A safe place

This week in therapy group, we are talking about a safe place. Where do you feel safe? Where can you be completely yourself, do you not have to do anything, and can you recharge? And what does that look like? Is it a place inside, is it a steady place in the house, is it somewhere outside where you go?

They are first instructed to depict the safe place. It can be a concrete building in 3D, it can be a symbol, in the form of a collage – whatever suits the safe place.

They are then instructed to place their safe place on the tables – where they think it fits. Without consultation.
That means that when someone shifts their safe place, someone else may shift too. Just as long as everyone is happy with their place.

Two out of five look for a secluded place where they are not close to others. The other three like to be near someone else, but still with the possibility to leave.

Then we start the debriefing:
What does your safe place look like? What is important in that? And where is your safe place in relation to others?

The debriefing provides new insights. Questions are asked and memories are shared.
Where one has a very clear picture, it is still quite vague for the other. But by asking questions, it becomes more concrete and clearer.

They all realize that right now they don’t actually take the time to be in their safe place and recharge, that they should take more time for that. And where it used to be a vague idea, they now have a very concrete place to go.

This will be this week’s homework:
Taking time to be in your safe place, to recharge, to relax, to stop for a moment.
They look at me… that will be quite a challenge!