Re-establishing, or creating for the first time, a sense of safety is vital and central to healing trauma. In therapeutic work, we ask clients to connect to a ‘felt sense of safety.’ What exactly is this and how can we assist clients in cultivating this?
Felt Sense of Safety
A felt sense of safety encompasses both the absence of physical, life-threatening danger, as well as emotional, social, and psychological wellbeing (Mitchell, 2024). Connecting to the existing presence of safety allows the body and nervous system to relax and regulate, signaling it is now safe to feel calm or to feel again at all. It would be a confusing and potentially re-traumatizing task to first ask a client to unpack their history of trauma, speaking out loud their most painful moments, if there has not been safety created first.
How does safety affect the therapeutic process?
By establishing safety first and foremost, the client is then able to trust in both the therapist and the treatment goals, addressing deep wounded parts of themselves holding messages around safety, control, worth, value, and responsibility. Safety creates buy in. Safety offers permission to feel and to heal.
According to Mitchell (2024), three key factors exist in fostering safety in a therapeutic environment: predictability, control, and empowerment. The therapeutic relationship can be a microcosm for trust and safety in all relationships; if a client starts practicing relational safety, as well as seeing themselves as safe enough now, they can then take these skills outside the therapy session.
“Physical safety is the baseline…but emotional safety? That’s where the magic happens. It’s the feeling of being understood, accepted, and supported without judgment. It’s knowing that your therapist has got your back, come hell or high water” (NeuroLaunch, 2024)
How to create safety in therapy?
Safety starts with the first client interaction. By providing clear, detailed information on what you do, what experience you have in the field, and what a client can expect in working with you, you are laying the groundwork for a predictable environment. Some other strategies for safety include:
-Providing client detailed consent forms with ample time to review with questions
-Discussing in detail confidentiality and the limits of confidentiality with real-world examples
-Allowing time at end of first few sessions for a broad check in (How are you feeling about therapy overall? Is there anything you need from me to feel more comfortable in this space? Is there anything that feels like a block to safety/trust in this space?)
-Creating a feedback informed environment (Feedback goes both ways. Having a client say I didn’t like how you said that or I would really enjoy having more blankets here demonstrates their investment in the relationship.)
-Mirroring signals of safety to a client (being mindful of body language, facial expressions, posture, and positioning in session)
-Following through with intentions (This fosters both predictability and empowerment. By sending emails when you say you’re going to or following back up on something at next session, you are creating consistency - the building blocks of trust.)
“Trust is the cornerstone of safety in trauma therapy. It’s built slowly, brick by brick, through consistent, reliable interactions. Therapists must be transparent about the therapy process, maintain confidentiality, and demonstrate unwavering support” (NeuroLaunch, 2024)
Mindfulness, breathing, grounding, and polyvagal exercises all serve purposes in soothing and calming a client both inside and outside a session. These coping skills assist a client to emerge out of a hypervigilant state into one of increased emotional regulation. Coping skills such as these can be woven into opening and closing a session, also creating a predictable structure of how the session is spent.
“The neurobiology of safety plans a crucial role in trauma recovery. When we feel safe, our nervous system can relax, shifting from a state of hypervigilance to one of calm. This shift is essential for accessing and processing traumatic memories with becoming overwhelmed (NeuroLaunch, 2024)
The First Stage
The first stage of trauma recovery includes safety and stabilization. According to Judith Herman’s three stage healing model, establishing safety and stability in one’s body and life is foundational before processing.
Emotional regulation, developing skills to navigate dysregulation, and tapping into existing inner strength and resources occur within this first stage. The first stage already challenges internal narratives of I’m powerless and I’m out of control while building up the client’s ability to see themselves as safe adults in their own lives. The first stage of trauma healing connects clients to resources that allowed them to survive while adding in new resources for calming and regulation.
Conclusion
Safety allows for curiosity and exploration. Safety is a rubber band, allowing us to stretch into new forms, growing in new ways we may have never thought possible while knowing the danger is over. Healing from trauma necessitates a foundation of safety. For therapists and clients alike, building a felt sense of safety is integral to a safe trauma healing experience.
References:
Herman, J. L. (2015). Trauma and recovery: The aftermath of violence from domestic abuse to political terror. Basic Books.
