Visual Imagery Techniques
This technique helps you focus on positive images to distract you from negative emotions, which may help you relax by strengthening the connection between your mind and body.
Try listening to one of the guided audios below:
What is the technique of imagining a safe place and how does it work?
Feeling safe is a very important component of being human. This exercise is used to help people feel calm. Often used with people who have experienced a traumatic event that made their world feel insecure. It is also useful for people with a very active imagination and usually imagining disturbing scenarios in their minds such as what happens during the Covid-19 pandemic.
We can create disastrous images that match our fears in our imaginations, while we can also create havens that calm us and make us feel safe, improving our physical and mental health. You can train your imagination just as you train your muscles, so they work with you and not against you, which makes them help you manage or calm emotions in times of stress or distress.
Calming the soul through imagination: it is creating a visualization in your imagination that makes you feel safe. Common fantasies are beaches, tropical waterfalls, forests and clouds, next to an open fire in a cozy country house, or on the edge of a quiet lake. It is recommended to create a safe place that is entrenched in your imagination and new to you.
Technique
1
Build a steady, confidence, and straight posture and start your comfortable breathing. Draw a slight smile, shoulders back, chest forward, and close your eyes.
2
When you feel stable in your body, allow your mind to start creating a safe image for you. You may notice some pictures. Without judgment, let the images flow into your mind, note where they are formed.
3
Notice the feeling of safety in your body. Where is this feeling? Allow it to expand. You are completely safe, your safe place is always there for you, it is a place where you are supported.
4
Allow your safe space to become more vibrant. Notice colors, shapes, and sounds. Note what you can see. Are there any odors or feelings that you could feel, such as warm sunlight or a warm embrace of a blanket?
5
Indulge in your world.
6
Start by shaking your toes and toes. Notice that the image fades when you return to the room. Remember that the image is always there for you. Slowly rest your body and open your eyes.
7
After exercising, it is helpful to spend a little time thinking. Ask yourself what did you notice? Any physical or emotional transformations or changes? Any resistance?
Find the mistakes and resolve them:
I can't select an image: with practice the image will evolve and become more prominent. If pictures are tough, try focusing more on sounds, colors, or shapes.
I can't create a photo: it will take time once you start exercising it, think about when you feel safe in your life, what are the characteristics of this place? Focus your attention more on this feeling of safety in your body and create a loose image, and over time the image will form.
I don't like a safe word: Some people prefer using a "calming", "comfortable", or "quiet" picture. Play with words and try to say them out loud a few times as you practice to see if they are right.
I've never felt safe: Sorry to hear that. Feeling safe in the world is something we can cultivate with practice. Try to be curious about feeling safe. How do you feel, what will you notice? Often times, the more difficult we find its practice, the more we will need it and will benefit from it. Start with something small and give yourself time.