Welcome to the Safe Place exercise.
The goal of this exercise is to create a mental space in which we can feel completely comfortable,
Completely safe,
And completely at peace.
Begin by assuming an upright dignified posture,
Closing your eyes,
Relaxing your facial muscles,
And allowing your mouth to form a warm slight smile.
Allowing your breathing to slow,
Spend the next little while doing soothing rhythm breathing.
Focus on the sense of slowing in your body as your breath slows down.
Allow yourself to imagine being in a place that is comfortable and soothing,
Where you are filled with a sense of peace,
Safety,
And calm comfort.
This is your place,
Filled with comforting sights,
Sounds,
And experiences.
This can be a place from your memory,
Or it can be a place that you create in your mind.
Imagine the details of this place.
What do you see?
What do you hear,
Smell,
Or feel?
Really try to form a mental experience of what it is like here.
Let's spend a few moments imagining what this place is like,
And what it feels like to be here.
Imagine yourself in this place.
Enjoy the feeling of being completely at ease,
Completely at peace,
Completely safe.
Are there other beings here with you?
Perhaps people or animals?
If there are,
Imagining that they are welcoming you,
That they value you,
That they are happy that you are here.
Allow yourself to receive their good wishes and their kind acceptance.
As you notice yourself in this place,
Feeling calm,
Comfortable,
Safe,
And at peace.
Imagining that the place itself takes joy in the fact that you are here.
That this place itself welcomes you,
Accepts you,
And is happy for your presence.
You complete it.
O Emmanuel,
Look at me carefully.
Spend as long as you like imagining and exploring this safe,
Comforting place.
If thoughts intrude or distract you,
Mindfully notice the distraction.
Refrain from trying to judge them or getting caught up with them,
And gently bring your attention back to your safe place and the feeling of calm,
Safety,
And comfort that you feel here.
If you're using this exercise to try and work with angry feelings,
Give yourself permission to resist the pull of the angry thoughts,
Despite how urgent they may feel.
Angry thoughts can feel very urgent,
And this urgency is simply a quality of anger and other threat emotions.
Don't worry.
You can go back and attend to these things later,
When things feel a bit more balanced.
For now,
It's alright to stay in this soothing space for a bit,
To allow yourself to feel safe,
Comfortable,
Valued,
And calm.
Once your emotions are a bit more balanced,
You can return to the situation that caused your anger and deal with it more helpfully,
More calmly.
