Going Into the "Eye of The Storm" - A Practice in Decreasing Emotional Charge

Here's something potentially out of the ordinary: when you're feeling strong emotions around a particular event or just in general, how about delving RIGHT into them instead of trying to alleviate them? I think we have a tendency to want to make our feelings "better" when we're upset, angry, resistant or afraid. In the long run, does it really help to try and make those feelings go away? Won't they just come back again, possibly in different format and maybe even stronger than ever? The next time you find yourself wrapped up in intense emotion, try the following:

Contemplate the specific feeling you are experiencing and explore it in these ways (in other words, ask yourself these questions):

1. Where in your body does this feeling live? Try to pinpoint an exact physical place where your feelings reside, such as in the pit of your stomach, in your heart, etc.
2. At what proximity does this feeling reside? How shallow or deep inside is it?
3. What colour is the feeling?
4. What shape is the feeling?
5. What's the texture?
6. What temperature is the feeling?
7. Does it move or change?
8. How big is it?

Now...once you've established the answers to all those questions, try sitting right in "the eye" of that feeling...right in the very center...and just stay there...observing. Stay as long as you can and notice as much as you can. Maybe try to get even more clear about the details of the feeling. See what happens when you just stay there, without judgment. Does the physicality of the feeling change? Does it get bigger or smaller? Try asking the physical form of the feeling some questions such as: why are you here? What is your purpose? What would you like to show/teach me? Upon asking such questions, it's important to be open to the answers by listening to your gut reaction, the first thing that comes into your head...your intuition. Remember to always offer gratitude such as: I know you're here for a very good reason, so thank you for being here. Try this exercise until you notice some change in the feeling.

Everything is with us for a very good reason. Everything (especially the more intense things) occurs in order to impart some level of learning and growth. I don't suppose we can really enlighten ourselves as to the lessons that lie within each feeling and event if we don't explore them fully. I encourage you to do so. Further, it would be helpful to write your experiences down for the purpose of logging change and thereby imparting more learning and growth. So put on your emotional helmet and dive right in to the eye of the storm! Chances are there's something valuable in there just waiting to be uncovered.

If you would like help or guidance with this exercise, please call us or send us a message. We are eager to help you uncover anything that will lend itself to your growing and becoming a more fulfilled and healthy person.

Roberta Shepherd for Prana Holistic