One’s suffering disappears when one lets oneself go when one yields … even to sadness ~ Antoine de Saint-Expuery
Emotions are a complex mosaic made up of memory, judgment, conditioning, and beliefs that become part of a person’s meaning-making system. They evoke both positive and negative feelings such as love, sadness/grief, fear, anger, shame, worry, joy, happiness, or excitement and are a core component of interpersonal communication and connection to others.
Emotions can be expressed consciously or unconsciously through speech, actions, body sensations, or body language (a smile might indicate happiness, a shaking foot can betray agitation or a clenched fist can signify anger).
Emotions can be the source of wellness if properly developed and functioning or the reason for disease if hidden and unexpressed. They can span in intensity from mild to extreme.
Emotions And Your Body
When an event occurs that triggers emotion, the brain reacts by sending signals throughout the body to change body posture, facial expression, and breathing. A tightened stomach in response to anxiety, an increase in heart rate during a fearful experience or crying when grief is present are all examples of the physiological aspect of emotions.
From the research of neuroscientist, Dr. Candace Pert, it is known that emotional memory is also chemically and electrically transmitted to the entire body and stored in the cells as unexpressed emotions.
“Your body is your subconscious mind.” ~ Candace Pert
Do You Avoid Your Emotions?
Because of cultural conditioning or other reasons, you may have been prevented from voicing the emotions associated with painful memories of failure, loss, and suffering. The result is a tendency to bury emotions by using unconscious defense mechanisms such as denial, deflection or withdrawal.
This can result in a reluctance to take risks, embrace change, be confident and can stop personal growth. (Suppressed or unconscious anger can cause depression and inaction).
Take this Quiz:
How many of these questions can you answer ‘yes’ to?
Do you ever:
- Ignore your real feelings with “I am fine/not too bad/ok”?
- Minimise what you feel “Everyone feels pain…no big deal”?
- Use humour to deflect sadness?
- Suppress your emotions with drugs, alcohol, caffeine?
- Distract your feelings by watching TV, excessive shopping, gambling etc?
- Find yourself overeating, over-sleeping, overworking or procrastinating?
Hidden emotions can reside under such actions and language and they can be the source of impulsive choices to buy that expensive car in order to cover up feelings of worthlessness. They can be the reason relationships may repeatedly play out in the same unhealthy ways (unresolved anger issues creating conflict with a partner)
“Emotion is the chief source of all becoming conscious. There can be no transforming of darkness into light and of apathy into movement without emotion.”
~ Carl Jung
Emotional Healing is not a linear process with a clear beginning and end… It is more a journey of self-discovery to effectively recognise, express, take responsibility for and integrate the emotions that arise in response to unpredictable life experiences. It helps you gain awareness of how buried emotional pain and hurt from past traumatic (loss, failure, abuse) events have shaped your present-day reactions and affect future choices.
The process of healing includes:
- Recognition that something is not working that needs fixing
- Gaining perspective of repetitive, patterns and beliefs through reflection
- Identifying and expressing negative emotions
- Letting go of these emotions through a release processes
- Taking responsibility for the emotions by embracing change
- Integration of the learning by increasing emotional awareness
Why Breathwork Works So Well
Emotional healing within a Breathwork session begins when emotions start to come to consciousness, are expressed and eventually released.
The conscious-connected breathing pattern of Breathwork builds pressure within the body, energises the cells and begins to access the stored emotions there. This releases cellular memory, traumas as well as any pent-up grief, fear, resentments, and anger.
As the Breathwork supports integration of more and more emotions, the emotional reactivity is replaced by emotionally intelligent responses that increase awareness and encourage healing.
Working with your emotions during Breathwork
Acknowledging and healing negative emotions through Breathwork can:
- identify old patterns of feelings/behaviour
- influence change and support different life choices
- gain greater perspective and understanding of life experiences
- change beliefs and motivate courageous actions
- promote inspired movement toward growth
- generate meaningful, honest communication and connection with others
- support more precise emotional language
- expand creativity and curiosity
- grow confidence to meet any challenge in life
- generate awareness of inner balance between heart and mind
Accessing and releasing emotions through Breathwork can be liberating and can provide the ability to let go of the emotional blocks. Out of that release can come a more open, passionate, meaningful and purpose-driven life.
“The past will return to us again and again until we allow the emotions to surface into consciousness.” ~ unknown
