Becoming A Safe Space For Self - by Nikki Heyder

COURSE

Becoming A Safe Space For Self

With Nikki Heyder

So many of us hold shame around the very normal experience of being human - especially our emotional experience. We judge and criticize ourselves when we are anything less than 'happy'. We often fear, avoid or suppress our big or difficult emotions when they arise - only to have to deal with the repercussions of this avoidance in our day to day symptoms, stress levels, and relationships. But what if I told you that there was another way to meet yourself? That there is a very good reason as to why we fear our emotional landscape but that with time and practice and self compassion, we can learn how to be the safe space we always needed and in turn process our emotional ups and downs with kindness, acceptance and ease. This short course will guide you through a series of lessons designed to empower you with the knowledge and understanding of why we hold so much shame towards ourselves, provide you with a deeper understanding of why compassion is the antidote to self criticism, and teach you a very useful technique/practice for learning how to meet your emotions with less resistance. Ultimately with time, consistency, and persistency, you will feel a shift in how you perceive yourself and your emotions. It will give you a greater sense of inner peace which will ripple out to positively affect your relationships, concentration levels, quality of sleep, and overall well-being.


Meet your Teacher

Nikki is a compassion focused psychotherapist, therapeutic Yoga teacher and mentor to fellow space holders. She actively works with clients from all over the world and from all walks of life on issues such as low self worth, addictive tendencies, shame, anxiety, and unresolved trauma. Nikki is deeply passionate about working in both a top-down and bottom-up approach integrating cognitive, somatic, Yogic, and mindfulness based practices. She is driven to help others experience deeper self compassion, acceptance, presence and peace.

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6 Days

12.3k students

4.8 stars

9 min / day

Healing

English


Lesson 1

Introduction

Welcome, and thank you for being here. This lesson is a short introduction to what you can expect over the duration of course and why it's so important to be able to meet our emotional landscape with more acceptance and compassion. After many, many years of working with humans I have come to realize that shame has become such a block to our sense of inner peace. Let's look at why that is, and how this course can help you.

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Lesson 2

Why We Respond To Our Emotions With So Much Judgement, Fear And Shame.

Before we look at the 'how', I always like to explore and understand the 'why'. As humans, we like to make meaning of things - it helps us to make sense of ourselves and the world and can be a catalyst for more acceptance, and change. In this lesson we look at why so many of us tend to avoid, deny or suppress our big or difficult emotions. I will talk you through a very brief understanding of how our childhood experiences, nervous system state, and societal expectations can each play a role in the resistance we feel to our human experiences.

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Lesson 3

When We Resist Our Experience Of Being Human

You may have heard the saying “what we resist, persists”... but what does that actually mean especially when it comes to our emotions? In this lesson we are going to explore the consequences of resisting our human experience. In our pursuit of 'perfection' or within our fear of not fitting in or being accepted, we will lean towards other ways to deal with the ebbs and flows of life.

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Lesson 4

What Compassion Is And How It Helps To Cultivate More Self Acceptance

Welcome to lesson 4 and one of my most favorite topics - self-compassion. More specifically, in this lesson we will be exploring why self compassion is so important when it comes to dealing with our big or difficult emotions. In this lesson you'll understand what compassion actually means and how to apply it to your day to day life.

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Lesson 5

A Simple, Transformative Practice To Learn To ‘Hold Space’ For The Big And Difficult Emotions Which Arise Within You

Finally we have arrived at the practice itself. A practice to help you meet your big and difficult emotions with more compassion and acceptance. This practice is similar to a guided meditation whereby we will experience the sensation of emotion and create 'space' to allow it to be there whilst simultaneously soothing our nervous system as we do so. For this lesson I invite you to set up your space as if you are preparing for meditation - get comfortable and have minimal distractions around you.

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Lesson 6

Being Patient And Realistic With Your Expectations Of Self

Before we part ways, I wanted to offer another reminder to please be realistic with your expectations as you learn to be more accepting and allowing of your emotional landscape. Things won’t change over night and your inner critic will still be quite loud for some time. You may also still cope with difficult emotions in an undesirable way for a little bit… This is all totally normal. This lesson invites you to practice the art of patience and trust (with a little metaphor to help you understand), and to set realistic expectations with your emotional healing journey.

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4.8 (528)

Recent Reviews

Debra

Debra

February 4, 2026

I loved the stray cat analogy. That was sooooo relatable! 💫🐈✨.

Marc

Marc

January 15, 2026

Very helpful

Melinda

October 7, 2025

A lot of valid and precious information- I would enjoy more meditation practice.

K

September 14, 2025

Thank you so much Nikki for this course. Not only did I enjoy it, but there were many concepts I hope to take forth with me. I really appreciate how you ended with continuing to have compassion while we continue to work as it was one of the main lessons all along.

Joan

Joan

August 9, 2025

Good explanation of the theory behind feeling unsafe, but was hoping for more tools than in just one of the six sessions :)

Camilla

Camilla

June 15, 2025

Amazing and carefully planned

Alex

June 14, 2025

This is the first time that I started looking to myself to be my safe space. Before, I only looked to my environment. Unlike the cat, I never quite made it to purring on the couch (the analogy is perfect!). Thank you for opening my heart and mind to new possibilities!

Susan

April 10, 2025

Very profound course that offers useful practices in a compassionate way. The meditation is one I will return to. Thank you!

Jesmn

April 3, 2025

Thank you for this course. I have found it to be helpful in developing self compassion, recognizing the coping mechanisms I’ve created over time. I will proceed differently from now on.

Sabrina

March 26, 2025

Phenomenal! Short, sweet and to the point! A great blueprint for learning how to befriend our emotional experiences with the very valuable gift of self compassion. Thank you! 🙏

G

March 18, 2025

Enjoyed this short course which was what I needed at this time. Affirmed thar I CAN DO THIS!

leslie

leslie

March 13, 2025

Thank you

Luís

Luís

March 13, 2025

😌🙏🏼🥰

Anastasia

March 4, 2025

Thank you for this course!

Molly

February 25, 2025

Fantastic! Wonderful succinct, and supportive—a must-listen for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of emotional regulation and self-compassion. I especially appreciate the emphasis on recognizing that emotions are temporary experiences, not identities. Thank you Nikki. 🧡

Amy

February 25, 2025

This was a wonderful course, that I will definitely recommend, and will revisit.

Carol

February 13, 2025

Great concept and insights. I would have preferred less theory and more practice time.

Tami

February 6, 2025

I will revisit this course from time to time as I feel like I’ve taken the step forward to open opening myself up to self love and not being afraid of my emotions or how I present my emotions to others.

Lisa

February 6, 2025

Thank you for providing the tools to help notice and cope with my emotions. This was very helpful and I am confident I am on the right path to sitting with them and providing what I really need at the moment.

Megan

February 5, 2025

You're voice is so soothing, first if all. The third day I fell asleep within a few minutes of listening even though I was very curious about what you had to say. The experience overall was incredible. I learned a lot about self-compassion from you. I will go forward with your lessons.

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