Creating Emotional Safety in Therapeutic Sessions

Feeling safe is a crucial aspect to address during therapeutic sessions, as it allows individuals to be vulnerable and express their emotions openly. The emphasis on the word “safe” is significant because, while a person may be physically safe, the internal translation of that physical safety into emotional safety is essential. This connection is often linked to the nervous system; when a person feels comfortable, they are at ease, but discomfort can lead to feelings of dis-ease or disease.

The therapeutic presence of the clinician plays a vital role in this process. For the clinician to help bring order to chaos, they must embody a sense of internal harmony. Without this internal order, the ability to transform disorder into order is limited, leaving only the disorder intact.

Clinicians can achieve this initially through intellectual understanding, followed by emotional intelligence, and then empathic attunement. Ultimately, setting a precedent for a noetic and authentic connection as the ideal norm is key to fostering an environment where emotional safety thrives.

(c)2024 John Piedrahita