- How To Release Emotions Stuck In Your Body - (https://www.pacesconnection.com/blog/how-to-release-emotions-stuck-in-your-body)
- Emotional Healing 101 - (https://www.universalclass.com/i/course/emotional-healing.htm)
- Healing Emotions by Dalai Lama - (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/646029/healing-emotions-by-hh-the-fourteenth-dalai-lama/)
- 8 Tips for Healing Emotilnal Wounds - (https://psychcentral.com/blog/imperfect/2019/03/8-tips-for-healing-emotional-wounds)
- Why we heal: The evolution of psychological healing and implications for global mental health - (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272735820301082)
- The Importance of Healing Emotional Wounds - (https://coriechu.com/blog/2021/3/1/the-importance-of-healing-emotional-wounds)
- How to Let Go of Things from the Past - (https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-let-go)
There are moments in life when pain leading to suffering reminds us that there are fragmented parts of us that do require mending and therapy. There is a clear signal that something is out of balance and requires immediate attention, love, and care.
We must address these negative signals and treat the root cause. This can be achieved through emotional healing in which the painful life experiences no longer control our thoughts, feelings, and actions.
What is Emotional Healing?
Emotional healing is the ability to take proper control of the painful thoughts, feelings and emotions so that they do not interfere with the present moments.
Emotional healing is a process of accepting all the painful life experiences and the negative emotional reaction which is generated from them. It means to be properly mastering the art of coping with various stressors. When emotionally healed, the psychological hurt which was bothering does not hold someone back. The mental wounds are closed and there is no significant pain.
During the process of emotional healing, the past will never be a barrier to live the present moment happily and peacefully. Healing emotions and also changing negative thoughts will allow to assemble all the broken parts of oneself. It propels coming to terms with the grief, thereby becoming stronger and more confident from within.
Purpose of Emotional Healing
Emotional healing teaches us life lessons on coping and adjustment. It creates awareness towards emotional reactions and helps express feelings in a proper way. Thinking and acting upon a situation gives the ability to manage stress. Finding purpose and meaning in life makes the connection well with others and then the focus on good things in life happens.
Signs Indicating Emotional Pain
When bad things happen in life, it does take time to come to terms with its complete negative effects. Emotional pain and psychological trauma do result out of a stressful event that has shattered the sense of security. There is helplessness, hyperactivity and anxiety observed. There are upsetting emotions and making it look like having little or no control over the situation.
Signs of emotional pain that showcase the need for inner healing:
- Anger and mood swings
- There is a possibility of confusion, difficulty in concentrating and even loss of memory
- Feelings of guilt, shame, and disbelief emerge
- Feeling sad and helpless
- Witnessing lack of social communication
- Withdrawing from others and leading a lonely life becomes a drawback
- Insomnia and loss of physical energy is observed
- A constant state of anxiety interrupting daily functions
- This leads to reacting to the negative emotions more often than becoming responsive
- Leading to getting stuck in a vicious circle of mental pressure and agony
- Never letting go of the negative emotions rather than holding onto it
- Sense of insecurity and poor self-esteem is witnessed
- Difficulty showing love, trust and sympathy towards others
- Overreacting to minor situations triggering the emotional world
- Holding onto the grudges
- Difficulty in forgiving others
- Bad relationship patterns lurk high in daily lives
Stages of Emotional Healing
Emotional healing takes some conscious action to assemble all the broken parts into one complete whole. The procedure of emotional healing has some stages. Learning to acknowledge all the emotions without being judgmental. This makes emotional healing a holistic process requiring enough skill and patience.
The stages of emotional healing are:
1. Surrendering to Suffering
Emotional suffering comes from the denial of painful emotions. In an emotional healing process, it is certainly good to surrender to the suffering. Do not try to escape from pain. Do be present with emotions, feel the essence of pain. Understand and feel the emotions in order to heal it.
2. Awareness Leading to Tolerance
Increasing awareness towards emotions enables one to name the feeling. Knowing the feelings is the first step to resolving the negative feelings. This is an action-based stage, where understanding painful emotions help in healing wounds that are deep within. Knowing what emotions state can better equip one to cope with it.
3. Confrontation of Emotional Blockage
Emotional healing objectively faces emotional pain. This results in confronting the emotional issue that has been avoided. Relief is seen in this stage as running away from problems can make things worse. Be ready to face the emotional blockage. Do have honest self-talk to analyze emotional problems. Identify the emotional triggers and then face them. After facing negative feelings, try to accept them and you can find yourself feeling better.
4. Inevitable Expression
After confronting painful emotions, one begins to avoid them. In this stage, learn to honor the pain and in order to heal one must learn to express their emotions. Crying when feeling sad, yelling and screaming in an empty room can help release your unexpressed anger and makes you feel good. Never allow emotions to linger in the physical body for long, as it leads towards mental exhaustion and withdrawal. Through time and patience, movement towards recovery will take place.
5. Acceptance of the Feelings
Acceptance is the stage that makes room to feel empty of feelings. Feeling numb about all the painful experiences is certainly possible. As if it has become an embedded part of the soul. On accepting the undesirable emotions, there is a mastery of them. The pain will go away by no longer ruling the present thoughts and feelings. The struggle is over and then the growth does occur. This stage tests the emotional mettle and brings out the best. Old habits break off and one is ready to accept the change.
Emotional healing brings out a new life that is full of hope, vigor and optimism.
Signs of Emotional Healing
- Acceptance of experiencing difficult life situations and no denial of the same
- Ability to feel emotions guiding towards self-evolvement
- Not being scared and not getting upset easily
- Soaking in the disappointments with ease and flexibility
- Understanding bad days in life are temporary and there is light at the end of the tunnel
- Sleeping well
- No longer feeling lonely and depressed
- Forgetting the daily dosage of medication indicating inner power
- Broken relationships get better, encouraging a healthy bond with family and friends
- The ailing physical body is slowly recouping: the days of headaches, sleepless nights, and poor appetite are long gone
- Physical sensations of aches and pains disappear even the numbness of hands and feet
- Embrace past happenings as a stepping stone towards a future opportunity for growth and even personal development
- Positive and calm thoughts compose in the mind
- Not talking about suffering but focussing on developing new skills
- Making some big changes in life such as moving on to a new job or re-modeling of the apartment or buying a new car
- Being happy and agile; considering something good has happened or will happen in due course of time
- Enjoying life yet again is a superb indicator of the healing process
Welcoming Lasting Change
Healing modalities when dealing with the physical body help release blockages. However, as we heal the painful emotions and even the traumatic life events on an emotional level, the change will not be lasting, but then will bring more love and joy to ourselves and even to those around us.
To live with unconditional love is not possible unless we evolve and work through our own personal blocks, which have imprisoned the soul. Our past experiences are not to be seen as limitations, for they are the experiences from which we grow and then learn about ourselves on a much deeper level. It is not going to be possible to have spiritual growth if we are resistant to emotional healing.
Conclusion
Choosing to heal emotionally from the old familiar pattern of hurt and disappointments, followed by acceptance and awareness, takes us a step forward towards recovery. The soul liberates itself from the emotional blockages and moves towards growth and well-being, allowing profound spiritual growth to take place.