Sanctuary is a place of safety. An emotional sanctuary is, by design, a place that allows us to fully experience dangerous feelings. . . .
Effective sanctuaries appear in many guises: the comforting quiet of the chapel, the privacy of a counselor's office, the safe shelter of a hospital room. We find haven in a support group's acceptance or in the solitude of confiding our thoughts in a personal journal. In the movie A River Runs Through It a father and his two sons go frequently to a nearby stream for fly-fishing. With little talk and much concentration, they occupy this privileged place together. During difficult times they bring their negative emotions to the river; it serves as their sanctuary.
— James D. Whitehead, Evelyn E. Whitehead, Shadows of the Heart