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Science

Stress & Anxiety

Psychology

MBSR – Visualisation

Anxiety

Visualization

English

Use this meditation to ease anxious thoughts and sensations by giving them the compassion and comfort they need. First, you’ll be asked to imagine or sense anxiety in your body, and then you’ll be guided to sooth and comfort it. This process is based on the work of Don Hadlock, from The Process Therapy Institute, and Richard Schwartz, founder of Internal Family Systems.

Soothing Anxiety

 Welcome. Let's take a few moments together to settle down and soothe any anxiety inside of you, whether it's anxious thoughts in your mind, anxious sensations in your body, or both. So make sure you're in a comfortable position and see if you can really let your body settle into the surface beneath you. Dropping down from the thoughts and stories that live in the mind, all the future imaginings and past memories, none of that is happening right now. Just bring yourself right here, right now, to this moment. Notice the surface underneath you, whatever you're sitting or lying on. Notice all the places that surface is holding you up. Really feel that support and let your body sink into it even more. And now notice your body breathing. Even if you've been lost in thought, you can stop right now and notice one breath in and out and another breath. And if any thoughts pull you back up, that's no problem. Just bring yourself back again and again to the surface underneath you, to this breath, and this breath. And now see if you can get an image of the anxious part of you. It might look like a person or a being or a young part of you. It might look like a color or shape or any other kind of image. There's no right or wrong. Just go with whatever comes up. Get an image now of the anxious part of you. Now see if you can imagine that anxious part in front of you so you can have a little bit of distance from it and communicate with it. So imagine pulling that image out from inside of you and see it in front of you. And we'll be coming back to this image in just a moment. Now I'd like you to tune into your heart. Tune into the loving, compassionate, wise part of you. And if you can't connect to that part of you right now, you can imagine another person or being that is loving, compassionate, and wise. Now from that loving, compassionate place in your heart, I'd like you to look at that anxious part in front of you. Look at that part with love and compassion and see if you can get a sense of what it really needs right now. It might need to express some feelings. It might need to be held or rocked. It might need soothing words or warmth or a healing color. See if you can get a sense or even ask this part what it really needs and offer it now. Good. So before we sign off, see how you'd like to complete this process. You can imagine setting that anxious part of you in a really safe place. Maybe you'd like to imagine placing it in your heart. Whatever that part or your intuition guides you to do. And once again, bringing your attention back to the surface beneath you. Notice all the places that surface is touching and supporting your body. And taking a couple of nice deep breaths. You can give your body a little stretch if you'd like. And you can repeat this process anytime. Anxiety needs soothing and comforting and you are just the person for the job. So I hope you will continue to ask the anxious part of you what it needs and what would feel comforting and soothing. And then have the love and compassion in your heart offer it again and again and again. Thank you for joining me. Namaste.