🧭 What We Orient To: Danger, Safety, and Choice
From Ashley Russell, EMDR Therapist | emdrbristol.org
🧠 What Is Orienting?
Our nervous system is wired to notice threat first — the negativity bias keeps us alive. Most of the time, we automatically orient to cues of danger.
But we can also choose to notice safety. Orienting toward safety helps the nervous system settle, strengthens our Window of Tolerance, and gives us more flexibility in how we respond to life.
🪞 How to Use This
Notice what your attention naturally goes to: are you scanning for danger, or can you deliberately scan for safety?
Try this when you feel activated, anxious, or on edge — or as a daily practice to train your nervous system.
D is for Danger Cues
What signals of threat are you noticing? (Crowds, tone of voice, internal criticism, memories, or tense body sensations)
S is for Safety Cues
What signals of safety can you notice? (Supportive people, steady breathing, warmth, a calm environment, self-soothing actions)
C is for Choice
You don’t have to act on every signal. What can you deliberately focus on right now — danger or safety — to help your nervous system feel more regulated?
🪶 Example
Danger Cue – My phone buzzed with an unknown number
Safety Cue – I notice my cat curled up beside me; I’m sitting comfortably
Choice – I take a slow breath and decide to let the unknown call wait until I feel calmer
🕊️ Optional Reflection
After recording:
• How often did your attention default to danger versus safety?
• What safety cues were easiest to notice? Hardest?
• What effect did intentionally noticing safety have on your body or mood?
✨ Credits
Adapted for public use from trauma- and EMDR-informed principles of neuroception and self-regulation.
🖋 Created by Ashley Russell, EMDR Therapist | emdrbristol.org
Feel free to share — just keep the credit and the care.
From Ashley Russell, EMDR Therapist | emdrbristol.org
🧠 What Is Orienting?
Our nervous system is wired to notice threat first — the negativity bias keeps us alive. Most of the time, we automatically orient to cues of danger.
But we can also choose to notice safety. Orienting toward safety helps the nervous system settle, strengthens our Window of Tolerance, and gives us more flexibility in how we respond to life.
🪞 How to Use This
Notice what your attention naturally goes to: are you scanning for danger, or can you deliberately scan for safety?
Try this when you feel activated, anxious, or on edge — or as a daily practice to train your nervous system.
D is for Danger Cues
What signals of threat are you noticing? (Crowds, tone of voice, internal criticism, memories, or tense body sensations)
S is for Safety Cues
What signals of safety can you notice? (Supportive people, steady breathing, warmth, a calm environment, self-soothing actions)
C is for Choice
You don’t have to act on every signal. What can you deliberately focus on right now — danger or safety — to help your nervous system feel more regulated?
🪶 Example
Danger Cue – My phone buzzed with an unknown number
Safety Cue – I notice my cat curled up beside me; I’m sitting comfortably
Choice – I take a slow breath and decide to let the unknown call wait until I feel calmer
🕊️ Optional Reflection
After recording:
• How often did your attention default to danger versus safety?
• What safety cues were easiest to notice? Hardest?
• What effect did intentionally noticing safety have on your body or mood?
✨ Credits
Adapted for public use from trauma- and EMDR-informed principles of neuroception and self-regulation.
🖋 Created by Ashley Russell, EMDR Therapist | emdrbristol.org
Feel free to share — just keep the credit and the care.