Take Negative Emotions All The Way Home

When life gets tough or something happens to upset me, whether it be big or small, I make it a point to become very quiet and mindful. I do this to get clear, so that I can see all sides of a situation, as well as stay open to learning any possible spiritual lessons that are being offered.

Typically, there’s a strong emotion linked to what has occurred. If I can allow it to be there in a calm way, I can start to see the situation from a clearer perspective.

If the situation involves being hurt, for example, I take some time out – long enough to not hastily defend myself or problem-solve. Doing this creates an opening where the Divine can step in and take over.

I like to think of it as having a weight on me and imagining a group of cherub angels coming along to lift the heavy burden emotions I’m experiencing. They then take it from me and fly away. Though this is just a visualization, there is great relief at times in turning situations over to a higher power.

I have noticed, as I get older, that certain things that used to bother me so much, and would take weeks or months to get over, I now release in just a day, or even a couple of hours. This is because I no longer allow myself to be overwhelmed by the emotion in the moment.

I believe what helps to accomplish this is going beyond the difficult emotion, into a realm or a land less frequented. I refer to is as “taking it all the way home.” What I mean by this is to examine what it is I am most afraid of.

Don’t probe darkness to understand light. Don’t dwell on sickness to be healthy. Don’t indulge in thoughts of lack to have supply ~ Lester Levenson

After doing this I go out into the future, in my mind, to see how I will feel about it one year from now. What would I have learned? And how might I wish I would have responded to the situation differently in the first place?

After going into the future to do this, I grab the feeling that I will have at that time and bring it back into the now to accelerate my growth and relieve some of the current distress I am going through.

‘Taking it all the way home’ involves not getting stuck in an emotion for too long. Granted, our emotions are hugely valuable and can steer us away from unhealthy situations, as well as help purify us. So, I’m not condemning my emotions. However, when they fog over my ability to make wise decisions, that’s when it helps to have that emotion take a back seat.

Once I have put the strong emotion to the side – and believe me, this takes practice and incredible discipline – I can then see the forest for the trees and be able to discern what it is that has really grabbed me, or what core fear of mine this is hitting against.

Most negative emotions boil down to fear, which is why I call it the root or core emotion. Anger tends to serve as a defense mechanism, for example, that tends to cover up fear and sadness. When I can let the anger go for just a moment, and ask myself what am I afraid of, the answer becomes blatantly obvious. This isn’t to say that my anger, fear, is wrong, or that I need to get rid of these unwanted emotions, but to see that they actually serve as a road map leading me all the way home.

Truth can be found by a process of eliminating wrong thoughts, which are thoughts of limitation. When all thoughts of limitation are eliminated, what remains is our natural, unlimited, Self ~ Lester Levenson

One emotion overlays another, just like the layers of an onion.  At the core of those emotions is a tremendous liberation waiting for us… or what I like to call ‘home.’ Nobody likes to be consumed by unpleasant emotions. It’s like standing under an umbrella pouring rain on you when it’s actually a sunny day outside.

What I have also noticed is that we eventually identify ourselves by our emotions – and the ego loves drama. If we can make friends with our ego and welcome it with a healthy balance, the difficult emotions become easier to manage.

There is a beautiful gift waiting underneath every strong, negative emotion in life. Instead of getting stuck in the unpleasant feeling for too long, take a peek at what is underneath it. And don’t stop there, but also take it ‘all the way home’ and allow yourself to go beyond all the fear… and watch what happens.

Many years ago I attended a Sedona Method teacher training course in Arizona. I didn’t want to go, but forced myself. It was the best thing I ever did in my life! I invite you to experience the phenomenal freedom of this technique by either calling me, or by getting the book, The Sedona Method by Hale Dwoskin and Jack Cornfield. It is one of my favorite tools to hopping on the fast track to self-realization.