EMOTIONS: Energy In Motion; The Emotional Journey ‘Through’ Suffering and into Joy.
The inspiration for this topic comes in response to the myriad of conversations that I have had with people in my practice. Time and time again I find people asking, “Why am I suffering? Why do I have these painful emotions? How can I get rid of them? Why can’t I just experience peace and joy? ”
When faced with this question, I am reminded of Byron Katie’s statement that “suffering is optional.” Suffering is the by-product of what we think, the judgments we hold about ourselves and others and the negative feelings that arise out of these situations. Often these negative emotions translate into dis-ease in the physical body as well as a chronic separation from our intrinsic sense of well being, aliveness and connection. People attribute their suffering to the “bad feelings” and often do personal work because their emotions and their physical bodies are letting them know that they are not feeling well. People commonly battle with emotions such as sadness, grief, anger, fear, anxiety, rage, guilt and shame. Once they are in the workshop or consultation session, they hope that the emotions will leave, get better or end and then their suffering would automatically end as well.