The feeling of what happens.....

This passage from Peter Levine's book on trauma is very revealing. It was interesting to me as I have been reading and writing on the flow of emotions in our lives and how our body is the conduit that is bringing us the truth of "what is happening".

This passage was written by Antonio Damasio.

"We use our minds not to discover facts but to hide them. One of the things the screen hides most effectively is the body, our own body, by which I mean, the ins and outs of it, its interiors. Like a veil thrown over the skin to secure its modesty, the screen partially removes from the mind the inner states of the body, those that constitutes the flow of life as it wanders in the journey of each day.'

The emotions are the flow of life. The word "emotion" has its roots in the water. It means to flow outward. Emotions inform you about your capacity to flow and meander; to stop in unusual places; to experience startling and troubling things; and to fully engage with what you encounter. The central property of both water and emotions is movement and flow.

By thinking about the properties of water, we can more fully understand the processes of emotions. 

Water is soft and flowing, but it can wear down boulders and mountains. Emotions are strong and persistent. They gently ask for attention and persist until you acknowledge them. Water and emotions will move and flow around any obstacle put in its path. 

Water is a great conductor of heat and energy. It can support weight and create buoyancy. Water can carry things. You may get knocked down by some of your emotions, because the realm of water is extremely lively and, frequently turbulent place. But the water will hold you. It is buoyant, you will rise to the top. It can carry you for a while. 

Water embraces its environment. It always finds its way to the deepest, grounded places. Water fits comfortably in all the cracks. Emotions find all of our shadow places. It takes a light and an intimate investigation to find all the places it resides in our bodies. I love the images of the caves in the earth that flow unseen. I always believe that the water is very cold and clear there.  Water can travel upwards. From the bottom of the cave to the light of the sun. 

Add energy to water and it will change its form. Add energy to an arising emotion and it may change form too. As water changes to a vapor and disappears into the air, it can just as easily freeze into a block of ice. We add our own mental energy to emotions. They freeze. We add a story that we have written in our heads or a strong remembering of another event that was accompanied by these sensations. The movement is impeded by our minds.  It is no longer in the form of an emotion; it is now in the form of an emotional state.  It is better to just let emotions flow. No need to get into details. The mind just panics. Not helpful. Let it all flow through. Just notice them, welcome them and watch them leave. 

Water is the great container. It can hold you. 

Nx