What is a 'safe place' in Emotional Logic terms?

The central and vital feature of Emotional Chaos Theory, the one that moves on from understanding chaos in physical systems to understanding chaos in inter-personal systems, is the notion of a 'safe place'. A cloud has no need of a safe place (as far as we know!), but chaos theory can predict when it might burst into rain - can describe its 'bifurcation point'. A human being bursting into tears is participating in a far more subtle system.

In Emotional Logic terms, a safe place is more than just a hide-away from danger or risk. The Emotional Logic toolkit - such as the Activity Pack or the CD Home Study Programme - is a set of resources to map the emotional terrain out of which your responses in difficult situations emerge. The purpose of a safe place is to give yourself some time and mental space to do that mapping. Your safe place is not a bomb shelter; it's your war office; it's your planning department.

When life is getting stressed, many people will go to bed as a safe place. There's nothing wrong with that! All we suggest is that you take your CD set, or your Activity Pack, to bed with you, and you turn that place of rest into a place of gentle learning.

Human beings, ALL human beings, need safe places out of which to emerge and turn life's chaos into creative order. There are three sorts of safe place: a physical place; a state of mind; and, for some people, a trusted relationship. As a general rule, people know that if they can get to their safe place quickly they will be better able to assess their resources to handle this next situation.

We would add that, with effective mapping of your emotional terrain, you will be able to handle the situation with less distress and more choices of influence.

More about why that is so later...