Emotions: The Bridge Between Physical & Psychic
Greetings, fellow explorers! Today, we're traversing the fascinating realm where physical and psychic worlds intertwine. This bridge is an intimately familiar part of our everyday lives: our emotions. So, buckle up, and let's dive into today’s lesson.
Our emotions are the key that unlocks the door to our inner world. This rich, inner landscape is a vibrant tapestry of thoughts, images, feelings, ideas - the "content" of our minds. Yet, as vivid as these mental images may be, they are grounded in something far more tangible – our bodies.
Renowned neuroscientist Antonio Damasio, in his book 'Feeling and Knowing,' sheds light on this mind-body connection. He explains that the content of our minds is not an isolated phenomenon, but rather a direct product of what our bodies carry unconsciously. In a sense, our minds are an echo of our physical selves, and our emotions serve as the resonating sound wave.
Let's dig a bit deeper into the science behind it. Our emotions are intricately linked to sensory input. They're our nervous system's response to the inner and outer worlds we navigate. Picture this: each emotional response is a unique blend of electrical impulses and hormones in different ratios, orchestrated by our brain. Fascinating, isn't it?
And here's where the real magic happens. This physiological process shows us that we humans are 'meat algorithms,' — our brains operate in intricate patterns, just like an algorithm processes data to produce specific outputs. Our emotions, then, are how we can directly access and understand the code running our complex algorithms. It is the language our body and mind use to communicate.
Furthermore, this understanding doesn't merely empower us to decipher the Unconscious; it also allows us to interpret our emotions when we apply a Shadow Work practice—translating them into insightful revelations about our inner selves. Within the grand scheme of an ongoing shadow work practice, this decoding process unlocks a veritable treasure chest of self-discovery and growth.
When we access and acknowledge our emotions, we tap into the raw, unfiltered energy that fuels our thoughts, behaviors, and interactions. We step onto the bridge between our physical and psychic selves, grounding our subconscious explorations in tangible, embodied experience.
Navigating this bridge isn't always smooth sailing. Yet, the beauty of this journey lies in its transformative potential. Through understanding our emotions, we gain valuable insights into ourselves, our reactions, and our relationships with the world around us.
So, dear explorers, as we traverse the emotional landscape, let's remember that our emotions aren't just fleeting feelings. They are the vibrant bridge between our physical and psychic worlds, the key to unlocking our inner selves, and the language of our body-mind dialogue. Happy exploring!
Remember to make your emotions your allies and your guides, for they are the powerful bridge that connects your physical and psychic worlds. Let's honor this connection, explore it, and leverage it to navigate our inner selves and the world around us. Until next time, explorers!
Shadow Work Journal Prompts:
What emotions are easiest for me to feel? Why?
What emotions are most difficult for me to feel? Why?
What physical sensations accompany both? (temperature, weight, movement, pressure, etc.)
When/how/where did I learn that some emotions were ‘off limits’ while others were okay to feel? Why?
How can I communicate to my younger Self that it’s okay to feel those things now? (for example: write a letter to past self, visualization exercise, gentle meditation, listening to a song, making art to express the repressed emotions, etc.)