Safe Place Visualization Technique

The Safe Place Visualization Technique is a helpful method for relaxation, restoring calm, and regaining your strength. Did you know that feelings of peace, relaxation, and comfort can become real if you create them in your imagination? The effect is even stronger if you express your imagined scene through creativity.

In psychotherapy for stress, fears, anxiety, tension, and neuroses, there is a technique called the “Safe Place Visualization.” This involves imagining a place that you personally associate with peace, safety, and comfort.

This could be a blooming meadow warmed by the sun, a seaside with a refreshing breeze and the sound of seagulls, or a cozy home where you feel protected. It can be any place where you can fully relax.

How to Use the Safe Place Technique

1. Create a safe place in your imagination. This can be a real place you have visited or would like to visit, or a completely imaginary location.
2. Visualize the surroundings. What do you see in this place? What makes it feel comfortable and safe?
3. Imagine yourself in this place. Where are you? What are you wearing? What could you add to make it even more pleasant for you?
4. Express your safe place creatively. You can draw it, take a photo, or create a sculpture. Expanding your creative materials can enhance the experience. For example, using modeling clay or playdough can make the process more engaging. Many people, including myself, have felt inspired, lighter, and calmer after trying this technique.
5. Remember the feelings and sensations in your body during visualization. You can recall your safe place in your imagination, or look at your drawing, photo, or sculpture whenever you experience anxious thoughts, memories, or unpleasant emotions.

Using the Safe Place Technique for Desensitization

The safe place image can also help with desensitization—a technique for reducing fear, anxiety, and other unpleasant emotions related to certain situations, people, or objects. It is best to do this with a psychologist. During this process, you consciously imagine the frightening object, notice your feelings and sensations (starting with 10 seconds and gradually increasing to 30 seconds), and then switch your focus to your safe place and relax. Repeat this 3-4 times per session.

Practicing the Safe Place Visualization Technique regularly can help you manage stress and anxiety, providing a reliable tool for emotional self-care.