Healing Trapped Emotions

Rupert Spira

24 Mar 202408:46

Summary

TLDRThe speaker discusses strategies for dealing with difficult emotions and subconscious suffering. They emphasize the importance of inviting these emotions into conscious awareness with a loving approach, rather than clinical investigation. By visualizing oneself as an open, empty, loving space of awareness, one can invite deep-seated feelings to surface, especially during relaxation before sleep. This method is contrasted with the Tantric approach of 'devouring' emotions while remaining as awareness. The summary highlights the need for relaxation, sensitivity, and a shift from investigation to a more compassionate engagement with one's inner experiences.

Takeaways

🧘‍♂️ The speaker suggests dealing with subconscious emotions by inviting them into conscious awareness with a loving and open approach.
🌱 It's important to stay connected with the body and the breath as a method to maintain equilibrium and deal with emotions.
🌙 Nightmares may indicate unresolved emotions that are hidden during the day but surface at night when the mind is quieter.
🤗 The practice involves feeling oneself as an open, empty, loving space of awareness, which can help in inviting deep-seated emotions to the surface.
🛌 A bedtime practice is recommended to relax the focus of attention away from thoughts and perceptions and towards a loving awareness of emotions.
💭 The emotions that appear in nightmares are seeking attention, and it's beneficial to give them loving attention while awake.
🔄 The process involves making friends with these feelings, acknowledging their presence, and not treating them as problems to be solved.
🧐 The speaker distinguishes between clinical investigation and a loving approach, emphasizing the latter for dealing with deep emotions.
🌀 The practice is described as a first step towards 'devouring' emotions, which means fully embracing them without resistance.
💡 Relaxation and sensitivity are key components of the process, allowing for the surfacing of subtle emotions that may be overlooked.
🌈 The ultimate goal is to be the open, loving space of awareness that welcomes and integrates all experiences, rather than just investigating or analyzing them.

Q & A

How does one deal with difficult emotions and psychological suffering that reside in the subconscious?
-The speaker suggests feeling oneself as an open, empty, loving space of awareness and inviting these feelings to come out of their hiding places in the subconscious into this space, rather than investigating them as one would in a clinical manner.
What is the speaker's current approach to dealing with emotions and conditioning?
-The speaker's current approach involves investigating the self, emotions, and conditioning during the waking state and maintaining a connection with the breath to stay in the body, which helps in returning to a state of equilibrium.
Why might deep-seated feelings appear during the night rather than during the day?
-Deep-seated feelings emerge at night because during the day they are buried under superficial layers of experience such as thoughts and perceptions. At night, when these layers are reduced, these feelings come to the surface.
What is the recommended practice before going to bed to deal with subconscious feelings?
-The recommended practice is to relax the focus of attention from thoughts and perceptions, feel oneself as an open, empty, loving space of awareness, and invite the feelings to come out of their hiding places before falling asleep.
How does the speaker define the approach of feeling oneself as an open, empty, loving space of awareness?
-This approach is about being knowingly this loving, open awareness, rather than just relaxing or investigating. It involves a more loving and accepting stance towards one's emotions.
What is the difference between the suggested approach and a clinical investigation of emotions?
-The suggested approach is more about creating a loving and welcoming space for emotions to surface and be acknowledged, rather than dissecting or analyzing them in a clinical manner.
Why might the feelings that appear in nightmares be important to address?
-The feelings that appear in nightmares are important because they are calling for loving attention, indicating that they need to be acknowledged and integrated into conscious awareness during waking life.
What is the significance of the phrase 'bringing them close, kissing the toad' in the context of the discussion?
-The phrase 'bringing them close, kissing the toad' metaphorically represents the act of embracing and accepting the difficult emotions, which is a step towards devouring or integrating them into one's awareness.
How can one create a space of loving awareness during the day?
-One can create a space of loving awareness by relaxing the focus of attention from content such as thoughts and perceptions, and extending an invitation to deeper emotional experiences to surface and be acknowledged.
What is the role of relaxation and sensitivity in dealing with subconscious emotions?
-Relaxation and sensitivity are important as they allow one to let the subconscious emotions come up to the surface and to be sensitive to even the most subtle emotions, creating an environment conducive to emotional healing.
How does the speaker differentiate between the practice of investigation and the practice of feeling as an open, empty loving space of awareness?
-The speaker differentiates by stating that investigation is about examining the self on whose behalf feelings arise, whereas feeling as an open, empty loving space of awareness is about creating a welcoming environment for emotions to surface without the need for analysis.

Outlines

00:00

🧘 Dealing with Subconscious Emotions

The speaker discusses the challenge of managing difficult emotions and psychological suffering that reside in the subconscious. They share their current approach of self-investigation and staying connected with their breath to maintain equilibrium. However, they acknowledge that deeper issues persist, as evidenced by nightmares. The advice given is to adopt a softer, more loving approach, feeling oneself as an open, empty space of loving awareness, and inviting these emotions to surface rather than clinically investigating them. The speaker emphasizes the importance of making friends with these feelings and giving them loving attention during the waking state, as they are likely to resurface during sleep when conscious distractions are reduced.

05:02

🌙 Nurturing Emotional Awareness at Night

This paragraph delves into a method for bringing subconscious emotions to the surface, particularly at night. The speaker suggests lying in bed and relaxing the focus of attention away from thoughts and perceptions to feel oneself as an open, empty, loving space of awareness. The goal is to invite deeper emotional layers to emerge and to connect with the deepest feelings without being preoccupied with the superficial layers of experience. The process involves relaxation and sensitivity to subtle emotions, and it's distinguished from self-investigation by emphasizing the importance of feeling and being in a state of loving openness. The speaker clarifies that this practice is not about merely relaxing but about embodying a specific state of awareness that naturally leads to relaxation.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Difficult Emotions

Difficult emotions refer to feelings that are challenging to experience or express, such as intense sadness, anger, or fear. In the video, the speaker discusses how these emotions can reside in the subconscious and affect a person even when they are not consciously acknowledged. The script mentions dealing with these emotions through a process of inviting them into conscious awareness rather than avoiding or investigating them.

💡Psychological Suffering

Psychological suffering encompasses the mental and emotional distress that individuals experience, often as a result of unresolved issues or deep-seated emotions. The video's theme revolves around addressing this suffering by bringing subconscious emotions to the surface and treating them with a loving and open awareness, as opposed to clinical investigation.

💡Subconscious

The subconscious is the part of the mind that contains thoughts, memories, and emotions that are not in the forefront of conscious awareness. The script discusses the idea that difficult emotions and psychological suffering can be rooted in the subconscious, affecting individuals even when they are not actively conscious of these feelings, such as during nightmares.

💡Investigating the Self

Investigating the self is a process of introspection and self-examination to understand one's own emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. In the context of the video, the speaker mentions that while this is a common approach to achieving equilibrium, it may not be sufficient for dealing with emotions that are deeply buried in the subconscious.

💡Equilibrium

Equilibrium, in this context, refers to a state of balance or stability in one's emotional state. The script describes how the individual often returns to this state through self-investigation but acknowledges that deeper issues may still exist beneath the surface.

💡Loving Space of Awareness

The loving space of awareness is a concept introduced in the video where one perceives themselves as an open, empty, and loving space that is receptive to all emotions. This concept is central to the video's approach to dealing with difficult emotions, suggesting that instead of investigating or avoiding them, one should invite them into this space to be embraced and healed.

💡Nightmares

Nightmares are vivid and disturbing dreams that can cause emotional distress. In the script, they are mentioned as a manifestation of the subconscious emotions that are not addressed during the waking state. The speaker suggests that these emotions come to the surface during sleep when the conscious mind is less active.

💡Tantra Approach

The Tantra approach, as briefly mentioned in the script, refers to a spiritual practice that involves engaging with and transforming deep-seated emotions. The speaker differentiates this approach from simply getting lost in emotions by emphasizing the importance of remaining as awareness while devouring or integrating these emotions into one's being.

💡Devouring Emotions

Devouring emotions, as discussed in the context of the Tantra approach, is a process of fully embracing and integrating emotions into one's consciousness. The speaker suggests this as a next step beyond merely inviting emotions into awareness, indicating a deeper level of engagement with one's emotional landscape.

💡Relaxation and Sensitivity

Relaxation and sensitivity are two qualities that the speaker identifies as important for allowing subconscious emotions to surface. Relaxation helps to quiet the mind, while sensitivity allows one to be receptive to even the subtlest emotional cues. The script emphasizes the importance of these qualities in the process of inviting emotions into conscious awareness.

💡Open, Empty Loving Space

The open, empty loving space is a metaphor used in the video to describe a state of being that is receptive and non-judgmental towards all emotions. It is a state of awareness that is open to experiencing and integrating emotions without resistance or investigation, which is central to the video's approach to dealing with psychological suffering.

Highlights

Investigating the self and emotions consciously can lead to a state of equilibrium, but deeper subconscious issues may still persist.

Nightmares can indicate unresolved emotions in the subconscious.

Staying in the body and connecting with the breath is a current approach to emotional investigation.

A softer, more loving approach is recommended for dealing with deep-seated emotions.

Feeling oneself as an open, empty, loving space of awareness can invite emotions to surface.

Surrendering emotions to a loving space can help instead of clinical investigation.

Emotions often surface at night when thoughts and perceptions are reduced.

Practicing relaxation and inviting emotions before sleep can be beneficial.

Making friends with emotions in the waking state can address issues that appear in nightmares.

The Tantric approach involves devouring emotions while remaining as awareness.

The first step towards emotional devouring is inviting emotions into conscious awareness.

Relaxation and sensitivity are key components in allowing emotions to surface.

Feeling oneself as an open, empty loving space of awareness is more specific than just relaxation.

Investigation is not the same as feeling; it's about understanding the self from which feelings arise.

Deep-seated feelings are often immune to investigation and require a different approach.

Being knowingly the loving open awareness is the key to inviting deep experiences to the surface.

The practice involves extending an invitation to deeper layers of experience to rise to the surface.

Getting in touch with the deepest feelings is a process of inviting them into conscious awareness.