Feelings
Our lives are driven by our feelings. So often we are
really out of touch with our feelings at any given moment.
As children, we
are forced to hide our feelings or put them away for a rainy day or until hell
freezes over. We most likely have never learned how to really allow
ourselves to feel. We were overwhelmed by our feelings in early childhood
and are still living in fear of having our feelings.
Our feelings are our guide to life. When we have so called
negative feelings it means that we also have an unmet need that goes with
them. It is often unconscious. When we experience positive feelings such
as being hopeful, engaged, present, confident and affectionate it indicates that
our needs are being met.
The book, Non-violent Communication
by Marshall Rosenberg addresses the issues of feelings and their meanings.
Feelings originate in the body. It is becoming aware of
them and making meaning out of them that is so difficult. We are often
unconscious of what is underneath the feeling. Our feelings can be
triggered by our thoughts. Our thoughts are ruled by our false beliefs
that we somehow acquired through growing up.
There are many great books and techniques for helping us to
access our feelings. Becoming aware of our feelings and then taking responsibility
for those feelings is part of becoming an adult. It is often very
difficult as we are not ever really taught how to do this.
While we are not psychotherapists, we do have to become aware of
our own feelings to be able to better serve clients and take
care of ourselves.
Resources for discovering and working with feelings.
Emotional Freedom
Technique
Non-violent Communication
Focusing
Loving What Is
