Peaceful Place Visualisation. The Neuroscience Behind Imagining Peace

The Science of the “Peaceful Place” Meditation

By Melanie Rivera, Integrative Therapist & Wellbeing Coach

Imagine closing your eyes and mentally escaping to a place where you feel completely safe and calm – perhaps a sunlit beach, a cosy room, or a tranquil forest. This is the essence of a “Peaceful Place” visualisation meditation (also called a safe place or calm place exercise). It is a form of guided imagery in which one vividly imagines a serene, secure environment.

Therapists and meditation teachers often use this technique to help individuals reduce anxiety and cultivate an internal sense of safety. Beyond its intuitive soothing quality, there is growing scientific evidence – from psychology, neuroscience, and trauma therapy – that such visualisation practices can genuinely foster a state of inner safety and have tangible benefits for emotional healing. This article explores the theoretical basis and evidence behind safe-place imagery, and how it supports our nervous system and mind in feeling safe.

Whether you’re a therapist, a trauma survivor, or someone interested in nervous system regulation, understanding the science behind this practice can help you use it more confidently and compassionately. This article explores some of the theoretical basis and evidence behind safe-place imagery, and how therapists use approaches in therapy to support their clients nervous system and mind in feeling safe.

The Importance of Inner Safety in Therapeutic Healing

Feeling safe is fundamental to mental health and trauma recovery. Neuroscientist Stephen Porges, known for the Polyvagal Theory, explains that our bodies constantly scan for cues of safety or danger at an unconscious level (a process called 'neuroception'). When we perceive safety, the parasympathetic branch of our nervous system (especially the “social engagement” system of the ventral vagus nerve) dominates, allowing our body to relax and our brain to engage in social connection and learning​. This means if we imagine safety vividly enough, our brain often interprets it as real. Research shows that mental imagery can engage similar neural networks as real experience (Kosslyn et al., 2001). Your body can begin to relax, your breathing can slow, and your heart rate can return to a calm rhythm—even if nothing externally has changed.

Peaceful visualisation taps into the parasympathetic nervous system (our rest-and-digest state), particularly through the ventral vagus nerve, which supports social connection, digestion, and emotional regulation (Porges, 2021). Over time, repeated activation of this system helps build resilience and widens what therapists call the 'window of tolerance'.

In contrast, chronic perceptions of threat keep us stuck in fight-or-flight or shutdown states, impairing our capacity to trust, think clearly, or process new experiences. Trauma expert Bessel van der Kolk emphasises that survivors “cannot recover until they feel physically and emotionally safe,” noting that regaining a sense of internal safety is a prerequisite for integrating traumatic memories and restoring well-being. Indeed, psychological research shows that inadequate feelings of safety (especially in early life) are linked to greater risk of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress​. Conversely, providing experiences of safety during therapy is associated with better outcomes​ (Podolan, M. & Gelo, O. C. G. (2023). 

In short, inner safety – a deep feeling of being secure, grounded, and safe from harm – is the foundation for healing and growth.

How “Peaceful Place” Visualisation Works

Guided imagery of a safe place leverages the mind’s power to evoke the felt sense of safety and comfort. Even though it’s “just imagination,” the brain often responds to imagined scenarios much like real ones. In trauma therapy, visualisation of an “inner safe place” is used as a stabilisation technique to help clients stay in the present and self-regulate their emotions​. For example, in Cognitive-behavioural therapists describe this as activating a “security prime” – a mental representation (a memory, image, or fantasy) that triggers the neural networks of safety and attachment​. Podolan, M. & Gelo, O. C. G. (2023). 

By thinking of a supportive figure or a safe haven, clients can essentially prime their brain’s attachment system, which increases feelings of security and even improves mood. Research indicates that repeatedly priming safety in this way has a soothing effect and can enhance one’s sense of secure connection​ Zhang, Y., Liang, S., Zhou, Y., et al. (2015). In other words, visualising a peaceful place acts as a cognitive-emotional anchor, signaling to the brain “you are safe,” which in turn quiets fear centers and generates comfort. From a learning perspective, imagining safety is a form of positive memory recall. Often the chosen safe scene is a real place from one’s past associated with good feelings (e.g. a fond childhood spot), or it can be an imagined composite of comforting elements. Engaging with these positive images can counterbalance the mind’s focus on danger. It also builds a person’s capacity to self-soothe.

Neural Pathways of Calm and Safety

Modern neuroscience sheds light on why a safety visualisation alters our inner state. When we feel safe, the brain’s alarm center (the amygdala) and stress response networks dial down, while higher brain areas that support reflection and social engagement activate. Guided imagery of a peaceful scene likely recruits the hippocampus (which provides context and memory) and the prefrontal cortex (which can regulate emotion), telling the amygdala “Dial down, we are in a safe context.” Neuroimaging studies on related practices show that using imagery or reappraisal to create a sense of safety is associated with down-regulation of the amygdala, thereby reducing the salience of previously threatening cues​ Zhang et al., (2015).

In essence, imagining a safe place in the mind can engage our brain’s comfort zone instead of its survival circuitry. Physiologically, the parasympathetic nervous system (responsible for “rest and digest” functions) is strengthened. Peaceful visualisation can activate the vagus nerve – the core of the parasympathetic system – resulting in a slower heart rate, deeper breathing, and a state of relaxation​.

One study found that even in a high-stress scenario, people who underwent guided imagery training had significantly higher heart rate variability (HRV) – a measure of healthy vagal tone – compared to controls, indicating a shift toward parasympathetic dominance and stress reduction​ (Zhang et al., 2015).

Higher HRV and vagal tone are linked to feeling calm and emotionally resilient. Thus, the inner safety evoked by peaceful place meditation is not just “in your head” – it translates into concrete changes in the body’s stress response systems. Over time, practicing such visualisations may even strengthen neural pathways associated with safety and emotional regulation, making it easier to find calm during real-life distress.

How long do the effects last?

The changes described may last longer than you think — they reflect your brain’s ability to adapt. This is known as neuroplasticity — the brain’s capacity to reorganise itself by forming new neural connections. Research by Kosslyn et al. (2001) shows that mental imagery activates many of the same brain regions involved in real-life experience. In other words, the brain can’t always tell the difference between a memory, an imagined event, or something happening in the moment.

With repeated use, peaceful place visualisation strengthens the neural networks associated with safety, regulation, and calm. As Hebb’s law famously puts it: “Neurons that fire together, wire together.” Every time we return to a felt sense of comfort — even through imagination — we reinforce that network. Over time, this makes it easier to access during times of stress.

Applications in Therapy: From EMDR to Somatic Experiencing

Because of its powerful calming effect, safe-place imagery is widely used in therapeutic settings, especially trauma-focused therapies. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing), clients are guided through a peaceful place exercise in the early 'resourcing' phase as a coping skill. They practise pairing calming images with slow bilateral stimulation—such as eye movements or gentle tapping—to strengthen the body's association with safety. This prepares clients to later revisit painful memories without becoming overwhelmed (Shapiro, 2018). Francine Shapiro, the founder of EMDR, considered establishing an internal safe haven crucial so that clients have a felt sense of security before confronting painful memories. This technique often visibly lowers a client’s distress within minutes, illustrating how imagined safety can shift one’s mental state.

Somatic therapists use similar techniques to titrate clients exposure to trauma by pendulating between distress and safety. A client might be guided to sense into a body feeling of fear, then intentionally return their focus to a safe or neutral sensation or image. Knowing they can always “return to a safe place” – whether that is an actual calming sensation in the body or a soothing mental image – allows them to process distressing material without becoming overwhelmed. This aligns with the idea that trauma processing must occur within a window of tolerance: the person needs to feel safely anchored in the present even as they dip into past pain. For example, a client recalling a distressing event may be asked to pause and return to their safe place image. This helps the nervous system learn it can move between stress and calm—a process called pendulation (Levine, 2010). Therapists often incorporate a client’s own positive resources or imagery (sometimes explicitly having them imagine a protective figure or place) to foster resilience. Client's can experience higher arousal and then come back to safety, reinforcing the knowledge that safety is attainable even after recalling stress​.

By engaging the imagination, clients can activate a calming parasympathetic response without any external change – essentially using mind to influence body. Deb Dana, a psychotherapist who applies polyvagal theory, writes that imagining safety or recalling nourishing experiences can prime the nervous system for connection and healing by strengthening ventral vagal pathways. Thus, what might seem like a simple daydream of a beach or garden is a profound intervention at the biological level, directly communicating “you are safe” to the body.

Rewiring Fear Memories with Imagery and Reconsolidation

Beyond immediate calming, peaceful-place visualisation may also contribute to longer-term healing of traumatic memories through the mechanism of memory reconsolidation. Neuroscientists have discovered that when we recall a memory, it briefly becomes malleable (modifiable) before being stored again – this is called the reconsolidation window. If, during that window, we introduce new safe or positive information, the brain can literally recode the memory with a different emotional tone. In therapy, this is used deliberately: a traumatic memory can be evoked while the person is in a state of safety, so that the new feelings of safety get woven into the memory as it reconsolidates Skottnik, L., & Linden, D. (2019). For example, a method known as imagery rescripting has a client re-imagine a traumatic scene but actively change elements – perhaps bringing in an image of an ally or a protective safe place that was missing. Over repeated trials, the brain may update the old trauma memory, reducing its emotional charge.

Conclusion

“Peaceful place” visualisation is a gentle yet powerful practice that merges ancient wisdom (the calming power of imagery and meditation) with cutting-edge insights from science. By providing the mind and body with repeated experiences of safety, even if through imagination, we train our nervous system to recognise and return to states of calm. This builds an internal safe haven – a refuge we can carry within us. Academically, we now understand that such techniques engage real neurobiological processes: slowing the heart and breath, quieting the amygdala, and strengthening neural pathways for self-regulation. Therapeutically, they serve as foundational tools in trauma therapy and beyond, enabling individuals to find stability, whether in the therapy office or in everyday stressful moments. The tone of a peaceful-place meditation is soft and soothing, but its impact is grounded in hard science: when we consistently nurture inner safety, we bolster our capacity to heal from the past and face the future with resilience. As you practice visualising your safe place, know that you are not “just daydreaming” – you are actively reshaping your brain and body toward greater safety and peace.

Explore the Full Guide to Therapeutic Resourcing This article is part of a complete resource on trauma-informed resourcing techniques.Learn about EMDR resourcing, somatic grounding, the Container exercise, and more. Read the full article: Therapeutic Healing With Resourcing Techniques

References

Kosslyn, S. M., et al. (2001). Neural foundations of imagery. Nature Reviews Neuroscience.

Porges, S. W. (2021). Polyvagal Safety: Attachment, Communication, Self-Regulation. New York: W. W. Norton.

Shapiro, F. (2018). Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy: Basic Principles, Protocols, and Procedures (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.

Skottnik, L., & Linden, D. (2019). Mental imagery and brain regulation – new links between psychotherapy and neuroscience. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10:779​

Levine, P. A. (2010). In an Unspoken Voice: How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness. North Atlantic Books.

Zhang, Y., Liang, S., Zhou, Y., et al. (2015). The effects of guided imagery on heart rate variability in simulated spaceflight emergency tasks. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Article ID 687020.