Here's a quick Primer on Feelings.

Awareness of Feelings

In doing clearing, integrating, or Active Feeling we will be bringing our awareness to our feelings and noting what happens in our inner world.

One of the larger challenges facing folks in knowing their inner-self and feelings world is that we simply don't put time aside to experience our inner natures. We may have other responsibilities, work, families, realtionships, and hobbies. Many of us are outer goal-oriented rather than inner-directed. We miss our interior life because of this and feelings get lost in the shuffle.

Sorry to say we often don't become aware of our interior life until the emergency buzzer goes off and we start to become conscious of a stressful emotional overload. Feelings got shoved out of awareness. Disscociation went on too long. It's usually in crisis points when folks become aware of their emotions and feelings. Addictions. Compulsions. Bouts of depression. Illness. Stress related disorders. These will draw our attention inward if we're fortunate.

Our feelings, emotions, and beliefs deserve our priority if we wish to live meaningful, stimulating, and enjoyable lives.

What stands in the way of feeling feelings? Avoidance. Not putting time aside. Dissociation. Not putting feelings high on our priority list. Impatience. Denial. Or believing we're selfish for attending to our inner life.

For folks with strong negative filters, looking inside may call on courage and patience. It isn't always easy being with painful and stuck feelings. What this forum and its tech page provide are some of the ways this inner exploration and growth can be done without being overwhelmed.

How important are feelings and beliefs in your life? What priority do you assign them? If you've ever had a major emotional crisis you likely give feelings and beliefs high priority.

ATTENDING TO YOUR FEELINGS

Generally we notice feelings in relationship to events. When we recall events we often get an emotional reaction. The stronger that emotion, the higher the probability that our feelings are being resisted or suppressed from awareness.

Feelings may come in these flavors:

Physical sensations/pain

Emotions.

Compulsions/obsessions (The after effects of deeper feelings)

Impulses.

Desires or wants.

Moods.

It probably isn't all that important that we have scientific sounding names for our feelings. Anxiety and depression can just as well be called feelings, up energy, down energy, neutral energy, hurt. What is important is that we full feel them with no intention of getting rid of them or keeping them. When we do this in an attentive and accepting way we get their messages and they become integrated. When we don't, we get missed messages, growing stress, losses of awareness, and all sorts of challenges. Our health can be effected.

When we clear, integrate, or release we soon discover many more feelings are there. The intellect can not fathom what is there. As we explore, we come to realize our feelings are more based on our views of events than the events themselves no matter how impactful.

Thoughts and feelings come hand in hand. Feelings are spawned by beliefs and thoughtforms. Beliefs and thought forms are the stimulous for feelings. Feelings and thoughts are energy forms. When they are cleared or integrated they returned to formlessness.

Physical sensations may be pain, hunger, fatigue, sensations of alertness. They may or may not have any emotional content.

Emotions are filtered and stimulated by beliefs. Because we believe someone should not have thrown trash in our yard and they are slobs, we become angry due to their going against our rules. Emotions can be anxiety, depression, anger, rage, sadness, guilt, shame, embarassment.

Compulsions/obsessions are the swirl of thoughts and images that come up when we are overwhelmed in one area of our life and our unconscious utilizes the compulsion to keep our awarness from other unfelt emotions and feelings. The compulsion is a driven sense like a dire need. Because of its urgency, it keeps our awareness away from other thoughts and feelings. Compulsions are an unconscious defense mechanism. They can be witnessed in addictions.

Impulses are related to unconscious motivations. They are generally irrational where desires, wants, and preferences frequently are not.

Moods are vague overall feelings. They can be negative and distressing or they can be positive and uplifting. Even neutral moods can appear. Moods can be witnessed in a sense of disatisfaction, lonelyness, insecurity.

Feelings ask for our attention. If we spend sometime each day feeling them we can enhance our lives. Unintegrated feelings can create emotional overload and stress. We also get out of contact with ourselves when we don't feel our feelings. When we integrate feelings and emotions we have more energy, feel more alive, think more clearly, have access to our intuition,and view life in a clearer fashion.

I hope others add to this post.

Take care, Steve