Feeling and expressing an emotion

It's amazing how often we can feel we're not allowed or don't have permission to feel or express certain emotions. There is a difference between feeling an emotion and expressing an emotion. No one else but you has to know what you're feeling. When you allow yourself to feel, you can choose whether or not to express that feeling to another person. It is so important for our health that we feel all of our emotions, but the reality is most of us have a “bad” and “good” list. We can reach conclusions that because certain emotions are unacceptable/not allowed/not permissible that there is something wrong with us for having them, feeling them or expressing them.

Rate the truth of the following sentences from 0 to 10, 10 being true and 0 being not true at all. Write down all that comes up, particularly the emotions, memories and people that have a strong emotional charge and start tapping.

I am allowed to feel ... (why?)

I am allowed to express ... (why?)

I am not allowed to feel ... (why?)

I am not allowed to express ... (why?)

I have permission ... to feel (who do you have permission from?)

I have permission ... to express (who do you have permission from?)

I don't have permission to feel ... (who do you not have permission from?)

I don't have permission to express ... (who do you not have permission from?)

I give myself permission to feel ...

I give myself permission to express ...

The emotion that is the easiest for me to feel is ...

The emotion that is the easiest for me to express is ...

The emotion(s) that is most difficult for me to feel is ...

The emotion that is most difficult for me to express is ...

Men are no more immune from emotions than women; we think women are more emotional because the culture lets them give free vent to certain feelings, "feminine" ones, that is, no anger please, but it's okay to turn on the waterworks ~ Una Stannard

Using EFT for wanting to get rid of something

At the heart of personality is the need to feel a sense of being lovable without having to qualify for that acceptance ~ Paul Tournier

Using EFT for depression

But are not this struggle and even the mistakes one may make better, and do they not develop us more, than if we kept systematically away from emotions? ~ Vincent Van Gogh

Pain relief world summit

Sign up for this free event, starting October 3rd http://painreliefworldsummit.com/ There's a great line up of practitioners including EFT masters Carol Look and Rue Hass.

The body's sensations

When the energy of an emotion moves through our body, felt as physical sensations, we are feeling or processing that emotion.

What happens when we don't feel an emotion for whatever reason? It becomes stuck and frozen in our bodies.

An accumulation of unfelt emotion is often experienced in the body as uncomfortable physical sensations or physical pain. Physical pain, if not resolved, can become serious disease. Acknowledging physical discomfort in our body is one of the first steps towards feeling our emotions. Our body affects our mind just as our mind affects our body. Tap on what is happening in your body right now. Examples could be:

My gut tightens whenever I feel ....

My gut feels fit to burst when ...

I get a lump in my throat when I think of ...

My head throbs when I remember ...

I feel sick to my stomach when I feel ...

My heart aches when I think of ...

I feel inflamed when I remember ...

My jaws clench when I feel ...

I start to sweat when I remember ...

I can't sleep and toss and turn when ...

I feel out of control when my throat closes in ...

I feel helpless when ...

I feel enraged when ...

My body wants to collapse when ...

I feel dread in my stomach when ...

Feel

If we don't feel, we don't fully experience life. Irish psychiatrist, Ivor Browne, defines trauma as unexperienced experience. When we feel, we can experience, digest and integrate all that happens in life, especially the more difficult and uncomfortable experiences. Feeling all of your feelings is one of the most powerful and important things you can do for yourself.