Healing Trapped Emotions

Summary

The 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.