you are your safe place
you are your safe place is the fourth self-help and self-improvement book written by the psychologist, scientific popularizer and Spanish author María Esclapez. The work was published by the Bruguera publishing house in 2023. Beyond the commercial titles created by gurus or enlightened people, mental health professionals have given themselves the necessary task of writing for people of flesh and blood.
That is why it is increasingly common to find books written by psychologists on the shelves of bookstores, because someone needs to tell people it's possible, but not everything; that it is necessary to seek peace, but not always; that, if you work hard enough, it is possible to achieve many good things, but not everything you want, that there is no magic wand to eliminate traumas, among other things.
Synopsis of you are your safe place
The scope of emotional security
in the pages of you are your safe place, Maria Esclapez raises some practical tools for the reader to be able to establish a healthier relationship with himself. A priori, it makes sense, because individually we are the only person who will always be with us. So, it is preferable that we learn to treat ourselves with respect, without judging ourselves.
In theory, It is a concept very similar to the one used by Elizabeth Clapés in Dear Me: we need to talk. The main difference between the two texts is that Clapés's book is much more focused on having an intimate conversation with his readers, always speaking to them from a comfortable place.
For its part, Esclapez's work is a material of Self Help whose purpose is to test the reader. This, because, in addition to the theoretical aspects, it offers steps to follow with respect to several of its points of view. The latter are supported by the author's research and her therapeutic sessions.
Main practices proposed by María Esclapez
The practice of self-awareness
Great philosophers, thinkers and psychologists have spoken before about self-knowledge. It is natural to want to delve deeper into this, because thanks to this tool it is possible to identify which are those internal strengths and weaknesses and how to improve them.
The use of positive affirmations
This is another commonplace as far as self-improvement is concerned. This is not the first book that affirms that positive thinking or mentality has beneficial effects in mood and lifestyle. In this regard, the author proposes to the reader to repeat positivist phrases to increase her energy.
Meditation and relaxation
Another point in common with other works is the exposition of the theory on meditation and relaxation exercises. These are designed so that the reader makes his way inside, and can build his world with greater consciousness.
The practice of gratitude
Again, there is nothing new in this teaching. This exercise consists of reflecting on the good things in life and thanking each one of them, in order to generate a feeling of comfort and well-being.
Creative visualization
Most human beings tend to visualize negative scenarios long before these situations occur. Sometimes these imaginary environments never happen, creating a sense of stress. Maria Esclapez urges its readers to do the opposite. That is to say: imagine positive scenarios and think about them as if they were already happening.
This exercise is supposed to have the purpose of revealing the desires hidden in the depths of the psyche. On the other hand, the author also states that visualization is effective in building self-esteem, and produce hormones associated with happiness.
Structure of you are your safe place
Being a textbook, María Esclapez presents a clear structure. The topics addressed in the work are arranged as follows.
Introduction
This is a short section, where María Esclapez presents her approach about how important it is for people to start feeling confident about themselves to establish healthier relationships.
Chapter 1: “The need for a safe place”
Later, the author explains the importance of creating a safe interior space. According to the psychologist, this area will allow a better management of the obstacles that arise on a daily basis.
Chapter 2: “Blocks in the way”
In this section, María Esclapez talks about those limitations that can prevent people from reaching a safe indoor place. These blocks can be due to fear of failure or excessive self-demand.
Chapter 3: "The Inner Path"
It is from this section that the author begins to provide the tools mentioned above. Are They are intended to be exercises for the reader to build their emotional strength and put plans for your safe place into development.
Chapter 4: “Personal relationships”
During the pages of this chapter, María Esclapez explains how interpersonal relationships affect the consolidation of the safe place. In the same way, it exposes how it is possible to establish limits in order to build healthier and more nutritious relationships with the environment.
Chapter 5: “The role of the mind”
In this section, the psychologist comments on the importance of cultivating a positive mentality to maintain the stability and harmony of the safe place.
Chapter 6: “Integrating the safe place into daily life”
Maria Esclapez proposes a series of strategies to extrapolate the internal safe place to the plane of real life.
Conclusion
In the end, the author provides a summary of the major points of the book. At the same time, it encourages readers to work hard in building their inner safe place.
About the author, María Esclapez Cartagena
Maria Esclapez
María Esclapez Cartagena was born in 1990, in Elche, Alicante, Spain. He studied at the Faculty of Psychology at the Miguel Hernández University., house of higher education in Elche. Subsequently, she obtained a specialty in couples therapy and sexology at the ISEP institute.
Maria Esclapez She is known for collaborating with the media, such as Cosmopolitan, El País, RTVE y Mediaset. In them, he usually talks about self-esteem or sexual health.
Other books by María Esclapez
- Sexual intelligence (2017);
- love your sex (2020);
- I love me, I love you (2022)