Imagine a place or a person you could go to that made you feel completely safe. A judgement-free zone where you can be your real, raw and authentic self – safe in the knowledge that you’ll be completely accepted for the truth of who you really are.

That’s your safe place.

We all need someone or somewhere like this in our lives – particularly as having a safe place is a critical first step in the healing process, according to Mary Groth from Good Vibes Counselling & Psychotherapy.

So, given its importance, how do you find yours?

Mary explained the key was going slowly, especially for those of us who’ve gone through our lives never having had a safe space to call our own.

“You have to allow yourself to be a little vulnerable – sharing snippets about your life or something important to you with another person,” she says.

“While this is going on, you need to really tune into yourself to see how you’re feeling. A sense of comfortableness, acceptance, and feeling safe to go on are good indicators that this potentially might be the space for you.”

Mary says finding her safe space was a pivotal moment in her healing journey.

“When I first met them, it was almost just a knowing that there was something special about this person. And I trusted that instinct, sharing little bits of information to test the waters,” she says.

“In the end, I actually divulged things to this particular person I have never spoken about to the other people in my life. And in return, I got unconditional regard, love and acceptance. It blew me away because I thought I would be completely judged or rejected and it was the complete opposite reaction.

“I truly feel like, without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” she says.