80 Creating a safe place
TO THE TRAINER
PART II : THE TRAINING
GROUNDING EXERCISE
Creating a safe place
Aim . To create a feeling of safety when thinking about the past .
Grounding Exercise 4 . Creating a safe place .
This exercise enables a survivor to connect with her past , and restore contact with the good places in her past . It also helps her to stay in her body . Survivors can use it to stay calm and present in the moment . In areas of war and conflict it may be difficult to imagine a ‘ safe place ’. If this is so , you can suggest that the participants think of a ‘ comfortable ’ or ‘ quiet ’ place instead , or let them choose the term . The objective is to enable them to feel they have a safe place within themselves .