Is safe place appropriate for every client?

No. Some clients may struggle with calm imagery or find it activating. Clinicians should modify, use other resources, or slow down based on client response.

Does safe place replace EMDR training?

No. It is one clinician-guided preparation exercise and does not replace EMDR training, consultation, diagnosis, or crisis care.

What should therapists document?

Document the resource developed, cue word, client response, modifications, and how the resource will be used for preparation or closure.

EMDR Safe Place Exercise: Calm Place Script and Therapist Guide

Q: What is the EMDR safe place exercise?

The safe place or calm place exercise is an EMDR preparation and resourcing exercise where a client develops a stabilizing image, sensory details, cue word, and closure plan.

What Is the EMDR Safe Place Exercise?

The EMDR safe place exercise, also called calm place or peaceful place, is a preparation and resourcing exercise. The client develops an image or scene that can support stabilization, then pairs it with sensory details and a cue word.

CoralEHR's free EMDR Safe Place Exercise helps clinicians structure the image, sensory anchors, cue word, stop signal, and closure plan.

What to Include

A safe place worksheet often includes:

name or label for the place
visual details
sounds
smells
textures or body sensations
cue word
calm rating
stop signal
closure or return plan
modification notes

The resource should belong to the client. Therapist imagery may help as a prompt, but the client's language is what makes the resource usable.

Clinical Cautions

Safe place is not safe for every client at every moment. Some clients cannot access calm imagery, feel grief when imagining safety, or become activated by closing their eyes.

Options include:

keep eyes open
use a neutral place instead of a safe place
use a real room or present-moment object
skip imagery and use grounding
stop if the exercise increases distress

The exercise should support stability, not pressure the client to perform calmness.

Documentation Example

Use concise resourcing language:

Therapist guided EMDR safe place exercise during preparation phase. Client developed calm image of a quiet beach with sensory anchors of warm sun, wave sounds, and sand texture. Client selected cue word "steady" and identified hand raise as stop signal. Client reported calm rating increased from 3/10 to 6/10 after rehearsal. Therapist documented resource for future preparation and closure use.

Avoid implying readiness for processing:

Safe place completed, client ready for trauma processing.

Preparation resources inform readiness but do not determine it by themselves.

Try the Free Safe Place Worksheet

Use CoralEHR's free EMDR Safe Place Exercise with the EMDR Container Exercise, Window of Tolerance, and EMDR Target Sequence Planner.

Frequently Asked Questions

CoralEHR Team