Health and the Free Flow of Emotions
I have been a bodyworker for more than 20 years, and I understand how important it is to have our electromagnetic energy balanced and flowing freely. When I talk about the body’s energy that is what I am referring to. This energy can easily be measured in allopathic medicine by an ECG (electrocardiogram) and EEG (electroencephalogram).
When we are scheduled for these tests, we usually have had an imbalance for an extended period. As a bodyworker, I am interested in maintaining health at an optimum level. This includes body, mind, and spirit. There are many facets to maintaining health: exercise, eating healthy (pesticide-free food), getting quality rest, engaging in activities that you love (whether work or play), and maintaining healthy relationships.
A large part of maintaining healthy relationships is having free flow of our emotions. As humans we experience a myriad of emotions every day, it is a normal and healthy occurrence. The difficulty comes when we get stuck in an emotion because we were not able to fully express our thoughts and feelings. The emotions which create this situation most of the time are anger, worry, and grief.
When we experience some type of trauma or loss, if we are unable to fully process it, the memory gets stored in our cells. This phenomenon is called cellular memory. The stress of the trauma can create blocks in our energy flow which may create both physical and psychological symptoms.
People who have suffered a loss may have trouble taking deep breaths, insomnia, fits of depression, and no desire to participate in any type of activity or to socialize. Those who are stuck in anger may develop resentment which may interfere with all their interactions with others and develop some physical symptoms as well.
The energy pathways correspond to different emotions:
- Liver – anger
- spleen – worry
- lung – grief
- kidney – fear
- heart & pericardium – heartfelt issues.
When your energy is balanced during a session, different emotions and memories can rise to the surface. These emotions come up to be released. The body is wanting to heal itself and release the painful memories. When a person can breathe through the memory and express the emotion, they begin the healing process.
My experience has been, that pain which is caused by overworked muscles or pushing the body too hard will release easily. When there is an emotion attached to the physical pain, the pain will not subside until the person has some awareness of the stuck emotion and the event that created it. What I have learned is that everyone can heal if they are committed to their healing process.
The Bladder Meridian is the longest and most influential of all the energy pathways since it crosses all the other meridians. During winter the energies are most active in Bladder and Kidney Meridians; this is the time of the water element. When the Bladder Meridian is out of balance both physical and emotional symptoms can occur.
The holiday season can be joyous but also challenging. There is so much to do and so little time. Spending time with family and friends can bring up wonderful memories and memories that are not so wonderful. Keeping our emotional balance is most important. Try not to overdo, stay in the present moment, get plenty of rest and know your limits. At the end of another year, it is time for reflection. Not just on the past but also on how we want to live our lives going forward. It is time for letting go of that which no longer serves us. Old grievances or hurts only bring us down if we hang on to them. Forgiveness frees us.
We’ve spoken about the progression of the seasons with winter being the time to rest and conserve our energy and spring a time of activity and expanding our energy. If you are a person who was unable to rest and recharge during the winter months, you may be feeling worn thin by now. When our bodies are continually exhausted our immune system is weakened and we can easily get sick.
Now that the weather has finally changed it’s time to prepare for autumn. In nature, the energies begin to pull back and go deeper into the trees, shrubs, and earth. In our bodies, our vital energies also begin to circulate deeper into our organs to protect us from the cold.
The weather in late summer is usually hotter and heavier with humidity than the rest of the season. Dampness is associated with the earth element which is most active this time of year. Late summer is a time for slowing down and gathering in. The earth element gives us the ability to nourish and care for ourselves.