A quick ponder on how “feeling” IS the way…
I'm always thinking about how "socially acceptable" behavior impacts our nervous system...suppression is rarely ever the optimal way. Healing and integration of the shadow always seems to be more long lasting....
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Animals in the wild (and to some extinct, domesticated pets) don't store trauma memory in the body the way humans do. They will actually physically discharge arousal energy after hyper-arousal or traumatic events by "shaking it off" - see a dog shake it’s body after hyper excitement. or a gazelle after being chased by a lion.
If we pay attention, we can see that humans still have remnants of this response...as seen when we shake our bodies when someone startles us.
However, for the most part, the development of the neocortex in our human brain, allowed us to control instinctual responses and replace them with "rational responses"… to be "social acceptable"/"politically correct".
This “evolution” caused us to be more vulnerable to trauma being stored in the body. ‘Amazing’ right?
Because we no longer use this intelligent animalistic processing, we end up holding so much in our nervous system.
This energy has to go somewhere…
If not, our brain may recreate similar scenarios in hopes of completing the cycle and discharging the energy.
This is a subconscious process; and a large part of the reason we may find ourselves in similar traumatic events/relationships/scenarios again and again.
The issue is that the events are rarely ever similar enough to the original in order to truly complete the cycle, which is what the body is looking for. Thus, we end up gathering more incomplete charges in the soma.
Allowing your Self to be with your emotions, aids the body in not collecting so much weight.
Learn to be present with the sensations in the body, without the thoughts.
FEEL THEM, without judgement or editing yourself.
ALLOW THEM to move around...watch them become bigger, and smaller, and different...
Do not be afraid of the FEELING because making a practice of "being with your emotions" is actually how we discharge arousal energy stuck in the body and free ourselves. We process, and create space to continue on Life’s journey with more ease and capacity.