Sedona method (Method of Emotional Release), developed by Lester Levenson. Lester Levinson was a very successful producer when he unexpectedly found himself in a clinic with a whole range of cardiovascular diseases. Doctors predicted that he would die soon and/or be bedridden for the rest of his life. But L. Levinson decided differently for himself. He realized that all his problems had their key on the emotional level. Therefore, he developed and applied to himself a very simple and very effective method of “releasing emotions.”
Soon, to the great amazement of the doctors, he completely recovered. Having received such impressive results, L. Levinson decided to share his achievements with others. Having refined his method so that it was simple and accessible to everyone and in any area of life, L. Levinson devoted the rest of his life (and he lived another 20 years - until he was 68) to popularize his method.
Most people use three ways to deal with their feelings and emotions: suppression, expression and avoidance.
Suppression is the worst method because suppressed emotions and feelings do not go away, but grow and fester within us, causing anxiety, tension, depression and a whole host of stress-related problems. The repressed energy of these emotions eventually begins to control you in ways that you don't like or control.
Expression is a kind of ventilation. Sometimes “exploding” or “losing patience” we free ourselves from the oppression of accumulated emotions. You may even feel good because it translates energy into action. But this does not mean that you have gotten rid of these feelings, this is just temporary relief. Plus, expressing our emotions can be unpleasant for the person on the receiving end. This, in turn, can cause even more stress as we begin to feel guilty for hurting someone by expressing our natural feelings.
Avoidance is a way to cope with emotions by distracting yourself from them through all sorts of entertainment: conversations, TV, food, smoking, drinking, drugs, movies, sex, etc. But despite our attempts at avoidance, all these feelings are still there and continue to take their toll on us in the form of tension. Thus, avoidance is just a form of suppression. It has now been proven that various emotions and desires are reflected in our body in the form of tension (tension, spasms) in very specific areas. By the way, the methods of so-called “body-oriented psychotherapy” are aimed at getting rid of these clamps, sometimes giving absolutely fantastic results that are unattainable with medicinal methods.
Even systematic exercises for complete relaxation of all muscle groups (progressive relaxation method) give very good results in improving the mental and body health and significantly improving mental abilities. Since literally every cell of our body has its own representation in our brain, and any tension in the body naturally has a corresponding excitation zone in the brain.
Thus, the more such excitation zones, the fewer resources the brain has for normal mental activity. It is interesting to note that, according to this theory, “good” feelings and emotions are almost no different from “bad” ones, and also have their own representation in the body and brain. Therefore, the method of releasing emotions is aimed at working with all types of emotions. Many years of practice in its use have already proven the effectiveness and necessity of this approach.
The method of releasing emotions is a powerful method of training the brain to achieve harmony and even speed up thinking, implemented without any technical means. This is the healthiest way to deal with your emotions. This technique has a cumulative effect. Each time you release emotions, a charge of repressed energy (additional areas of the brain) is released, helping you later think more clearly, be more able to handle all situations more calmly, and in a more productive and healthy way.
Over time, by releasing more and more repressed energy, you can achieve a state of equanimity in which no person or event can throw you off balance or deprive you of a state of calm clarity. Everyone who practices this method notices very rapid positive changes in their mental and physical state. In addition, their life goals and plans became clearer to themselves and more positive.
You should not think that as a result of using the method, a person becomes like an insensitive doll; on the contrary, you regain the ability to experience strong and pure emotions, as in childhood, but without being “glued” to them for a long time. Also, there is no need to specifically practice this method all your life with every emotion. After about three weeks of regular practice, the method becomes automatic and stays with you forever. In the future, it will be enough just to pay attention to your feelings for natural automatic release to occur.
Step one:
Focusing. The first step is to focus on a problem area in your life—something that needs immediate attention. Perhaps this is a relationship with a loved one, parents or children; this could be about your job, your health, or your fears.
Or you can simply ask yourself, “What feelings are I having right now? What emotions am I experiencing right now? You can focus on the problem either before or after the training session ends. One way you can find out what problem area you need to work on, or how you actually feel right now, is to go to “level zero”, which is simply to relax deeply (using any technology available to you).
Step two:
Feel it. Once you have reached level zero, think about what problem you would like to solve. With focus, identify your feelings about the problem. Once you've completed the first step, go straight to your actual feelings. Ask yourself: “How am I feeling right now?” Lester Levenson discovered that all our emotions and feelings can be divided into nine main categories, or feelings.
Apathy. Many other emotions and feelings result from or accompany apathy. When we ask ourselves how we feel, we may use words such as: bored, useless, lack of self-care, cold, alienated, indifferent, defeated, depressed, discouraged, frustrated, exhausted, forgotten, worthless, hopeless, joyless , indecisiveness, indifference, laziness, lostness, loss, denial, numbness, depression, powerlessness, humility, resignation, stupefaction, disorientation, stuckness, fatigue, distraction, uselessness, pointless effort, low self-esteem. All this, according to Levenson, is a type of apathy.
Grief. We can use words such as: abandonment, resentment, guilt, mental anguish, shame, betrayal, despondency, deception, stiffness, helplessness, heartache, rejection, loss, melancholy, loss, sadness, misunderstanding, breakup, pity, I'm unhappy , remorse, abandonment, remorse, sadness.
Fear. Types of fear include: worry, preoccupation, caution, caution, cowardice, suspicion, timidity, apprehension, confusion, anxiety, nervousness, panic, fright, unsteadiness, shyness, skepticism, stage fright, tension, being overwhelmed.
Passion. This is the “I want” emotion. We can feel: anticipation (anticipation), craving, need, desire, wandering, controllability, envy, futility, greed, impatience, manipulativeness, neediness, obsession, pressure, ruthlessness, selfishness, anger.
Anger. We can feel: aggressiveness, irritation, reasoning, challenge, demandingness, disgust, ferocity, futility, fury, hatred, intolerance, jealousy, insanity, significance, insult, rebellion, resentment, indignation, rudeness, bitterness, severity, stubbornness, stubbornness, gloominess, vindictiveness, anger, rage.
Pride. We may feel: exclusivity, arrogance, arrogance, boastfulness, giftedness, contempt, impudence, criticism, pickiness, judgment, righteousness, inflexibility, self-love, snobbery, luck, superiority, inexcusability, vanity.
Bravery. Varieties of feelings can be the following: enterprise, adventurousness, liveliness, agility, competence, determination, awareness, confidence, creativity, audacity, courage, bravery, determination, energy, happiness, independence, love, motivation, openness, faithful, positivism, resourcefulness, self-sufficiency, stability, solid, strength.
Acceptance (approval). We can feel: balance, beauty, compassion, pleasure, delight, delight, admiration, empathy, friendliness, tenderness, joy, love, openness, receptivity, security, understanding, surprise.
World. We can feel: peace of mind, balance, completeness, freedom, fulfillment, perfection, purity, tranquility, serenity, tranquility (lack of physical stress), integrity.
Step three:
Identify your feelings. Now, with this list in mind, determine how you really feel. Open yourself up, become aware of your physical sensations - do you feel tightness in your chest? Tension in the stomach? Feeling heavy? Heartbeat? As you become aware of your physical sensations, use them as key points to explore your feelings. What word comes to mind?
When this word comes to mind, try to determine which of these nine categories your feeling belongs to. Levenson discovered that the process of releasing feelings is much more effective when the feelings are released in their most “pure” or “distilled” form—as one of the nine designated words. For example, as you explore your problem area, you may decide that your feelings are “hesitation” or “anxiety.”
You can then release your indecisiveness or anxiety and feel some relief. However, if you trace these feelings back to their source, you will find that they fall more into the category of fear than indecision and anxiety. By releasing your fear, you will find that the results are much more dramatic and powerful. It's the same as attacking the problem at the root, or plucking off only part of the upper branches.
Step four:
Feel Your Feelings. Once you have identified your true feelings in relation to your chosen problem area and traced them back to the root, begin to feel your feelings. Let them fill your entire body and mind. If it's grief, you may burst into tears or even sob. If it's anger, you may feel your blood boil, your breathing change, and your body tense. It's wonderful - this is the time to fully experience your feelings and emotions.
Step five:
Could you? Now that you are truly feeling your feelings about any problem area in your life, ask yourself, “Can I let go of these feelings?” In other words, is it physically and emotionally possible for you to allow these feelings to leave you right now? Think about it.
Begin to recognize the deep difference between yourself - your "I" and what this very "I" feels now. Sometimes you may feel that your feelings are some kind of energy charge that is in the same place as your body, but in fact, is not your body. Or it is a shadow image that is slightly out of focus, unlike your actual self.
One way or another, at some point, you will clearly feel that your feelings are not really your feelings. And when you begin to feel the difference between your feelings and your Self, you may notice that it is now possible for you to let go of these feelings. If it is unacceptable for you to part with these feelings just yet, feel them for a while longer. Sooner or later you will reach a point where you can say to yourself: “Yes, I could let go of these feelings.”
Step six:
Will you let them go? If you were able to let go of these feelings, the next question you would ask yourself would be, “Will I let go of these feelings?” Think about it again. Often, having the full opportunity to “let go of feelings,” we are actually more likely to “hang ourselves” over them. You may find yourself thinking, "No, I'd rather keep these feelings than get rid of what I'm feeling now." If so, then continue to feel what you feel now. Sooner or later you will reach a point where you can honestly admit to yourself: “Yes, I would let go of these feelings.”
Seventh step:
When? If you were to let go of your feelings, the next question you would ask yourself is “When?” Similar to the previous steps, at a certain point you will answer: “I would let go of these feelings now.”
Step eight:
Liberation. When you have said to yourself, “Now,” let go of your feelings. Just let them go. In most cases, you will actually feel physical and emotional release when you let them go. You may suddenly burst out laughing.
You may feel as if a heavy burden has been lifted from your shoulders. You can feel a sudden wave of cold run through you. This reaction means that all the accumulated energy from experiencing these feelings has now been released and made available to you as a consequence of the liberation of feelings that you have just made.
Step nine:
Repetition. When you release your feelings, you will want to check with yourself: “Are you feeling any feelings?” If any feelings are still present, then go through the whole process again. Quite often, release is like turning on a faucet. You release some, and others immediately appear.
Some of our emotions are so deep that they require multiple releases. Release yourself as often as you can until you find that you cannot detect any sign of emotion in yourself.
LifeHow to deal with negative emotions: Useful tips and practices
Text: Rita Popova
The ability to understand and manage your own emotions significantly makes life easier, and most importantly, makes it more enjoyable. We asked the curator of the BHSAD summer intensive course “Emotional Intelligence in Creative Business” Tatyana Strashnenko to tell us how to cope with excessive emotionality at work and at home.
Emotions are the key to understanding yourself and a better path to goals and meaning.
We do not have time to fully experience positive emotions, and with negative emotions the situation is even worse - most perceive them as something bad that must be gotten rid of at any cost. But our irritation, anger or fear can be important signals that the subconscious sends us. Emotions are the key to understanding yourself and a better path to goals and meaning.
There is a famous saying: “Terrible is the wrath of a man who is angry once a year.” If we ignore emotions, the energy that is given to us to act (for example, to flee or fight when fear arises) accumulates inside and becomes destructive. Almost everyone has experienced a state of emotional storm, when emotions are so overwhelming that we are practically not aware of our actions and words. When the storm has subsided, the person comes to his senses and is sincerely perplexed as to what it was. However, if his behavior does not change, ignoring his feelings will most likely lead to another breakdown.
In recent years, psychologists have been talking more and more about emotional intelligence - a set of emotional competencies that can and should be developed. Even our rather conservative education is getting rid of stereotypes like “boys don’t cry” or “a girl should always be nice.” Serious work with emotions and consolidation of new habits requires effort and time, but you can start taking the first steps in developing your emotional intelligence now.
Realize and name
How often do you communicate to yourself that you are angry, discouraged, hurt, anxious, or feeling tender? If you do this regularly, congratulate yourself and put this article aside. If not, start right now. Ask yourself, “How am I feeling right now?” - and write down the answer in the language of feelings and emotions. When remembering an event from the past, analyze it from the point of view not of words and actions, but of feelings. Keep a special notebook in which at least once a day you will write down the emotional states that you experienced during the day. Gadget enthusiasts can opt for a smartphone app like Mood O Scope or Emotion Diary.
When you recognized and named your emotional state, you did some very significant things. First, acknowledge that you feel it - instead of ignoring the emotion. Secondly, you took responsibility for what was happening (not “he made me angry”, but “I got angry”), which means that managing this situation is now in your hands. In other words, you have ceased to be an object affected by various emotions, and have become a subject, that is, the master of the situation. Thirdly, you reminded yourself in time that anger or rage is not an integral part of your personality - it is just a temporary state that comes and goes, it happens to everyone.
Choose how to dispose
Once you are aware of how you feel, it is important to take control of the situation. If you control an emotion, you can use this resource for a good cause, but if a strong emotion controls you, the consequences are unpredictable. For example, when we experience anxiety, we want to immediately drop everything and hide somewhere. But if we are aware of the anxiety and manage the situation, we once again double-check our plans and actions, analyze weaknesses and possible risks. In a calm state, we might be too lazy to do this, but anxiety gives us an incentive to action and additional energy.
If you find yourself experiencing an emotion that is generally considered negative, do not rush to get upset. After asking “How am I feeling now?” and answer it honestly, ask yourself the following question: “How can I use this?” What if my feelings of resentment prompt me to prove something to others? Should I take advantage of my angry mood to finally say “no” to the person who has long been taking advantage of my kindness? Does my fear indicate that I have not fully clarified or thought through the upcoming action?
Reduce emotional intensity
If you realize that you cannot cope with your emotions, the most important thing is to relax, reduce the emotional intensity in order to be able to think soberly. You can help yourself with this using fairly simple but quite effective methods.
DRINK COOL WATER. Remember that stress is a physiological reaction of the body, and water regulates metabolic processes and cools, literally and figuratively. In addition, the procedure can serve as a “switch”: drink slowly, in small sips, focusing all your attention on the process.
BREATHE. In stressful situations, our breathing quickens or freezes, as if we stop breathing altogether. By normalizing breathing, we normalize our condition. Take a few deep breaths, if possible, close your eyes and fully focus on your breathing, without being distracted by anything else. If you want, you can use your imagination: imagine how with each inhalation you are filled with something pleasant (warmth, sunshine, fresh air), and with each exhalation all unpleasant sensations and emotions leave you (for example, in the form of black or bluish smoke) .
GETTING BROKEN OR WALKING. Physical activity is a great way to burn out negativity. If you count your steps, monitor your breathing, clap your hands in a certain rhythm, or perform any other action that requires concentration, your mind will be forced to distract itself from “chewing” unpleasant thoughts. If you can’t move, try changing the position of your body in space - very often mental “stuckness” is accompanied by immobility. Sometimes a simple change of perspective literally helps you see the situation in a new way.
DO YOURSELF MASSAGE. Even if you don't know anything about reflexology or human anatomy, there are a few simple techniques available to anyone in almost any situation. Rub your palms vigorously and massage your fingers. Close your eyes and place your hand on your forehead without lowering your head. Also, bioactive points, the impact of which reduces stress levels, are located above the upper lip and under the lower lip, strictly in the middle. Massage each or both together for 2-3 minutes.
Analyze and draw conclusions
Once you have recognized your emotion and chosen a course of action, be sure to return to the situation and analyze it. What caused the anger? Was there any real reason for anger? Did my interlocutor really want to offend me or was he simply poorly educated and misinformed? After all, did I provoke such a reaction from my interlocutor? What other options exist in this situation? Do I always react this way in such cases? Such an analysis is especially necessary if you failed to take control of the situation in time and acted under the influence of emotions.
Unfortunately, people usually do not return their thoughts to a negative experience, but strive to forget it as soon as possible. As a result, instead of invaluable experience and new knowledge about ourselves, we are left with feelings of guilt, shame and disappointment. But if you make it a rule to regularly analyze your emotions, after some time you will replace automatic reactions with a conscious choice of behavior model. After all, there are always many options for behavior - when you are calm and fully aware of what is happening.
Photos: vadim yerofeyev - stock.adobe.com, Andrey Kuzmin - stock.adobe.com
First published on Look At Me
Why emotions need to be vented
Every day a person finds himself in situations that cause various experiences. And if positive emotions work for our benefit, then negative emotions can cause harm. If they are ignored and not processed correctly, they have a bad effect on the person himself.
It’s even worse if you don’t work with your emotions and let them get the better of you, because then there is a chance that your loved ones will come under attack. Spiritual Economics teaches: “A quick-tempered man brings trouble, but a patient man is the foundation of peace” (WBTC, Proverbs 15:18). However, silencing your emotions can also negatively affect your relationship with others, so you need to be able to work with emotions correctly.
Accumulated negative emotions can poison a person’s life. They put pressure on him, provoke irritability and anxiety, and in the long term have a detrimental effect on the health of the nervous system.
Constant suppression of negative emotions entails the following dangers:
- chronic stress;
- breakdown;
- conflicts with others;
- sleep problems.
In addition, a person who is forced to constantly suppress anger, rage and other feelings becomes pinched. He always controls himself and cannot relax, so the nervous system is constantly under tension. Over time, this will negatively affect all aspects of life - from personal relationships to professional activities.
Emotions must find a way out. You can work through them in two ways - on the physical and psychological levels. There are many different ways to throw out negative emotions, so among them you can find something that suits you.
Destructive ways of expressing emotions
To lash out at colleagues or boss
The intensity of passions has reached its climax, since you throw out emotions on them. This is the only way you are harming yourself in your career and business communications.
Let off some steam at home with your family and/or pets
We saved up for the day and brought the “waste” home. And who will be happy with them? A loving, soft mother and wife are waiting at home, not a vixen or Baba Yaga on a broom.
Destroy furniture, dishes, appliances
If this is junk and needs to be thrown away, then it seems to be a safe method. What if it belongs to another person?
Suppress emotions
Since childhood, you may have heard that you cannot openly show your emotions. So we learned to crush them. But is everything okay with your health and communication with yourself?
Shopping
We turn off our heads and spend every penny. We buy everything we can get our hands on. But money is the energy needed to do good deeds. And to whom and what benefit does a thing bought in a fit of anger bring?Sex
The emotion leaves the body and physical relief occurs. But if this is adultery, and even with your best friend?
Troll on social networks
And there is no avatar, and the name is fictitious. This means no one will harm or beat us. And what kind of aftertaste will be left on those to whom your barbs are directed, and on you yourself a minute after sending the message?
Be rude
This means sowing discord and provoking even more negativity towards you. Do you really need this?
hit someone
A dangerous method, because it can fly back stronger.
- Eat something sweet
A common way to extinguish anger and swallow resentment. The result is that we gain centimeters and aggravate the problem. Slam the door
Put all your strength into the door and slam it so that the plaster flies. It seems that everything is intact, no one was rude and no trolling, but from frequent practice of this method, repairs are needed and there is no feeling of satisfaction.
Take revenge
Dangerous way. Revenge has been planned for some time, your head and all your thoughts are in preparation for its commission, you feel constant tension in your body. You do not react to the people and circumstances around you. As a result, it will be bad for everyone, including you.
Beat with words
It’s so tempting to say something sarcastic to your neighbor when everything inside you is boiling with anger. My head is off, I just need to let off some steam. And that’s all - you lost a friend, a colleague as an interlocutor, in the store they remembered you like an ulcer. Even if they don’t answer you out loud with a barb, they will send a strong negative flow of energy in response. And people are all connected to each other by invisible energy threads. If one person feels bad, everyone feels it. Do you want to suffer and be sick?
How to experience emotions environmentally?
- First, let us note that emotions are born in the body, which means they must come out through it.
- Just living them without analyzing the causes of their occurrence is ineffective. They will appear again and again, you will demonstrate them. And those around you suffer?
- Squeezing and refusing to live is akin to going to the toilet and forcibly retaining the waste products of the body. This is fraught with illness and self-destruction.
- Soberly assess the presence of emotion - is it momentary or part of your character? In the first case, you can and should live through it, in the second, it’s better to go to a psychologist.
How are we used to expressing negative emotions?
- suppress in ourselves
- openly demonstrate in order to live
- consciously control and live
From birth it is natural to freely express emotions externally. Mom understands them correctly and satisfies the baby’s needs.
Growing up, we retain at the subconscious level the desire to be
- understood and accepted with all your emotions
- loved ones and significant people in the lives of loved ones
The coloring of emotions as positive or negative is conditional and is most likely associated with the consequences of their external manifestation. It’s unlikely that a person would say nasty things or break dishes out of joy, right?
How do girls in love behave? How can you tell if a girl is in love with you?
But we were not taught at school, college, or at home to live through the negative, namely anger, anger, sadness.
On the contrary, we more often see the same women and men, choking on their negative emotions and sowing the seeds of quarrels, arguments, and insults. What should I do?
Containing emotions and their consequences
CONTENT:
If you push all your experiences to the back burner and don’t express your emotions, then this will not lead to anything good. Negative emotions can accumulate . Many try to hide them for fear of being misunderstood and unaccepted. Postponing, not paying attention, enduring day after day is not the answer.
A person can get stuck with unprocessed grief inside themselves, and this leads to passive aggression and depression. Perhaps there will be a violent outburst, which is fraught with damaged relationships, emotional trauma to loved ones, problems with superiors, or later, a problem with one’s own health may appear.
10 FACTS about EMOTIONS part 1
What causes negative emotions?
Think about what is the benefit of a particular emotion for you? Maybe you want:
- recognition and love
- feel fragile and helpless
- to be picked up, hugged, sat in a chair, brought a cup of tea and your favorite pink slippers
- speak out and complain just so someone will listen
- escape from the feeling of loneliness in the soul
Or is it beneficial for you to manipulate your emotions and make others feel guilty. But by doing this you will achieve rejection and coldness in your relationship with them.
Learn to experience emotions without harming yourself and the people around you. Remember that feeling life is as natural as seeing the whole spectrum of colors of the world and feeling any emotions.
