
A little more room inside.
Fall.
Hands open.
Shoulders dropping.
And with that softening.
Trust can begin to return.
Quietly.
Steadily.
3 quiet inside.
As your subconscious sorts and clears.
Keeping what was useful.
And releasing what only weighs you down.
Too.
Trusting the next breath.
Trusting your timing.
Trusting that you don't have to force anything.
For change to happen.
One.
Here.
Quiet.
Ready for sleep.
As you allow the past to fade into the background.
And allow yourself.
To rest.
And from this deeper place.
You don't need to do anything at all.
Because the deeper part of you.
Can continue.
Quietly.
Without effort.
And you might still imagine the past as an old book.
One that you've been carrying.
So now.
You can set it down.
Right beside you.
And feel the hands soften.
Empty hands.
Open hands.
Nothing to hold.
Nothing to grip.
And as you rest.
The past can sit further away.
And trust can sit a little closer.
And from that space.
We can begin to rebuild something steady.
The quiet sense of trust.
That grows best in calm conditions.
And you don't have to rebuild trust all at once.
Just enough.
For tonight.
Right now.
You can trust the surface beneath you.
To hold you.
You can trust the breath.
To keep breathing.
Even when you're not controlling it.
You can trust your body.
To soften.
When it's given the chance.
And maybe you'll remember.
You have coped before.
You have adapted before.
You have made it through.
Not perfectly.
Just truly.
And that is evidence.
Now.
You might imagine trust.
As a small light inside you.
Steady.
Quiet.
Reliable.
And from this place.
You may gently say,
I can trust myself to pause.
I can trust myself to take one step at a time.
I can trust myself to choose again.
And if the past reaches for your attention.
You don't have to fight it.
You can notice it.
And return.
Back to the breath.
Back to the weight of the body.
Back to empty hands.
And each returned.
Trust.
And now.
Just for a moment.
You can imagine tomorrow.
Not as a test.
But as a simple moment.
A memory passes through.
A familiar pull.
And you notice.
That's the past.
Reaching for my attention.
And then you do one small thing.
You let the out-breath be longer.
You soften the jaw.
Drop the shoulders.
Open the hands.
And you may gently say,
I can set it down.
I can come back to myself.
And that is enough.
There's nothing else to imagine.
Let tomorrow take care of itself.
You can come back to this bed.
This room.
This quiet.
Let the words become less important now.
Like a radio in another room.
Still playing.
But softer.
More distant.
And if sleep comes quickly.
That's perfectly okay too.
Just the feeling of being held.
Being supported.
As you float.
Into a peaceful,
Deep sleep.
And now.
I'll leave you with a few simple affirmations.
And you don't need to remember them.
You don't need to repeat them perfectly.
You can simply let them wash through you.
Like a gentle rhythm.
Playing quietly through the night.
And whatever your system is ready to take in.
It can take in.
Quietly.
Naturally.
It's safe to let the past be the past.
I can remember without reliving.
I release what I no longer need to carry.
I can set it down.
I can come back to myself.
I trust myself to pause.
I trust myself to take things one step at a time.
I am allowed to move on.
I am allowed to feel lighter.
I am coming back to myself.
Gently.
And steadily.
I can let old stories soften.
I release the need to replay what I cannot change.
I allow my body to feel safe enough to relax.
I trust my timing.
I am allowed to move forward at my own pace.
I can be kind to myself as I learn.
I can choose calm over spiraling.
I can rest now and still move forward.
I don't have to understand everything tonight.
I am enough exactly as I am.
I trust myself to learn.
Without punishing myself.
I trust myself to make the next decision.
It's safe to let the past be the past.
I can remember without reliving.
I release what I no longer need to carry.
I can set it down.
I can come back to myself.
I trust myself to pause.
I trust myself to take things one step at a time.
I am allowed to move on.
I am allowed to feel lighter.
I am coming back to myself.
Gently.
And steadily.
I can let old stories soften.
I release the need to replay what I cannot change.
I allow my body to feel safe enough to relax.
I trust my timing.
I am allowed to move forward at my own pace.
I can be kind to myself as I learn.
I can choose calm over spiraling.
I can rest now.
And still move forward.
I don't have to understand everything tonight.
I am enough exactly as I am.
I trust myself to learn.
Without punishing myself.
I trust myself to make the next decision.
It's safe to let the past be the past.
I can remember without reliving.
I release what I no longer need to carry.
I can set it down.
I can come back to myself.
I trust myself to pause.
I trust myself to take things one step at a time.
I am allowed to move on.
I am allowed to feel lighter.
I am coming back to myself.
Gently.
And steadily.
I can let old stories soften.
I release the need to replay what I cannot change.
I allow my body to feel safe enough to relax.
I trust my timing.
I am allowed to move forward at my own pace.
I can be kind to myself as I learn.
I can choose calm over spiraling.
I can rest now.
And still move forward.
I don't have to understand everything tonight.
I am enough exactly as I am.
I trust myself to learn.
Without punishing myself.
I trust myself to make the next decision.
It's safe to let the past be the past.
I can remember without reliving.
I release what I no longer need to carry.
I can set it down.
I can come back to myself.
I trust myself to pause.
I trust myself to take things one step at a time.
I am allowed to move on.
I am allowed to feel lighter.
I am coming back to myself.
Gently.
And steadily.
I can let old stories soften.
I release the need to replay what I cannot change.
I allow my body to feel safe enough to relax.
I trust my timing.
I am allowed to move forward at my own pace.
I can be kind to myself as I learn.
I can choose calm over spiraling.
I can rest now.
And still move forward.
I don't have to understand everything tonight.
I am enough,
Exactly as I am.
I trust myself to learn.
Without punishing myself.
I trust myself to make the next decision.
It's safe to let the past be the past.
I can remember without reliving.
I release what I no longer need to carry.
I can set it down.
I can come back to myself.
I trust myself to pause.
I trust myself to take things one step at a time.
I am allowed to move on.
I am allowed to feel lighter.
I am coming back to myself.
Gently.
And steadily.
I can let old stories soften.
I release the need to replay what I cannot change.
I allow my body to feel safe enough to relax.
I trust my timing.
I am allowed to move forward at my own pace.
I can be kind to myself as I learn.
I can choose calm over spiraling.
I can rest now.
And still move forward.
I don't have to understand everything tonight.
I am enough exactly as I am.
I trust myself to learn.
Without punishing myself.
I trust myself to make the next decision.
