The Safe Place part 1 (guided imagery)

The Safe Place is one of the standard exercises for trauma therapy. The idea is very simple. When you feel stressed and anxious you imagine to be in a safe place.

It is just as easy as it is difficult.

The exercise will give you a chance to withdraw from a difficult situation long enough to calm down and then use other Skills to make sure that you stay within your window of tolerance.

Attention: this only makes sense when you are not in immediate danger of physical harm. Please check your situation and stay safe.

For best results you can “build” a safe place and practice “going” to that safe place, so that it feels almost natural when a serious situation arises.

Here are some ideas for such a place in your imagination:

• outdoors: lake, island, beach, mountain, meadow, forest, river, oasis, jungle, playground…

• houses: cottage, hut, tree house, igloo, tent, castle, tower, …

• rooms: adapted to personal needs and taste

• transportation: mobile home, spaceship, submarine, hot air balloon, ship, boat, zeppelin…

• fantasy place: Hogwarts, another planet, a parallel universe, a world from a favorite book, movie or computer game, …

• memory place: somewhere you have actually been where you felt safe (don’t use your current home though)

• …

When you have chosen a place you can work on creating the details.

• What can you see there?

• What can you hear?

• What can you smell?

• Find something you can taste

• If you touch things there, what does it feel like?

• What kind of light does it have?

• How warm or cold does it feel?

• Can you find a position/movement for your body there that feels very relaxing?

• ….

You can also invite animals and imagined helpers into your place.

• servants

• angels

• pets

• helpful fantasy creatures

• …

This is completely optional. It is better not to use actual people from your life for this. Real people make mistakes and that could compromise the safety of your Safe Place.

Take in the scene and check if it is completely pleasant for you in all its details. If there is something you don’t like, change it. You are the creator, you can do anything in your imagination.

Invent a way for you to get to your Safe Place that will allow only you to enter.

• High tech scans

• secret password

• complicated lock

• magic portal

• secret passage

• certain gesture

• mighty guardian

• …

Then practice going there, possibly daily when you are just starting.

You can find a lot of guided videos on YouTube about this. If you want to build a Safe Place while you are listening to that, we recommend listening to it first to make sure it is what you want. It should leave you all the freedom in the world to chose. Don’t create a beach cottage because that is what the video said. We personally find it easier to do this one without someone guiding the imagery.

.

Common difficulties and how to respond

Many trauma patients struggle to create a sense of safety. It is a strange concept they never experienced in their life. It is hard to imagine something you have never felt.

There is no need to come up with the perfect Safe Place right away. Maybe you can create something that is a little safer than what you usually feel.

You can also ask yourself this question: if I had to hide a loved one, where would I bring them?Sometimes it is easier for us to come up with something if it is for other people.

If the thought of a “safe” place is creating pressure for you and seems like an impossibility, maybe you can create a relaxing place instead. That will also do the job.

People sometimes report that things creep into their Safe Place that scare them, like memories.

Sometimes this is because they are still in contact with their abusers and their subconscious brings it up. You need to cut contact to create safety for yourself.

Don’t forget that you can use magic. With magic anything is possible. Nobody is able to stand against you. Create new measures to keep things out, imagine your personal guardian that chases away memories, you’ve got this.

If you feel like things get out of hand, stop the tape, press the rewind button, let the video go back to the beginning when it still felt safe, then press pause and stay there in a time bubble.

If nothing works you can still step out of the imagery and get grounded in the present. It is just imagination. It can’t harm you. You are safe now.

.

The Safe Place part 2 is all about how to use this with a DID system.

More about guided imagery