Everything ultimately is our own perception of what exists. And each of us has so many different perceptions and views about what is ‘right and wrong’, what is the truth and what is false, what ‘should be and what should not’.
Many people are of the view that emotions are to be ‘overcome’ and many who feel emotions can never be controlled…
Then you have some psychologists saying let the feelings exist and then you will have some gurus who will talk of how to ‘control your feelings specially those of anger’ and the so-called ‘negative’ emotions.
The way I see it, there are 4 elements involved here –
Emotions – Thoughts – Memories – Body
Emotions exist but are so finely connected with thoughts that it is often difficult to be aware of the difference and in that the experience of what it is one is feeling. And thoughts come from memories. So in one moment, the minute i think of a past hurt and that has not been healed/processed/freed from the body-mind unit, it will cause emotional pain – depression, hurt and the like for many, many years.
Therein lies the advantage of psychotherapy – in freeing one of that past pain that has been held so long within the body-mind. But for that, sometimes the simple talk therapy (which is what is offered mainstream) is not enough. What’s overlooked is the 4th component – the body. Hence what is needed is body work, creative visualizations and breathwork to release it from the cellular memory.
What is your own personal experience ?
Can we really reach a stage with no emotions? Like some calm state of the ocean or a lake?
Guess the meditators of the world would tend to realize such states after years of ‘saadhana’ – but for most of us common folks who barely can manage some quiet time for ourselves, it is a challenging goal to strive for.
TIP – Have a Physical Activity you connect with and do ideally daily – Yoga and other ancient techniques like Tai Chi, Aikido etc are some of the most holistic activities one can take up that bring inner peace and handle the body-mind unit well.
