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LightSeed.com > Self-Empowerment Center > Articles > Emotional Factoids I

Emotional Factoids I
Understanding Emotions

by Bobbi Gay

1. Emotional energy is really a physical sensation; the sensation tells us emotional energy is seeking to express. When we allow expression with the intention of releasing it, we get relief. In addition as emotional energy gets moving, more information needed for healing, will generally emerge. An example might be a type of anger I used to feel a lot. As I learned to stay with the feeling, it changed. Next I realized that the particular kind of pain I was feeling, was actually a mixture of anger and sadness. The sadness was because I really wanted to feel close to those I was angry with. To release the whole gestalt or pattern, I needed to feel the sadness also.

2. Thought precedes emotion. Our feelings are telling us something about the way we are thinking. Negative thoughts generate negative emotion.

3. We don't really recognize it consciously, but we are constantly exercising judgment as to whether things that happen are good for us or bad for us. Our emotions tend to stabilize when we make that judgment process more conscious. We can release irrational assumptions and try a different approach. Example: "Wait a minute here, just because the gas pump isn't working doesn't mean it will be a bad day. I guess I could use this situation to practice advocating for myself in a friendly way. Reframing and a friendly self-advocacy assures a more positive emotional state in response to the problem."

As I learned during a two year period of illness , not all gifts look great at first. When I look back I remember how clearly bad it all felt for me. Many times I prayed for relief, instead I got what I really needed. It was the turning point of my life and I'd do it again to get what I gained. Start to notice your judgments as to whether people and events are good or bad for you. Play with the idea that there could be a way in which what's happening might have a more benevolent interpretation.

4. If we allow the energy of the emotion to be felt fully, it will release. Sigmund Freud was enamored with catharsis for a while, but ultimately rejected it feeling that the tension returned over time. Stanislav Grof explains that Freud was working with only a partial understanding of catharsis. When something is felt fully, without suppression it will release. This may take guidance and the use of breath and bodywork. I do not recommend this in cases of post traumatic stress unless it is done very carefully. Once an emotion is felt it is then time to find the lesson or meaning and move on.

In cases of extremely deep encoding it may take several sessions. Sometimes this is because of the mixing of several emotions into an overall feeling state. Sometimes the person is a little afraid of full expression. Sometimes the trauma happened so early that it is difficult to integrate the meaning. Sometimes there is an addiction to the feeling, even a miserable feeling. Most often the person has not changed the thought patterns that recreate the emotion.

5. We can learn to identify our emotions by tuning into the body. As I said earlier emotions are sensations we feel in the body in response to a decision about whether something is good or bad for us. This can be a split second process. We feel our emotions first in the body and then we react to the sensation. Fear is often held in the solar plexus and intestines. Anger tends to stick in the shoulders, neck and jaw. Grief and loss lodge in the heart area. Shame is often described as a yucky ball in the solar plexus.

6. Often when we think we are hiding feelings it is plainly on the face or in the body language. Emotional truth wants to express.

7. When we hide our feelings from another, we will never feel seen. Our emotional truth is more essentially who we are then what we identify with, the false self.

8. People are more fundamentally lovable when they are emotionally real. There is a quality of essence that is palpable when someone is present with his or her own emotional experience. In groups the love just flows. In couple's work the love just flows. Self-love flows too. My heart flows out to others when they are real.

9. We are strengthened when we learn to be with our feelings. Over time one feels more and more mastery in life's circumstances. Conscious CHOICE enters the picture. One feels deeply connected to Self.

 

Resources:

1. Working effectively with emotions was the single most freeing part of my own journey. For this reason I have studied emotions for thirteen years now. I've put a lot of love into the tape set called Understanding Your Emotions This is meant to be a user's Guide for the Emotions.
   
   
2. Asking yourself, "What must I be believing in order to feel this way?" is enormously helpful. Sometimes the realization that you are carrying an outdated belief is all that is needed to create positive change. For help in shifting belief patterns please see the article entitled, Process for Shifting Limiting Beliefs.
   
   
3. Begin to notice the sensations within your body that characterize emotions. Name the feeling. This is a simple intervention that bridges back to emotional health.
   
   
4. The book entitled Emotional Clearing : Releasing Negative Feelings and Awakening Unconditional Happiness by John Ruskan is a helpful introduction to working effectively with emotion.
   
   
5. The book entitled Conscious Breathing : Breathwork for Health, Stress Release, and Personal Mastery by Gay Hendricks gives profoundly helpful advice and guidance for using the breath to release as well as rebalance. Many will find it easier and get more value from the audio tape.
   
   
6. Our Acorn Solution called Emergency Blend will support any deep releasing process. It removes shock from the energy field, and body. Then Emergency Blend helps you to rebalance.
   
   
7. Working with shame is some of the most difficult work I know of. For working with shame I would recommend Shame Less Blend. I feel it's important to know that shame is one of the emotions that really tends to heighten before release. For this reason good support is sometimes needed. Shame is not only very painful, but it causes blind spots that interfere with self acceptance, insights and integration. If you work with shame and feel the need for a little help please consider using the phone services on this site. I have a lot of experience in helping people ease through this most difficult process. For a better understanding of how systemmically shame diminishes life we suggest reading Healing the Shame That Binds You by John Bradshaw.
   
   
8. Grief tends to cause a loss of vitality and connection to life. Our Acorn Solution called Grief Relief Blend will begin to lift it right out. The description we provide will help you to work effectively with this process. For me in my life grief was a big one for that reason I know that the person in grief often needs tenderness and so for that reason my phone services might be advisible and very comforting.
   
   
9. For those working with the toxic emotions produced by sexual violation I strongly recommend Reach for the Rainbow : Advanced Healing for Survivors of Sexual Abuse by Lynne D. Finney.
   
   
10. Sometimes working intensively with strong emotions can be ungrounding. We can feel rocked at the core and nervous and accident prone. In such cases I recommend Grounding Blend, even if you don't purchase the product please read the description of the blend for helpful information.

More Emotional Factoids II

 

 

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