Back to safety
Find more steadiness in moments of stress and overwhelm
Back to Safety helps you recognise what you need in the moment. Find a suitable practice, understand why it may help, and discover what works for you.
35 practices · 8 free · developed by a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist
Get it on Google Play
8 free exercises · no account required · no tracking
For iPhone, iPad and Android · Available in English and Dutch
What do you need right now?
Sometimes there is high tension or restlessness. Other times you might feel tired, flat, or disconnected. And sometimes you mainly notice that your mind just keeps racing.
Back to Safety helps you not only find an exercise in these moments, but also better understand what is happening and discover what works for you.
From breathing and grounding to self-compassion, bilateral stimulation, and targeted exercises for panic or overwhelm.
More than just a collection of exercises
Back to Safety combines practice, understanding, and tracking your own experiences.
01
Practice
Choose what suits you in the moment. Some exercises take just a few minutes, while others offer more time to slow down, notice what you feel, or reflect step by step.
02
Understanding
Learn how specific exercises can help and what current research shows. The Insights section explains stress, autonomic regulation, sleep, and the window of tolerance.
03
Discover
Rate how you feel before and after each exercise. View your sessions and trends to see which exercises and times make a difference for you over time.
Discover what works for you
Start gently with Back to Safety. This guide helps you choose a practice, notice your experience and discover, step by step, what suits you.
- Get started with the 8 free practices
- A simple 7-day introduction
- A fillable personal regulation card
18 pages · PDF · No sign-up needed
See how an exercise affects you
Before and after an exercise, you will note how you feel. The affect grid shows not only whether you feel better or worse, but also if your activation level changes.
The goal is not to achieve a perfect score. It is about learning to better recognize your own responses.
Before and after an exercise
Not what works on average. What works for you.
Exercises
35 practices for different moments
Exercises for different times
For tension and restlessness
Different moments call for different approaches. That is why Back to Safety offers a variety of exercises in various lengths.
For tension and unease · For panic and overwhelm · For moments of feeling shut down · For stillness, focus, and self-compassion
Sometimes you only have two minutes in the middle of a busy day. Other times, you may want to take more time for a longer guided exercise. Back to Safety grows with you. New exercises and content will be added in future updates.
My Regulation Path, at your pace
Build your own practice routine over four weeks. Choose your direction, pace and preferences. A brief check-in helps you find a suggested exercise; afterwards you record how well it suited you. Your regulation card brings your practices, signals and sources of support together. Included with Premium.
See what you discover along the way
Look back on your practice time and before-and-after check-ins. With Premium, explore a longer period and save or print your personal Progress report. The figures are your own observations, not a diagnosis.
Space for your experiences
Keep your practices, check-ins and personal notes together. With Premium, choose a period and save or print an expanded Journal report, with your notes when you choose.
Your experience, in a personal report
Choose a period and look back on your sessions, before-and-after check-ins and personal notes. Save or print your Journal and Progress reports as PDFs, or share them when you choose. Included with Premium. Shown here: an example using fictional data.
Recognize your own stress patterns
A short quiz can help you identify your primary stress response pattern. The result is not a diagnosis. It is simply a tool to help you recognize your own reactions and find exercises that may support you.
INSIGHTS
More than exercises. Understand why they may help.
Each exercise includes a Science tab. This section explains the exercise, how it may help, and the relevant research findings and underlying mechanisms.
With Premium, explore all 7 in-depth articles, with sources and worksheets on stress, autonomic regulation, sleep and your own responses.
An overloaded nervous system
Window of Tolerance
Micro-moments of safety
Breathing and autonomic regulation
Shame and self-compassion
Dissociation and grounding
Sleep and recovery
BACKGROUND
Understand why it may help
Each exercise includes instructions, its potential benefits, and the supporting scientific research. This applies to all exercises, including the eight available for free.
The exercises in Back to Safety have been selected and developed based on relevant scientific insights and active principles from research into breathing, attention, stress regulation, self-compassion, and psychotherapy.
While not every individual exercise has been directly studied as a standalone intervention, I distinguish between what is known from research, what is plausible based on that research, and what has not yet been directly tested.
Back to Safety is not a treatment and does not replace professional care when needed.
Your data remains yours
You do not need an account to use Back to Safety. The data you enter in the app remains stored locally on your device. There is no tracking, and your personal data is not saved on any server.
No account
No tracking
Locally on your device
Start for free. Continue when you want more.
With eight free exercises, you can explore Back to Safety at your own pace. These free sessions also explain the purpose behind each exercise and the supporting research.
If you want more options, in-depth exercises, full access to Insights, and greater insight into your patterns, you can upgrade to Premium.
FREE
Free
A meaningful way to get started with Back to Safety.
8 exercises, including the physiological sigh, box breathing, 5-4-3-2-1 grounding, and safe place
An explanation of the science behind each exercise and why it may help
2 guided audio exercises
Visual pacer for breathing exercises
Pre- and post-exercise check-in
Mood tracking diary with a limited number of sessions
Ambient ocean sound
Nervous system profile quiz with recommendations
No account required
No tracking
PREMIUM · EXPANDING LIBRARY
Premium
Your complete practice experience: exercises, a personal programme, insights and reports.
€10.99 per month
or
€69.99 per year
All 35 practices in the growing library
My Regulation Path: your personal four-week practice programme
Your regulation card with exercises, personal signals and sources of support
Spoken guidance for selected exercises, with visual and sound support where available
Short practices and longer guided sessions
All 7 in-depth articles, with explanations, sources and worksheets
An expanded Journal for your sessions and personal notes
Progress over your chosen period
Your before-and-after measurements and practice patterns
Choose the period included in your reports
A short quiz with starting points for practices
Personal Journal and Progress reports to save or print as PDFs
The full ambient library, including ocean, rain, piano and calm
New content in future updates while your subscription is active
Start with 8 free practices. Subscriptions renew automatically and can be cancelled through your app store. The current price is shown in the app before purchase.
Also available on tablets
Back to Safety is available for iPhone, iPad and Android devices, in English and Dutch.
CREATED FROM CLINICAL PRACTICE
A real voice behind Back to Safety
Back to Safety grew out of my work as a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist. I wanted to make practical exercises and clear explanations available beyond the therapy room, for moments of stress, overwhelm, or when you need a little more support.
I developed the app to bring together what I use and value in clinical practice: practical exercises, careful explanations, and room to notice your own response. Not to tell you how you should feel, but to help you discover what may work for you.
Audrey de Jong
Clinical psychologist and psychotherapist
Creator of Back to Safety
Frequently asked questions
Is Back to Safety a form of therapy?
Is the app free to use?
What is included with Premium?
How long do the exercises take?
Are new exercises being added?
What is the scientific basis for the exercises?
Do I need to create an account?
What happens to my data?
Which languages is the app available in?
Does Back to Safety work on iPad?
Back to Safety, whenever you need it
Start with eight free exercises to find what works for you. If you wish to continue, Back to Safety supports your progress with additional exercises, deeper clinical insights, and a clearer understanding of your personal patterns.
For iPhone, iPad and Android · Available in English and Dutch
Back to Safety
Developed by Audrey de Jong, clinical psychologist and psychotherapist.
© 2026 Back to Safety