Special Place Somatic Visualization Exercise

This somatic visualization exercise is designed to help you feel grounded and connected if you feel activated or anxious, as well as feel more embodied and safer if you're dissociated or in a frozen state. Because our senses help anchor us in our body, using our senses as part of a visualization can help us feel embodied, grounded, and safe.

For this somatic exercise, you can sit or lie comfortably. Make sure you're warm and your eyes can be open or closed. If you struggle to find a
"special place," please know this is not uncommon. Because your brain doesn't know the difference between real and imagined, you can imagine a place in nature that you see in a photo or online and you will still feel a shift.

Transcript

This is a somatic exercise that's helpful for regulating your nervous system and helping you feel safely embodied and grounded. It works if you're activated and you just want to feel calmer and more peaceful and relaxed and it also works when you're dissociated or in a freeze state and you want to feel more connected to your body. So to begin with either sit or lie down so that you're comfortable. You could have your eyes open or closed and make sure that you're warm enough. Just take a moment to settle. Observe your breathing and notice any places where you're holding tension. See if you can give your weight even more fully to the chair or to whatever you're lying on. And now allow your imagination to call forth some place where you feel a sense of calmness or peace. So this can be a place in nature where you've visited or it can be an imaginary place. It can be a room, City, Any place that feels good to you. Let it be a place where you have positive or neutral feelings associated with it. And as I said it can be real or imagined because your brain doesn't know the difference between what is real and what is imagined. So just take a moment and find that place and know that you can try different places every time you do this. Now once you have a place, Imagine yourself in this special place. What do you see as you look around yourself? Are you standing or are you sitting? Get really specific about the details of where you are in relationship to your place. For example, Are you sitting on a rock? Is there a river nearby? Take some time and look around yourself. Notice what the temperature of the air is. Is it windy? Is it humid? Can you feel the sun or mist on your skin? Can you feel water? Do you notice any smells? What sounds do you hear? For example, If you are at the beach maybe you hear sounds of waves or birds. What do you notice? And now imagine that you pick up an item here. What does it feel like in your hand? Is it rough or smooth? Cold? Warm? Wet? Soft? Textured? Study your item with your hands. And when you're done with your item, Go ahead and replace it. And now imagine that you're walking in your special place. Really feel your feet making contact with the ground as you walk. What surface and texture are you walking on? Feel it with your feet. Is it a muddy trail? Is it cobblestones? Is it hard or soft sand? Is there water? Take 10 steps and count them to yourself. And really feel each step as clearly as possible as you walk. And once you've taken 10 steps, Just stop and look around yourself again. Observe one more time before you leave what you see and what you feel and what you hear. Notice how you feel here physically, Mentally, Emotionally. And as you prepare to leave for now, Know that you can return here anytime you like. So when you're ready, Begin to blink your eyes open and just look around your space. Begin to orient. Notice where your eyes are drawn. Feel your weight on your chair where you're lying. Feel your feet on whatever surface they're on. Wiggle your toes a little bit and your fingers. And notice if you feel any differently from earlier. Do you see anything differently? Do any insights come to mind? Sit quietly or journal about your experience for just a few moments to allow this practice to integrate.