Our sense of identity is formed primarily by reservoirs of unprocessed emotional energy which have accumulated since childhood. Around these reservoirs of unprocessed emotions, a second layer of convictions, attitudes, fears, expectations and reactive conditioned behavior develops .This is mixed with our perception of the world, and the story of self (the ´I) and its experiences. These three layers create the ego-structure, or ´I´-identity, which one identifies with, and through which one limits/traps oneself.
Broadly, one can divide stuck emotions in two parts:
localized emotions
diffuse emotions
Localized emotions can clearly be felt in the body. It is an area of tension in the body, caused by trauma, or unprocessed experiences from childhood. These emotions were so powerful that they were not fully processed and got stuck due to the fear of being overwhelmed by the intensity of these feelings. As a child, sometimes we do not have the capacity to deal with certain intense emotions, so we repress them, often unconsciously. We literally ´deposit´ these tensions into our body, which causes blockages in our energy system (which is why acupuncture is so effective since it works directly with blocked energy channels (meridians).
To liberate the bodily energy system of these stuck localized emotions, we have to use our inner ability of observation/attention to dissolve them. These stuck emotions, which is in fact stuck energy, is in a way a more dense form of consciousness. By using attention, pure consciousness, and bringing it to these stuck emotions, one can dissolve them.
How to dissolve localized emotions:
Unprocessed emotions can usually be easily located. An area of pain, pressure, tension, or uncomfort in the body is often caused by stuck emotions. Emotional energy is stuck in these areas. Breathe deeply, calm your mind, and feel your body. Allow your attention to go to an area of tension or pain.
Focus with your attention on this area, and ignore the first reaction to turn away from this uncomfortable area. Keep your attention on this area
After a while you will realize that this tension, or area of pain, consists of a certain size: a softer outside area, and a more dense core. Focus your attention on this core, and keep your attention on it. If you get distracted, gently bring your attention back to this core. Focus on this core, because if you focus on the softer outside area, there is a possibility the mind takes over and starts constructing a story of thoughts about the area you are feeling. The goal is to dissolve the core of the emotion, not get drawn into the whole drama and story which the mind creates around it.
Once you reach the core of a tense area, and can stay with it, the area can : 1: become bigger, 2: stay the same 3: disappear, 4: move to another place.
If it becomes bigger, stay with the core.
If it stays the same, stay with the core.
If it disappears, good.
If it moves to another place, follow it to that other place.
Once you feel the core dissolving, you might realize there are more emotions stuck underneath the core, like a spiral or staircase going down where more layers of emotions are stuck.
Follow this spiral and keep feeling through every layer of emotions.
Stay with the most intense area, feel through it, stay with it, and if you get distracted, concentrate again.
At a certain point, after hours, many days, or many weeks, the area of tension disappears, dissolves into a void, or you feel a sense of wholeness and peace.
This means the emotion has been dissolved and processed.
Important is to not force it too much, be gentle but focused.
How to dissolve diffuse emotions:
Diffuse emotions hang around you like a cloud. They consist of your convictions, prejudices, moods, projections, attitudes, fear and beliefs, including a story of world and self (i-identity).
To free yourself of these diffuse emotions:
Admit your are trapped by certain moods
Focus your attention on your mood, or general state of being, and feel a border of tension a little bit outside your body. This is the border of your energy-field.
Stay with your attention with this border of your energy-field.
Focus on what is outside of this border, and you will feel a feeling of a large void or field (pure consciousness). Once you feel this void or large field, you already notice your mood and energy field around you getting less dense.
Focus on this feeling of space/consciousness outside the border of your own cloud/energy-field.
Now use that feeling of space, to feel through your entire energy-field, stay with it.
By feeling through your entire energy field like this, with pure consciousness, your energy field/cloud that hangs around you becomes less dense. You start feeling lighter.
Notice how you feel calmer, less convinced of your own opinions and judgments, how you feel more spacious.
By feeling through your own energy field like this, you realize how often you are trapped in your own moods and convictions.
Now there are two options: the field dissolves, which mean you are done. The field moves into the body (into a localized stuck emotion), so use the techniques to dissolve localized emotions; stay with the feeling, go to the core. The diffuse emotions or cloud that hangs around you might move around a lot, so just follow it, gently, but focused. Unconsciousness dissolves by giving it attention, not by ignoring it. Unconsciousness needs consciousness.
By learning to feel through localized and diffuse emotions, you clear your own energy field, become less stuck in your own sense of self, and increase the flow of energy in the body. Daily practice increases the positive effects. In time one can simply focus on any stuck feeling or emotion (diffuse or local), and it dissolves instantaneously. A more liberated and peaceful state of mind is hence achieved.
Why do this?
Why dissolve emotions?
To feel more liberated, less stuck in the ´identity´, and create space for real inner growth.
See it as the 101 before the real work begins.
For more information on real inner work, go to the first post on direct realisation.
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