This is a safe place visualization.
It is a powerful stress reduction technique.
You can use it to soothe yourself by imagining a safe and peaceful place where you can fully and safely relax.
The truth about our brain and body is that they often can't tell the difference between what is really happening to us and what we are just imagining.
So by creating this safe and peaceful place in your imagination,
Your body will begin to respond to these soothing images and you will begin to feel more relaxed.
Make sure you are in a place where you will not be disturbed.
Switch off your phone,
Your computer,
Your TV.
If there are any other people in the house with you,
Let them know that you will be focusing on something very important for the next 10 to 15 minutes or so.
And maybe hang a notice on your door.
Before you begin,
You need to think of a real or imaginary place that makes you feel safe and relaxed.
It can be a real place that you've visited in the past,
Such as a beach,
A park,
A mountain,
A church,
A temple,
Any place at all.
It could be a library or a music room.
It can be a place you've completely made up,
Such as a beautiful cloud floating in a blue sky or a medieval castle or even the surface of the moon.
It could be a scene from a movie or an image from a book you've read.
It can be absolutely anywhere you choose.
The only important thing is that it is somewhere you feel safe and relaxed.
Press pause here if you need some time to think of a place before you get started.
Once you have thought of the place,
Sit comfortably in a chair with your feet flat on the floor and your hands in your lap or resting on the arms of the chair.
Close your eyes.
Take a slow,
Long breath in through your nose and feel your belly expand like a balloon as you breathe in.
Hold it for five seconds and then release it slowly through your mouth.
Notice how your belly collapses like a balloon losing its air.
And then again,
Take a slow,
Long breath in through your nose and feel your stomach expand.
Hold it for five seconds.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
Then exhale slowly through your mouth.
One more time.
Take a slow,
Long breath in through your nose and feel your stomach expand.
Hold it for five seconds.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
Then exhale slowly through your mouth.
Now begin to take slow,
Long breaths without holding them at your own pace and continue to breathe smoothly for the rest of this exercise.
With your eyes still closed,
Imagine that you enter your safe place using all of your senses to ground yourself in the scene.
First,
Look around using your imaginary sense of sight.
What does this place look like?
Is it daytime or nighttime?
Is it sunny or cloudy?
Notice the details.
Are you alone or are there other people or animals?
What are they doing?
If you're outside,
Look up and notice the sky.
Look out at the horizon.
If you're inside,
Notice what the walls and the furniture look like.
Is the room light or dark?
Choose something soothing to look at.
Then continue looking for a few seconds using your imaginary sense of sight.
Next,
Use your imaginary sense of hearing.
What do you hear?
Do you hear other people or animals?
Do you hear music?
Do you hear the wind or the ocean?
Choose something soothing to hear.
Then listen for a few seconds using your imaginary sense of hearing.
Then,
Using your imaginary sense of smell.
If you're inside,
What does it smell like?
Does it smell fresh?
Do you have a fire burning that you can smell?
Or if you're outside,
Can you smell the air,
The grass,
The oceans,
Flowers?
Choose to smell something soothing in your scene.
Then,
Take a few seconds to use your imaginary sense of smell.
Next,
Notice if you can feel anything with your imaginary sense of touch.
What are you sitting or standing on in your scene?
Can you feel the wind?
The sun?
Can you feel something you're touching in the scene?
Choose to touch something soothing in your scene.
Then,
Take a few seconds to use your imaginary sense of touch.
Last of all,
Use your imaginary sense of taste.
Are you eating or drinking anything in this scene?
Choose something soothing to taste.
Then,
Take a few seconds to use your imaginary sense of taste.
Now,
Take a few more seconds to explore your safe place using all of your imaginary senses together.
Recognise how safe and relaxed you feel here.
Remember,
You can come back to this place in your imagination whenever you need to feel safe and relaxed.
You can also come back whenever you're feeling sad,
Angry,
Restless or in pain.
Look around one last time to remember what it looks like,
What it feels like.
Now,
Keeping your eyes closed,
Return your focus to your breathing.
Again,
Take some slow,
Long breaths in through your nose and exhale through your mouth.
Bring your awareness fully back into your body,
Into the here and now,
Sitting in the chair.
When you feel ready,
Slowly open your eyes and return your focus to the room.
