Safe Places

Like a lot of people, I suffer from anxiety and depression.

It sucks. Some days it REALLY sucks, and on those days my therapist recommended a technique to help.

EDMR?

It’s something called EDMR (Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing), and essentially it involves a therapist talking you through a situation or scenario whilst applying bi lateral stimulation (such as tapping each shoulder in turn).

It’s usually used to try and help with PTSD and trauma in general, however in my case, I was having panic attacks so my therapist suggested we try it to allow me to evoke a place of safety and security when I was having an attack, or just to calm me in general.

So for my scenario she asked me to think of a place I would find safe and secure - and as an additional bit of homework, she asked me to draw this imagined place (she knew I was an illustrator)

Plus, as well as drawing what the place looked like, she asked me to decide what it sounded like, what it smelled like, and any tactile sensations present.

Once I’d established all that, which was a fun and relaxing excercise in itself, she created a bespoke meditation for me that I could use any time I was particularly anxious or having a panic attack.

It helps a lot. Let me talk you through my particular safe place…

My Safe Place

You step through a portal on to a wooden tower in the middle of a crystal clear bay. In the distance you can see mountains, and the warm, gentle breeze washes over you.

As you continue up the wooden steps you start to smell fresh baked bread straight from the oven. You take a piece and smother it with butter, and as you put it in your mouth, the butter melts softly.

You sit for a moment facing out towards the water.

Every now and then you feel the delicate sea spray tickle your face, and you breathe in the salty air.

All you hear is the lapping of the waves, the breeze sweeping through the building and the distant sea birds.

You climb the ladder up to the attic bedroom containing lush plants and a large comfortable bed draped with the softest fleece.

Lying down on the bed, you run your fingers through the fleece and feel so at peace.

Inspiration

As I said earlier, this really helped me with my anxiety, so I decided to illustrate a series of what I’m calling ‘Safe Places’.

These are available to buy as prints on my shop.