A Peaceful Image

[sage]

When I work with emetophobics in therapy one of the things we do near the beginning is to decide on a peaceful image/scene that they can imagine. For many people its a beach. For some, a cabin in the mountains. Believe it or not the brain doesn't know the difference between seeing a scene with your eyes and remembering (or imagining) the scene itself. The great thing about this is that you can use this phenomenon to help you with your anxiety. It's not an "instant cure" or "quick fix" however. It takes time, so you need to stay with it.

If you could imagine the most peaceful place in the universe (real, remembered or imagined) where would it be? Would you be alone or with someone else?

[KaydeeJayde]

My therapist used visualisation of this kind as a sort of exposure, because the brain doesn't know the difference between seeing it and imagining what it might be like. I was feeling just as anxious in a room with my therapist as I would if I were actually in the situation. I also use the relaxing scene when I need to calm down along with deep breathing. I love it, it's amazing how the brain works

[lisalulu]

I sometimes imagine myself laying face down on a dock in my bathing suit after a swim in a lake with the sun beating down on me. I don't use it to relax, it just pops in my head and I think 'I wish I had a cottage'. Maybe I should start using it though!

[wargerbil]

The therapist that tried to do relaxation with me had me visualize being someplace where I felt peaceful and safe. I said I pictured being curled up and warm in bed with my husband and my cat. She said that was wrong, that it can't be inside and someone else can't be there. I gave up.

[sage]

Wargerbil: that's just crazy! My very own "peaceful image" was at home in my favorite chair, sitting in PJs on a cold night with a blanket and a cat and a crackling fire. Although if I were anxious again I might change it to a cabin in the mountains....

I always ask people if they're alone in their peaceful place, or if someone else is there with them.

[jamie77]

My "happy place" has gotten me through many challenges, for sure.
I'm on the back deck of a cabin in the southern Appalachian Mountains, wrapped in a thick hand-stitched quilt with a cup of steaming coffee in my hand. It's Autumn, and the trees are all deep shades of red and orange. My daughter is playing on a circular stone formation just past the edge of the woods, hopping from rock to rock, and the birds are harmonizing with the trickle of a small stream nearby.

So, I'm not technically alone...but I'm not interacting with anyone. I only live a couple of hours from the mountains, and always tell myself that if I just make it through *whatever is happening at the moment*, then I am one day closer to a mountainside retreat in real life.

[wargerbil]

Wargerbil: that's just crazy! My very own "peaceful image" was at home in my favorite chair, sitting in PJs on a cold night with a blanket and a cat and a crackling fire. Although if I were anxious again I might change it to a cabin in the mountains....

I always ask people if they're alone in their peaceful place, or if someone else is there with them.

She was a bit of a crackpot. The new guy seems better... so far.

[sage]

jamie that is an awesome image. I forget about autumn, as most people choose "summer" (i.e. a tropical beach) or winter. Although one woman had a more "spring" image of a field of spring flowers with a stream running by. The autumn one is beautiful though.

As well as saying you are "closer" to the peaceful place if you make it through "this" you can also say to yourself "if I were there [in your peaceful place] would I feel sick?" Often the answer is immediately "no!" This can begin a cycle of calming you down.

[lizzo]

My place? Atop a mountain, probably Whistler. Sunny day, the snow is gleaming, and I am alone with my snowboard ... It's the place I feel most calm and relaxed.

[sage]

lizzo, that's beautiful too - I can well imagine it. Oh ya and also....GO CANUCKS GO!

[Cupcake x]

My peaceful place is floating on a raft in a pool in my back yard with a nice drink waiting for me when I get out (preferably a cocktail of some sort). I just love the feeling of calm that comes over me when I'm floating in the water on a quiet day and having the sun beat down on me. Hearing the birds chirping and the children play in the street is nice background noise as well.

[sage]

That's amazing. I love it too! (So many peaceful choices - lol)