THE STORY BEHIND SAFE GROUND

Why I started Veilige Grond

Veilige Grond (Safe Ground) did not originate from one idea or one moment. It grew from my own experiences, my work as a nurse, and my search for a better understanding of what tension, old pain, and restlessness can do to a person.

For a long time, I observed how people primarily learned to cope with their complaints. But behind fatigue, tension, or physical unease often lies a story that first wants to be seen and understood.

That's why Veilige Grond was created: a place for recognition, awareness and recovery from the core.

Discover how my books can help you, click here
Look strong

The boy who always kept going

I learned early on to keep going. To appear strong, to take responsibility, and not always to show what was happening inside.

Outwardly, you can function. You can laugh, work, care for others, and achieve goals. But appearing strong is not the same as feeling safe.

It was precisely this discrepancy between what others saw and what my body experienced that later became an important part of my quest.

Looking strong isn't the same as feeling safe.

What once helped you stay afloat, doesn't always have to be the way you continue to live your life.
LOOK BEYOND THE COMPLAINT

My work as a nurse changed my perspective

In my work as a nurse, I met people suffering from pain, fatigue, anxiety, restlessness, and physical ailments. Sometimes there was a clear medical cause. Sometimes a full explanation remained elusive.

I learned that good care doesn't just start by looking at symptoms. It also starts by listening to the person behind the complaint.

What has someone experienced? What has someone been carrying for a long time? What is the body trying to make visible?

The complaint
What someone experiences physically or psychologically.
The pattern
What seems to repeat itself over and over again.
The story
What is to be seen and understood behind the complaint.
I started to see not only symptoms, but the person and the story behind them.
BODY AND MIND

When I discovered that the body remembers

I started delving into stress, trauma, the nervous system, psychology, and the connection between body and mind.

This led to a better understanding of why a reaction can sometimes feel bigger than the current situation. Why the body can remain alert, even when your mind knows the danger has passed.

The body doesn't remember to hold you back. It tries to protect you with what it has learned before.

A reaction is not automatically your identity.

What once offered protection can later become an obstacle.

New experiences of safety can be learned.

"Understanding transformed my judgment into curiosity."

The moment my search changed

My development did not come about through one method or one breakthrough. It was a combination of treatment, knowledge, deepening, movement, faith, falling, getting up, and learning to look more and more honestly at what was happening within me.
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Therapy in youth

2

Play therapy

3

Cognitive therapy

4

EMDR

5

Books and psychology

6

Sport and exercise

7

Mindfulness

8

Writing and reflection

9

In-depth research

10

Learning to recognize body signals

I found that recovery doesn't start with forcing yourself to be different.
Recovery begins with understanding why you are who you are today and then taking responsibility for the direction in which you want to move forward.
Through in-depth study of literature, psychology, and my own development, I am now able to function well again and deal with stress and signals from my body more consciously.
This is my personal recovery journey. Recovery is different for everyone. This information is not medical or treatment advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for professional guidance.
I didn't write because I wanted to become a writer
PUTTING WORDS TO WHAT YOU FEEL

I didn't write because I wanted to become a writer

I started writing because I wanted to give people something I had long missed myself: words for experiences that are difficult to explain.

Recognition can break through loneliness. Understanding can soften judgment. And sometimes, a book can be a first safe step towards a conversation, deeper understanding, or professional help.

Your mind is not your body

Your mind is not your body

A book about trauma, body signals, the brain, survival responses, and the path to recovery. (click here)

Your body may speak

Your body may speak

A workbook (ebook is free upon email registration) with an accessible introduction to the meaning of tension, restlessness, and body signals. (click here)

I wrote not just to provide information, but especially to offer recognition, language, and hope to people.

Discover the books

Understanding doesn't mean you have to live in the past.

Safe Ground is not about

  • to pigeonhole yourself into a victim role
  • seeing your past as your complete identity
  • to shift responsibility away from yourself
  • promising quick fixes
  • downplaying physical or psychological complaints
  • substituting professional help

Safe Ground is about

  • recognize what you have been through
  • understand what still resonates today
  • taking responsibility without self-condemnation
  • take body signals seriously
  • building safety and trust
  • make consciously new choices
  • grow without denying your history
You are not responsible for everything that has happened to you. You are, however, the one who can determine the direction of your next step today.
THE CONVICTION BEHIND SAFE GROUND

What I now believe

Recognition

What you can recognize, you can better learn to understand.

Honesty

You may be honest about what you feel. Vulnerability can lead to growth and development.

Safety

Sustainable change grows from peace, trust, and connection.

Awareness

Understanding patterns and body signals enables new choices.

Responsibility

Your past has an influence, but it doesn't have to be in charge.

Growth

Recovery is not a perfectly straight line, but a process of learning to live more consciously.

Your body isn't working against you.

You are more than what you've been through.

Recovery is possible.

THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING

The Future of Safe Ground

Safe Ground started with books and insights, but the mission goes further.

1

Books and in-depth publications

2

Free knowledge and e-books

3

Practical online courses

4

Content on psychology and the nervous system

5

An engaged community

6

Lectures, discussions and collaborations

The goal is not to make people dependent on Veilige Grond. The goal is to provide people with knowledge, recognition, and practical insights that empower them to stand more firmly on their own ground.

A place where you can be honest and where vulnerability can lead to growth and development.

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TO YOU

For anyone who ever thought there was something wrong with them

Perhaps for a long time, you thought you had to be stronger. That you had to feel less. That you just had to keep going.

I hope that Safe Ground helps you discover that your reactions did not arise without reason. That perhaps your body has not been working against you all this time, but has been trying to protect you.

That doesn't mean you have to stay stuck in the past. It means you can look with more understanding at what has shaped you and choose with more responsibility how you want to move forward.

You don't have to solve everything today. Perhaps your next step begins with recognition. With one honest moment. With listening to what has been asking for attention for a long time. Thank you for being part of the Safe Ground story.

Lionel van der Roest
Founder and author of Veilige Grond