Thoughts, Feelings, and Emotions

[Starman]

Originally Posted by iamthat

It sounds like you have a lot of suppressed emotional pain. I believe that suppressed emotional pain is the cause of anxiety and depression. It is also toxic and can manifest in the physical body as stress and pain.

It also takes a lot of energy to suppress all these painful feelings for decades. But the rational mind continues to suppress them because it is trying to protect you from whatever is so painful within. This suppression is now the habitual response of the rational mind. But there comes a point where suppressing painful emotions causes more problems and pain than the original emotions we are trying to avoid experiencing.

Medication may block the symptoms but it seldom deals with the cause. In the end, the only way to deal with the cause is to dive within and face all that is painful within.

There is no quick fix, but you may find The Sedona Method by Hale Dwoskin and The Journey by Brandon Bays useful.

Peace.

What you have stated is exactly why a lot of people stay in their head. It is not that they can't get in touch with their feelings, rather it is that they may be unconsciously resisting getting in touch with their feelings. They have built up a wall and now they don't know how to tear that wall down. Regardless, what we suppress will come out in indirect ways, as frustration, anger, or some other emotion.

I have ethical issues about diagnosing and offering specific treatments to people online because and accurate assessment is required which includes a history, etc. So I generalize and not get into the specifics of a person's particular issue for those reasons. If a history is not taken then the person may be assessed out of context.

But I can identify with what you have shared as what you have said is generally what keeps people in their head. We start out as children with all sorts of emotions and accompanying feelings, and somewhere along the way, maybe at a very young age, something gives us the impetus to shut down.

It is usually something very painful and we shut down to protect ourselves from pain, but being shut down for so long we tend not to know how to open up and let the feelings flow again. I have often suggested volunteer work with people in a hospital or hospice. Working with people who are experiencing hardship or trauma, even facing imminent death, can elicit strong feelings and also generate some self appreciation and humility.

[inavalan]

Our beliefs, thoughts, and emotions create thought-forms, that materialize likewise situations in our realities.

The main reason for us to be here, on the physical plane, is that we can't (yet) master our emotions, so we can't be on a fast thought-responsive plane without quickly spiral down into a nightmarish scenario.

We are here, on a slow though-responsive plane, to learn and practice mastering our emotions. We are here too to develop our intellect and to develop an intuition.

All positive dual emotions inherently germinate their negative dual versions. That's where from the non-dual concept of "unconditional love" come from, which most people don't understand that has no commonality with the dual emotions and feelings.

Our love, compassion, goodness contain the seeds of their dual versions, and always germinate those seeds, which yield thought-forms that materialize likewise situations.

[Starman]

Originally Posted by inavalan

Our beliefs, thoughts, and emotions create thought-forms, that materialize likewise situations in our realities.

The main reason for us to be here, on the physical plane, is that we can't (yet) master our emotions, so we can't be on a fast thought-responsive plane without quickly spiral down into a nightmarish scenario.

We are here, on a slow though-responsive plane, to learn and practice mastering our emotions. We are here too to develop our intellect and to develop an intuition.

All positive dual emotions inherently germinate their negative dual versions. That's where from the non-dual concept of "unconditional love" come from, which most people don't understand that has no commonality with the dual emotions and feelings.

Our love, compassion, goodness contain the seeds of their dual versions, and always germinate those seeds, which yield thought-forms that materialize likewise situations.

Thank you for sharing this. I too believe that our beliefs impact how we think and feel.
Most of all what we believe about ourselves. Thoughts and emotions are things, they
are energy formed by us into concepts which fit our physical existence, worldview,
or prevailing perspective. Yes, I also think of planet Earth as a training ground for us
to learn self-mastery. Organize and manage your inner life and your outer living will follow.

[Moonglow]

Hello Starman,

Just my thoughts on feelings and emotions.

They can play hand in hand, but there is also some differences.

Emotions can usually be tracked to a source and can affect how one may feel.
For example; I feel happy because because I am with a close friend.
There is a bond there of some sort that triggers an emotion of being happy and transforms into a feeling of happiness and/or affection. Maybe if close enough there is love there as well.

Perhaps this friend is an upbeat person, so the energy from him/her transfers to me. The love felt between us transforms into a feeling of happiness. Perhaps there is a trust there, so feel more open and relaxed around him/her. All seem to be feelings and emotions interacting.

There are times I may enter a place or room and feel the energy of the place. Ever gone to a gathering and felt something? Either something nice or something being a bit off? You can't put your finger on it, but feel it there.

This is when there is a difference between feelings and emotions, IMO. Some may call feelings our intuition. What may be sensed before our brain is fully aware of it. Our "gut" some may refer to it. The interesting thing is that "our gut" is where our emotions are centered. Which has me thinking that the two are interlinked.

Emotion though seem the response or reaction to the feelings and/or what is sensed.

Now, there are also physical and mental events that can affect feelings and emotions as I understand. Also, what I believe, is how attached or close one may be to what is going on.

Sometimes, feelings can be experiencing the sensations of what is happening in the moment, then afterwards the emotions come to help process, interpret, or perhaps heal according to the experience. Which may affect ones out look.

There is an interesting release I learned about while taking massage therapy training a few years ago. It is called Emtional Release. Bring it up because may be thought emotions are mental, but one can hold in emotions with in the body as well.

Through Message Therapy worked areas can be loosened and some areas may hold in emotions (armouring). By loosening up these areas a person my have an emotional release. May cry, laugh, or feel uncomfortable. By giving the person a safe space to experience this, can help some let go of held emotions.

Not to force the person and through asking how he/she is doing and if they wish to continue.

Afterwards, if the person wishes to talk about, listen. If not, respect his/her privacy.

I experienced this myself while working on someone and he was surprised by it, but felt a bit better.

Just find it interesting and further confirms for me that everything is connected in some way.

Thank you for the interesting subject and reflections.

[JustBe]

Originally Posted by Starman

What is the difference between and emotion and a feeling? Maybe and emotion is energy in motion and a feeling is how we interact with that energy. So what I am saying here is that feelings are reactions to emotions. How we feel about emotions depends on our mood, and our mood is often determined by our attitude. In my opinion everything is connected to everything else. What do you think?

Considerations to the above might include what we now call emotional intelligence, which in my opinion is how we feel about, or react to, our emotions. Largely this type of intelligence has to do with impulse control. Although there are people who say that they don’t know how they feel, or that they feel numb.

Feeling numb, or not knowing how they feel about certain emotions, may be due to either not being in touch with those emotions, resisting certain emotions, or unable to clearly define certain emotions. But just because a person says they are emotionally conflicted or numb, does not mean that they are not reacting to the emotional conflict or numbness.

Human beings allow emotions to determine their behavior, or more correctly how we interpret and interact with our emotions often guides our behavior. Another component to this are thoughts, which in my opinion interacts with feelings. An emotion comes along and we interpret those emotions with our thoughts. Emotions are the blueprint for thoughts.

Can we have thoughts without emotions or emotions without thoughts? A person can be emotionally numb and still have thoughts, or they could be emotionally swept up without thinking. The interaction between thoughts and emotions I find interesting. This interaction often determines how we feel. When we embark on a spiritual transformation the process refines our feelings and quiets our thoughts.

The spiritual transformation effects the very cells in our physical body, it also transforms our mental and emotional bodies. As humans we are multi-dimensional beings simultaneously existing on a physical level, mental level, emotional level, and a spiritual level. Actually they are all spirit vibrating at various frequencies, creating various textures and qualities. Often it has been said that we have to travel though the mental and emotional states of being to reach our spiritual core. Spiritual maturity includes mental and emotional maturity.

I guess the next question is what does maturity mean? Is maturity a moral issue. When we talk about spiritual development are we talking about maturity? To “Know Thyself” is to know that which we are on every level. Feeling, or how we interpret stimuli, determines what we call our experience. Experience is a product of how we feel. Experience is not objective. Can we exist without experience? Experience is a matter of perception, and perception is a matter of interpretation. True clarity can come when there is no interpretation.

Feelings play out through the mind and thoughts, emotions play in the thd body.

Many times I’ve had to release through heavy body and tears, I’ve determjned “I feel sad” I’m interpreting the emotional playbout in my body reacting. The feeling through the mental faculty plays out according to association.

I reached a point in my process where by once the mind stopped telling my body the story of why it moves through something, I was able to just stay present with everything, knowing it all passes and just a temporary shift.

I’ve taught others to just stay with everything they are moving through without stories, without reasons, without the why’s. They shift faster and reconnect faster to their true self. Most now say to me. I did as you suggested, just stayed present and shifted the whole lot. In this way we shift it complete. Nothing interferes.

The more we entertain through personal analysis why we feel as we do, the more power we give to the minds sabotauge of letting go, letting more show, letting everything not you fall away.

As someone who has empowered herself emotionally, I have no attachments to myself, to what I feel.

I just feel in response to something. I embrace it as it feels. I allow.

In this way of being I rarely feel any emotional reaction nowadays. I’m centred and aware of myself.

I’m not detached or numbed off, I’m full open in feeling. This can be seen by over emotional entangled people as numbed off. In fact it’s emotionsl empowerment as clear feeling.


I experience myself clear, which enables me to experience life clear, see things as they are and not get entangled by thoughts, feelings, emotions telling the story. My awareness, intuition is at play now.

[Starman]

Thank you Moonglow. Massage is very interesting and it brings it all back to our sense of touch. Touch takes place on many levels, as I earlier stated, touch is the basis of all of our senses. To see with our eyes light must enter our eyes and touch the occipital part of our brain. To smell something and odor must touch our olfactory nerve, to taste the substance, or its odor, must touch our tongue, and to hear sound must touch and vibrate our inner ear. All of our senses rely on touch.

When we talk about being connected to someone or something, we are talking about touch. When we say all things are connected we are talking about how everything is in touch with everything else. But things, like emotions may be in touch with us, but like a clogged up nose or ears, which does not allow us to smell or hear, we may not be capable to be in touch with those things or emotions that may be in touch with us. Massage is so wonderful because it is not only physical touching but it is also energetic touching, among other things.

I think that most problems, or challenges, that people have in this world are emotional issues. Most of those emotional issues arise as relationship problems. More people are in therapy for relationship issues then any thing else. Relationship issues not only include how we interact with others, it also includes how we interact with ourselves, or how we relate to ourselves.

A relationship involves being able to connect with or be in touch with, although there are apathetic relationships between people and also between a person and how they feel. Apathy means a lack of interest, and there are people who have a lack of interest in themselves. We are less than in our infancy when it comes to understanding our emotions and how we may feel about our emotional states. In my opinion emotional states are states of being.

[Starman]

Thank you JustBe for your sharing. The mind body interaction is fascinating. What you said about the mind telling the body the story resonates with me. Of course the story is told with a skewed perception that most probably is effected by emotions and their interpreted feelings, based on what we believe. Naturally when the mind stops telling the story there is clarity beyond belief, and much more.

Lots of people wear their emotions and thoughts on their physical body. They carry them in their brow, their shoulders, or small of their back. How we think and feel effects us at the cellular level, and can also effect our internal organs. It definitely effects our behavior and how we act. So many are slaves to their thoughts and emotions.

As it appears you already know, we are not our thoughts or our emotions. In my opinion thoughts and emotions are tools which we have to aid us in our experiences. I used to believe, and probably still do, that however passionate a person can hate they can equally be passionate to love, because opposites complement each other. It is just a matter of a person becoming polarized and stuck. Although, in my opinion, the unconditional love of the divine has no opposite.

[JustBe]

Originally Posted by Starman

Thank you JustBe for your sharing. The mind body interaction is fascinating. What you said about the mind telling the body the story resonates with me. Of course the story is told with a skewed perception that most probably is effected by emotions and their interpreted feelings, based on what we believe. Naturally when the mind stops telling the story there is clarity beyond belief, and much more.

Lots of people wear their emotions and thoughts on their physical body. They carry them in their brow, their shoulders, or small of their back. How we think and feel effects us at the cellular level, and can also effect our internal organs. It definitely effects our behavior and how we act. So many are slaves to their thoughts and emotions.

As it appears you already know, we are not our thoughts or our emotions. In my opinion thoughts and emotions are tools which we have to aid us in our experiences. I used to believe, and probably still do, that however passionate a person can hate they can equally be passionate to love, because opposites complement each other. It is just a matter of a person becoming polarized and stuck. Although, in my opinion, the unconditional love of the divine has no opposite.

As small children we take in and on the skewed perception. Your right the story and data within us formed from those ‘modellings’ often come back into a very intense array of feelings/emotions and story lines that conclude, we are all this. No matter whether the story is real or designed from a real story and experience, it all has to be released to end the war on emotions and feelings containing us. To change the story, change ones awareness of who they really are in all that.

I remember meeting a very wise friend once who kept introducing herself by name and with the adddd benefits of. “I have a disability”. Overtime I suggested she introduce herself by name and silently say to herself. “I am healed and complete” it was such a simply shift in mindset that became her catalyst to heal herself, in ways she never imagined.

The mind and story keeps us locked into the old matrix. We can’t “see” the light beyond it.

The potential if thd human body to heal and shift everything in their patterning is quite remarkable as I’ve learned and continue to learn, as both a self healing vehicle and a healer supporting other vehicles..��

[davidsun]

Originally Posted by Shivani Devi

Will this nightmare ever end? God only knows, but I even cannot feel fear anymore like I used to...live or die, I care not.

Hi Humbled(?) 'Devi':

I strikes me that 'you' (your soul) may be 'riper' than you've (its) ever been for the 12-step 'approach' to THAT which I call 'Life Itself' (among other things), so I bring the possibility to your attention again, Shivani.

If it is genuinely embarked upon (and I am not saying there are any 'guarantees' in this regard) I project (maybe its just wishful thinking on my part) the 'day' will come when you are (when your soul is) singing, if not this, the equivalent of

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k421o8CKSac

Believe it or not, I love you!

[winter light]

Originally Posted by Starman

What is the difference between and emotion and a feeling? Maybe and emotion is energy in motion and a feeling is how we interact with that energy. So what I am saying here is that feelings are reactions to emotions. How we feel about emotions depends on our mood, and our mood is often determined by our attitude. In my opinion everything is connected to everything else. What do you think?

Thanks for the topic. I think of feelings as conscious perception of what is, and emotions as somewhat a difference between what is and what we would like it to be. The emotions come from inertia of adapting to life and creating stability. And emotions are tied to thoughts. But life is always changing so we experience emotions as things change. Could think of equanimity as when there is balance between the feelings and the emotions. When we can move gracefully along as things change.