This audio is to assist those who have been emotionally abused as a child. It discusses the lies you were told as a child by the abuser which can continue to affect your adult life. Learn how to refute these lies.

If you have experienced these lies as a child, listening to this audio repeatedly can help you begin to change the impact of these lies in your life. The more you recognize that what you were told was a lie and learn to counter these lies, the more you can create a more fulfilling life.

Also, using Excel At Life's Self Esteem Blackboard app can help you to challenge the inaccurate beliefs that you have about yourself because of the lies that were told you as a child.

Those who have been severely hurt or traumatized by others often have problems with trust. They may distrust everyone or trust someone too much. This audio discusses the concept of trust and to learn to discriminate. In other words, learning how much you can trust someone and to what degree you can trust them. In this way, you can examine others motives and behaviors more realistically and decide whether they are someone who you want in your life.

This audio, in combination with other audios and resources on this site can help you with problems of distrust. However, as with all the resources, it is best to review the transcript with a mental health professional to determine if it is appropriate for your situation.

This audio provides assistance when you are overwhelmed with anxiety and can't focus on relaxation especially if you are experiencing depersonalization or derealization (you or your surroundings don't feel real). The grounding technique can be particularly helpful when someone has anxiety due to trauma which is causing flashbacks to the memory of the trauma. It has you focus on your immediate surroundings to help focus away from the traumatic memory.

This type of audio is not for the purpose of relaxation but to help you feel more focused so that you can use other techniques. Once you have used the mindful grounding technique and can focus a bit more, it is a good idea to use the relaxation audios to help calm yourself further.

It is best to listen to this audio for the first time when you don't need it so that you will have an idea of what to expect. In addition, developing an understanding of mindfulness can help with this practice: Understanding Mindfulness.

Audio relaxation exercise focused on teaching the three main methods of relaxation which include slow, relaxed breathing, muscle relaxation, and guided imagery.  The imagery describes floating through a rainbow and experiencing different emotions with each color. This imagery is particularly useful to learn how to calm yourself or to feel more confident or at peace at times when you are not listening to the audio. By practicing repeatedly, you will begin to pair certain emotions with certain colors. Then you can draw on that pairing by imagining the color which will help you experience the emotion.  Choose imagery based upon what seems pleasant for you.

This may be used while sitting or lying down in a quiet, comfortable place.  Just close your eyes and listen without trying to force yourself to relax.  If your mind wanders, gently bring yourself back to focus on the words.

Although it describes gradually coming back to full awareness at the end of the exercise, some people use this to help with sleep.  They just tell themselves to ignore the directions to become more aware.

Additional reading:

Why Are Meditative Relaxation and Mindfulness Important?

A Brief Primer on the Biology of Stress and How CBT Can Help

PsychNotes: Emotionss

Do not use while operating a vehicle!

Voice only version	With music version

The purpose of this audio is to help cope with certain emotional states. It can be particularly useful for those with anxiety disorders such as Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Panic Disorder. In addition, many of those with Borderline Personality Disorder may find it helpful.

The imagery describes building a special place with rooms designed for different emotions: a room that helps you feel peaceful when you are anxious or tense, a room that helps you feel strong and in control when you are fearful, a room that feels comforting when you are sad, a room where you can release anger, a room that helps with concentration and focus, a room that energizes you, a room where you can access your creative energy, hopes, and dreams, and a room designed for restful sleep.

This imagery is particularly useful to learn how to access or manage certain emotions when you are not listening to the audio. By practicing repeatedly, you will begin to pair certain emotions with the imagery of the rooms that you have built. Then you can draw on that pairing by imagining the room which will help you manage the emotion or the state of being that you choose. For instance, if you are taking a test and need to concentrate, you can visually the room you have created for concentration to access that state. When you use this exercise repeatedly, it is best to imagine building the rooms in the same way so that the pairing becomes more powerful. However, you can add detail to the rooms to make them more vivid.

Do not use while operating a vehicle!

TRANSCRIPT

Listen

This educational audio helps you to understand the concept of tolerating anxiety and why it is important. The fear of the anxiety and the demand to get rid of it makes the anxiety worse. The more you learn to tolerate anxiety, the less intense and frequent it will be. Developing mindfulness skills increases the ability to tolerate anxiety because mindfulness focuses on the immediate present not on the catastrophic worries about the future. The more that you focus on the "what ifs" regarding anxiety, the more likely your anxiety will be triggered. However, the more you can can understand and accept the anxiety, the less insistent it becomes.