When we feel things we don’t want to feel, we try to push them aside (and sadly, we have been culturally programmed to view this as a good thing, a toughness) but unfortunately, any emotion that is not felt, cannot be released. Feeling it doesn’t mean suffering. It only means acknowledging what is there. As soon as we do that, it is ready to go and on its way out. In addition, there is a correlation between physical pain and trapped emotions. The neat part is you don’t need to know what those emotions are to be able to release them. Whether you feel them physically or emotionally, you can release them.
For example, if I have a heavy sadness that seems like it might be too much to bear, I might try to ignore it by repeating mantras, or distracting myself with Facebook, or numbing it with drinking. Or if I have a fear in the pit of my stomach, I might be tempted to medicate it, or to deny it. Or if I have a headache and I immediately think I have a tumour and I’m dying, I might spin out into a full panic. Or if I experience dizziness and convince myself I will lose control, I might actually do exactly that…
Whatever the feeling may be, whether we experience it physically or emotionally, it is stored in the body somewhere. Every emotion has a physical counterpart. And what do we tend do with that experience? We try to ignore it, minimize it, escape it, or we give it all our power passively and panic. In other words: 1) we deny its existence, or 2) we give our power away to it. Those are both fear reactions. We deny and barricade because we are scared. We give away our power because we are scared. And the feeling stays, and it grows, and it takes on a life of its own. However, feelings are messengers of the truth. They only want to be looked at. They don’t even ask for analysis. Just acknowledgement.
So whether you have a pinch in your shoulder blade, a stiff neck, a sore jaw, a chronic headache, a knot in your stomach, here is what you can do:
Take some time (5-10 minutes), and sit down somewhere comfortable:
Cover your forehead with one hand and cover the back of your head, just above the neck, with the other hand (holding these neurovascular points helps suspend the associated stress reaction, thus making your body receptive to helpful suggestions).
Feel the feeling. Acknowledge it and don’t try to flee it. Look at it in the most literal sense, like there is a tiny you staring right at it with a magnifying glass, or a microscope! Focus on the sensation. Just give it all the space it needs, make it as big as it can be. It is not dangerous, you are simply acknowledging the presence of something that is there anyway, and feelings, just like people, become far less threatening when seen and heard.
Gently ask yourself questions about it but remain indifferent if no answers come: What colour is it? What shape? What size? What texture? What temperature?
Calmly ask it some questions, again remaining indifferent if no answers come. You are activating some strong subconscious processes that will be in action creating ripples long after you are done the exercise: What message do you have for me? What do you need me to know? What are you telling me that I am not fully attentive to?
When you are ready, take a couple of deep breaths, and remind yourself that you are trusting your inner wisdom.
Notice the shift…
Repeat every time you experience an unpleasant feeling and have a few minutes to dedicate to it.
Feel free to send me a message and share your experience with this technique!
Happy releasing!
Comments