Welcome to the place exercise.
We cultivate a felt sense of good feelings,
Calm feelings,
Relaxed feelings,
Through guided imagery,
Helping us get in tune to a safe,
Calm,
Serene place.
To help us start,
Just check in with your body,
Notice your breath,
Sit or lie down comfortably.
If you're seated,
Have a sturdy but relaxed posture,
Muscles are relaxed.
Notice your breath,
Notice the sensations of the breath coming in,
Expanding your torso,
And exhale,
Relaxing.
Begin with the place exercise.
Imagine yourself standing in the middle of an empty hotel lobby.
There's nothing weird or scary about it,
Just happens to be empty at the time.
It's a nice,
Well-lit hotel.
Notice up ahead a bank of elevators.
Off to the side,
An opening to a stairwell,
With light coming up from the stairwell.
Make your way over to that stairwell,
Stop at the top,
Look down,
Notice five,
Maybe six steps that goes down to the landing,
With more light coming in from the hallway that connects to that landing.
Before you start walking down these stairs,
Make a goal to take a step with each breath.
So one step at a time,
One breath at a time,
Start making your way down these stairs,
Simultaneously noticing the sensations of the breath in your body,
Imagining the feeling of your feet hitting each step on your way down.
As you get near the bottom of those stairs to the landing,
Look up and notice a long,
Well-lit hallway.
It's full of doors on both sides.
Start making your way down this hallway,
Just being curious about these doors.
Notice the door up ahead,
That's just kind of calling out your name.
Make your way over to that door,
Stop in front of it,
And just kind of start to notice all the little details about this door.
Does it have a certain color,
Certain texture,
Maybe it's made out of wood or metal,
Some specific material,
Maybe it has a doorknob or a handle.
Imagine that what's behind this door is the most calm,
Peaceful,
Serene place that you could ever imagine.
This could be somewhere in nature,
Somewhere outdoors,
Could be somewhere indoors,
Could be a place you've been before,
Somewhere you've always imagined.
There aren't a whole lot of rules,
As long as it's an image in your mind that can evoke a sense of comfort,
Safety,
Ease,
And peace.
Imagine reaching down,
Opening this door,
And stepping into that place.
Take a look around,
Take in the details,
The images,
Start to notice sights,
The colors,
Textures,
The areas that are maybe more dim,
Bright.
Notice the sounds,
The sounds of nature,
Breeze,
Maybe there's water nearby,
Wildlife.
Notice any smells in this place.
Notice the feelings that are there,
Maybe it's warm or cool,
Dry or humid.
Notice what it feels like in your body to be in this place.
If you feel any sense of calm and relaxation,
Allow yourself to fully enjoy,
Appreciate those feelings.
Continuing to notice all those sensory details,
Making this image in your mind as vivid as you can,
Holding those details in mind,
Noticing those sensations in your body.
Try to imagine a single word that represents this place to you,
A word that if you were to repeat it six months from now,
You know exactly what you're talking about.
Hold that word in mind as you continue to notice the sensory details that are here,
Those feelings in your body.
Start to make your way back to that doorway before you go through it,
And take a mental snapshot of this place,
Taking a picture of what it looks like,
What it feels like,
Pairing it with that word,
Bringing that with you.
Make your way back through the door,
Close the door behind you.
If you want,
Imagine taking a key,
Locking the door,
Ensuring that only you can go here.
Make your way back down the hallway toward those stairs,
Back up the stairs,
Into the lobby,
Through the lobby,
To the exit.
When you're ready,
Go ahead and open your eyes again,
Holding this place in mind,
Remembering that word,
Noticing those good feelings,
Taking this resource with you for the future,
Returning back to that place whenever you need to.
