Hi. My name's Karen Baker, and I'm the graduate counseling intern at Crossroad Counseling Associates, being supervised by Rick Reynolds. Experiencing betrayal trauma is incredibly jarring. Your whole system becomes dysregulated and flooded at a moment's notice. In this video, I'm going to lead you through a short, guided meditation to help you come back to the present moment and feel more grounded.

If you can't follow along now, bookmark this video to listen to later. So, take a moment to pause this video and adjust your space and find a comfortable position for you to relax in.

In a comfortable position, laying down or seated, I invite you to close your eyes. And imagine that you are a bright light, gracefully suspended in the vastness of space. And in your mind's eye you see Earth slowly turning below you.

Inhale deeply as you watch the Earth rotate. Watching all of the continents and oceans drift by.

As you exhale, notice with wonder all of the vast colors within creation and the vastness of space with all of its stars. Slowly turn your attention back to Earth and imagine a soft breeze slowly carrying you closer to our little blue planet.

The landscape unfolds beneath you revealing a breathtaking tapestry of nature, rolling hills, expanse of oceans, and towering mountains.

Continue your gentle descent until you are gracefully hovering over this specific location you find yourself in right now - a bustling city, a quiet town, mountain scape, a quiet valley.

Lower yourself even further until you are gazing upon the building that you are in. And feel the connection between your ethereal presence and the earthly surroundings.

Descend even further until you view your own body below you. Slowly and steadily, keep dropping until you see yourself in full detail.

Observe with kindness and compassion your posture, the movements you make, the gentle rise and fall of your chest, the clothing that you wear. Slowly and gently drift back into your body.

And as you slip into your body, breathe in deeply and slowly and exhale all the way out. With each breath, become aware of the supporting embrace of the seat beneath you. Feel the grounding sensation that it provides. As you breathe in, envision the wonders of space and the beauty within all of the nature you have encountered.

Inhale through your nose and begin to wiggle your fingers and toes, savoring the connection between your body and your spirit.

Open your mouth. Exhale and roll out your wrists and ankles. Once more, inhale through your nose and stretch your arms up over your head and on your exhale, stick out your tongue and say “HAAAAAH”. When you're ready, slowly open your eyes.

Remember, you can always come back to this meditation and use it in times of dysregulation and regulation.

Be well and keep breathing.