Building Bridges with Emotional Architecture: A Guide To Expression Over Repression. The Shadow Within: Exploring Emotional Architecture.
It happens to all of us to some degree, a battle between our beliefs and our lives when they conflict. Being pushed to accept and feel something that does not align with who we are. The essential moment is when the battle fragments a piece of us that can’t accept reality for what it is. Sometimes, we get stuck in the story that we retell over and over till it lives amongst us in our lives once again. Creating an opportunity to change the story, rewrite the ending.
Sometimes we tuck that part away and live in a fantasy where that side of us, shamed and hidden, can not see the light. It’s a blind spot hidden behind the wall; that exiled it to the dark. The shadow to the good we see in ourselves, that we triumphantly share with the rest of the world. All of this is a part of a dream that plays out in the unconscious parts of ourselves. Witnessing and literally reflecting our lives in the abstract matter of our sleeping dreams and unconscious actions in life.
Healing The Broken Pieces: Understanding Your Emotional Architecture
Call it what you want, a broken part, your inner child, a shadow, or trauma. It has many names but it is still a part of us. It interacts with the environments we live in, through our senses and our body. Its memory is alive, still trying to find safety inside you, pushing you away from the reality that was too much to feel. This part of us is often triggered or released back into our reality through the deep senses of the body, that recorded the conflict within and adapted to survive.
Recognising The Signs & The Body’s Intelligent Response.
I see this in my clients all the time. In fact it’s what I look for. The moment the system glitches and that piece of you tries to surface and come out of the dark. Often clients will stutter, tripping over their words, sometimes reliving the memory, becoming despondent while talking, allowing their words to trail off. Others will completely forget as that part is exiled once again and removed from memory.
The body is intelligent and at our service. In the face of a significant threat it takes over, knocking our higher functioning skills offline in order to respond. It is here in this battlefield where I do my work. I find the blind spot and translate the threat the body feels. Often this threat arises from our own mind, our self-talk, and even the need for pleasing behaviors that prioritize a disconnection between body and mind that exiles a part of the soul.
As an Alignment and Embodiment guide with over 16 years specializing in long term chronic pain as a neuromuscular therapist, I knew the body was keeping much more than the score. I help people shift their instinctive reactions to reprogram their Emotional Architecture, unlocking healing and putting them back into the creative center of their lives. No matter the challenge, there is always a common link that needs repairing. The body’s natural instinct is alignment with thoughts and action, this is where the soul communicates and inspires.
Tips for Bridging The Gap To Authentic Expression.
To repress, suppress, or depress any part of yourself you are ignoring the soul’s language of intuition. Nothing will kick your mind and body offline faster than ignoring your intuition and who you innately are. So much of our culture thrives on this, it’s not surprising that our shadows or missing parts are charging forward, opening the way to bring balance, through uncomfortable and negative experiences calling us back to wholeness.
As a long time practitioner, I believe in functional everyday exercises that bridge the gap from knowing to doing. Here are a few tips to do just that.
1: Embrace “ Expression Over Suppression.”
Allow yourself to vocally emote and test boundaries while being honest about how you feel. Even if it still leads to you doing something you don’t want to. For example someone asks you to do something and your instinct is to say yes but you know you don’t have the time or energy.
Allow for your natural expression; growl, shrug your shoulders, moan in contempt; whatever you need. You can still say yes to helping them but be honest. I don’t really have time but give me a few minutes and let’s see if I can help. Often your friends or family won’t want your help if you don’t actually want to be there. Doing so can create resentment and make something enjoyable for someone else into work.
2: Practice Making Room For Authentic Expression.
Explore the edge of comfort and start emoting there. Participate in physical exhaustion that creates heavy breathing, yelling, screaming, letting out a yell when you are pushed to your limit. Even yoga that makes you breath heavy or cry can be great if you suppress your emotions on a regular basis. Make noise combined with how you feel. Dance while yelling and screaming the lyrics of a song that reflects your feelings.
Embrace your Innate Medicine: Evolution Awaites
The idea is to start getting used to recognizing when you are suppressing and create a natural instinct that allows you to start finding safe expressions in more high value places like intimate relationships. We want to allow your body to collect evidence that expression = good stuff. Where currently it might = big scary judgments and so on.
As you are capable of bringing more awareness to the internal pressure of suppressing you will have a natural instinct to express and notice where you’re doing it emotionally. This is where it will become easier for you to correct the action.
Remember that you hold within you a necessary medicine that has the power to heal and inspire. The instinct is still there, even if it’s been suppressed, repressed it is making its way back to wholeness. Visit the link or QR code to join our open monthly Elevation Session to embark on a journey towards self-discovery and empowerment. Your evolution awaits.
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