Safe Place Meditation For Calming The Nervous System

The Safe Place meditation invites you to imagine yourself in a safe, lovely place. Sometimes reality overwhelms our nervous system, or we are in a situation that can't be solved. Imagining a Safe Place gives you respite from the crisis.

Transcript

Welcome.

This meditation is meant to help you imagine that you are in a safe place and regulate your nervous system by creating feelings of safety using your imagination,

A tool that is always with you,

Always available.

This exercise is used in EMDR to help people feel safe when they're dealing with traumatic memories.

It's also a skill we use in dialectical behavioral therapy for improve the moment with your imagination,

With positive imagery.

So to start this exercise,

What I'd like you to do is think of someplace that you feel very safe.

So perhaps it's your bed,

Maybe you have a super cozy bed with an animal companion that likes to cuddle with you there,

Or maybe there's a particular hammock on a beach somewhere that calls your name.

I have a friend who,

She imagines her aunt's country kitchen in London that opens up to a kitchen garden.

She imagines sipping tea in that garden.

I've had friends who imagine being in a mystical grotto with woodland creatures or a waterfall,

Or maybe just surrounded by people that you love.

So whatever your safe place looks like,

Be sure that you have something to come to mind.

Sometimes what happens is someone will choose a safe place,

And then as we do this exercise,

When bad memories come up related to that place,

You can always change your safe place midstream.

So you can try out different safe places if you like,

And your safe place can be imaginary or it can be a real place where you've actually been.

So let's go ahead and have you close your eyes and get really comfortable in your seat,

Or perhaps you want to lie down.

It's helpful to be able to do this safe place exercise even with your eyes open wherever you are,

But for now,

Let's just practice with the eyes closed or softly resting with an unfocused gaze,

And I want you to call to mind your safe place.

Imagine that you are there right now.

Imagine the sights,

What is around you,

What do you see,

What do you smell,

What do you hear,

What does the air feel like in this place,

What textures are you in contact with,

What is it about this place that makes you feel safe,

Just noticing,

Appreciating,

Really letting your imagination settle in and savoring this beautiful place,

And then noticing what is your emotional experience of this place,

What are you feeling being here now,

Maybe you feel content or calm,

A sense of peace and ease,

Maybe even happy or joyful,

Any details that you can conjure about this place,

Anything else you can do to help transport your mind,

And then noticing as your imagination is carrying you off to this beautiful place,

What kinds of body sensations arise for you,

How does it feel in your body to be here in this place,

The goal of course is to conjure a feeling of deep profound safety,

And I understand that often many situations happening in the world are not safe,

But in this very moment,

As you practice,

Your powerful mind gives you the opportunity to be transported,

The goal of course is to calm the nervous system,

So just noticing if you can find any tension in your body and just let that go,

Seeing if your body will allow itself to relax more and more deeply as you settle into that hammock,

Or that bed,

Or the grass,

Or the ocean,

Whatever the place is that you've chosen,

And coming back,

Letting the mind return again and again to a sense of safety,

And if you need to change anything to help make the situation feel safer,

Go ahead and change it,

You are completely in control of the safe place that your mind is creating for you.

And now I'd like you to name your safe place,

Is there a word or two words that come to mind that really capture the essence of this place,

Maybe try out a couple of different options if nothing strikes you immediately,

Go ahead and say the word aloud,

Or words aloud like maybe sanctuary,

Or my favorite hammock,

That's my personal favorite,

Or ocean waves,

Cozy bed,

Or just the word cozy,

These are just ideas,

You can go in a completely different direction if that's what works better for you.

Now take a moment and open your eyes,

And come into the space where you are,

We're not done with the exercise,

But we're just kind of stepping out of your safe place,

Reassessing the current environment,

And then go ahead and close your eyes,

And just say the name of your safe place,

And see if you can conjure a feeling of safety by simply saying the word cozy,

Or sanctuary,

Or even just the word safe.

See if you can summon the feeling that you created in your safe place.

The safe place takes practice to develop your imagination,

And to help your nervous system get trained,

That when you think of this word,

You think of this place,

That you become overcome with a feeling of safety.

This is a practice that may take some time,

But every time that you practice,

You help train your nervous system.

Now I want to add a little something,

Let's return to the safe place,

But now I want you to place your hands on your lap,

Palms facing down,

And you're going to tap your knees alternating,

So tap the left knee,

And the right knee,

Left,

Right,

Left,

Right,

Left,

Right,

Left,

Right,

And now continue tapping as you imagine yourself in your safe place,

Taking in the sights and sounds,

Smells,

Textures,

Temperatures of your safe place,

Continuing to tap,

Alternating knees,

Beautiful,

If you can't reach your knees,

You can tap your belly,

Or you can cross your hands over your chest,

And do the butterfly hug,

With your right hand tapping your left shoulder,

And your left hand tapping your right shoulder,

Alternating,

And in your mind,

Traveling to this beautiful,

Safe place,

And again,

Summoning those feelings of safety,

And the word that captures this place,

And take a pause,

And take a deep breath in,

And a loud sighing exhale,

Stopping the tapping for a moment,

Just settling in,

Looking around you,

Taking in the room,

And now return to tapping,

And just say the name of your safe place,

And see if that word safe,

Or cozy,

Ocean,

Whatever it is that's working for you,

Grandma's house,

Practice summoning a feeling of safety,

Really feeling it in your body,

Relaxing the body,

Practicing a half smile,

Just turning the lips up slightly,

With your brain that you are safe,

And tapping,

Tapping is soothing,

Slowly,

Easy,

Nothing to do,

Nowhere to go,

To simply relax in this bountiful,

Beautiful place of your imagination,

And take a deep breath in,

A loud sighing exhale,

Arriving back into the room,

Into the present moment,

Being around you,

With the goal of carrying with you,

Some of that sense of safety,

Some of that sense of peace,

To give your nervous system a break,

And hopefully you are somewhere safe,

I very,

Very much hope for you,

That in this moment,

These hours,

These days,

These weeks,

That you are safe,

And that when you are safe,

You can truly feel and experience that safety,

And for anyone out there who is not safe,

I hope that practicing the safe place exercise,

Can help you access your wise mind,

Relax the nervous system,

And allow you to make wise mind choices,

To help protect your life,

And your well-being,

And your safety,

Thank you so much for practicing,

This is a practice that you can do again and again,

Throughout the day,

The practice will make it easier for you to access your safe place,

Whenever you need it,

Thank you for practicing with me

Reviews

This was so soothing. Thank you so much! Thank you for providing comfort and peace..

Extremely relaxing and helpful. I fell asleep towards the end, I was so relaxed. Thank you so much, Diana. 🙏🏻💚

Lovely meditation in helping me find my safe oasis! Thank you for this gentle guidance! 🙏💜