Sandra Moreira

Visualize a personal sanctuary to cultivate inner peace and anchor a sense of safety within your body.

Science

Recovery & Healing

Healing

Psychology

English

Guided visualization inviting you to imagine and explore a safe space. Supportive for those experiencing anxiety or overwhelm, as well as those simply looking to relax in a space that feels nourishing and protected.

Safe Place Visualization

 To begin, I would invite you to find a comfortable position that feels supported and aligned. Maybe you lie down on the ground or a bed or the couch, or find a tall supported seat. Really taking your time to find a position that feels most supportive for you in this moment. Something like pillows or blankets or anything else you might need. When you're ready, I invite you to take a deep breath in through the nose. As you exhale, close the eyes if that feels comfortable. You can also just find a soft gaze. As you land, allowing your eyeballs to begin to soften into their sockets. Relaxing the jaw, relaxing the tongue, softening the forehead, softening the brow, softening the skin of the skull. I invite you to begin to locate your breath. Noticing where in your body you feel the inhale and the exhale. It could be the nose, the nostrils, the belly, the chest. As you begin to locate the breath, I invite you to take a deep breath in through the nose, filling up the lungs, expanding, pausing at the top. And through the nose or the mouth, emptying the breath, really letting go, releasing. Let's do that one more time. Taking a deep breath in through the nose, emptying the breath through the mouth or the nose, allowing the weight of your body to release. Now beginning to let the breath relax. Just finding that gentle in and out. And seeing if as your breath goes in and out, inhale and exhale, is it possible to soften just a bit more on every single exhale? Noticing where you might be holding tension or stuckness in the body. And with each exhale, allowing that to relax. Softening, even if it's just a layer. And feeling the ground underneath of you supporting you. Along the backs of your legs, up your spine, maybe the back of your head and neck. Feeling the full support of your body. Knowing in this moment you are held. And knowing that throughout this visualization, your mind may wander away from this moment. That is completely natural. I'd invite you to just notice when that happens without judgment. Noticing the thoughts and allowing the thoughts to float away, almost like leaves floating along the surface of a stream. And then gently inviting your awareness back to your breath, back to your body, and back to this present experience. And as you begin to relax, I invite you to begin to draw into your mind a place where you can feel calm, peaceful and safe. It may be a place you've been to before, somewhere you've dreamed about going, somewhere you've seen a picture of, or just a peaceful place that you can create in your imagination. Really opening yourself to this place. It could be somewhere outdoors. Could be some sort of a structure, a home, a castle, a boat. It could be a fantasy place, another planet, or a world from a favorite book or movie. Giving yourself the space to allow this image to begin to materialize. Really seeing if you can allow whatever emerges, knowing that it comes from a place within of deep knowing. As this place begins to materialize, take a moment and allow yourself to really look around noticing the colors, the shapes, noticing what you see there. What is present in this place? Having a full 360, really taking in the full view of where you are. And as you look around, beginning to notice the sounds in this place, or perhaps the silence. Could be sounds far away, those sounds nearer to you, those sounds that are more noticeable, or those that are more subtle. What can you hear in this place? As you look around and as you listen, also noticing if there are any smells in this place. What can you smell here? Breathing in through the nose and really noticing what is present in this place. Then beginning to notice any skin sensations, maybe the earth beneath your feet or whatever is supporting you, the temperature of the air, the touch of a breeze or a movement of the air on your skin, or maybe even reaching out and touching any of the objects or things that are present in the place. Knowing yourself to really feel what it's like to be in this space. Maybe you even open your mouth and notice if there is a taste of the air or if there's anything in this space that you might like to eat. And taking a moment to notice in this space, whether you'd like to just remain here on your own, or if there are any particular helpers, humans, animals or other imagined guides or helpers that you might like to invite into this space to be with you. If you choose to invite others into this space, allowing them to arrive, noticing how it is to share in this space with them. Knowing that it's completely up to you how long they stay. If at any moment you would like to be alone again. Really allowing yourself to immerse in this space. Noticing the pleasant physical sensations in your body as you move around the safe, peaceful place and noticing how you move through the space. Maybe slowly, maybe quickly, walking, dancing, sitting, noticing if there's anything you want to do in this space. Maybe you want to shout or howl or lay down, cry, really allowing that to arise. And as you immerse and really enjoy this place, noticing if there is any guidance that this space has to offer. Perhaps a particular message. It is communicating to you. Or any question you might have that the space might have an answer for. Allowing that guidance to emerge knowing it may take the shape of words or felt sense of images. Now while you're here in this place, this peaceful and safe place, you might choose to give it a name. Whether one word or a phrase that you can use to bring this image back anytime you need to. You might also want to invent a way to get there that will allow you and only you to enter maybe a secret password, a complicated lock, a magic portal, a secret passage, certain gesture. Allowing this place to anchor within you. Knowing that you hold the keys you hold the means to return here. And taking your time here to really soak up the serenity and the peace of this place. Staying here for as much longer as you'd like. Maybe you even choose to pause this visualization knowing that you'd like to remain in this place a bit longer. With deep gratitude for this place, knowing that you can always return here. This place lives inside of you. Saying goodbye. Beginning to return to the sensations of the breath in the body. Getting back in the moment in the place where you are right now. Noticing the sensations of the body. The sounds, smells, feel of the air around you. And as you're ready and only as you're ready, the eyes can flutter open. Softly bringing yourself back to the present moment. Knowing that you can return to where we have just come from anytime, any place. That safe place, that serenity, that peace exists within you.