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CHAPTER 3
what happens when emotions go wrong
So, what really does happen when we have inaccurate belief systems driving our
emotions? Or negative judgments about our emotions? Or what happens when we
deny, supress or repress our emotions? A message is being blocked that tells us
of a certain need we have. And that need is not getting the attention that it
needs to be filled.
When a message underlying an emotion is not satisfactorily addressed, you can
develop physical illnesses ranging from a mild headache or digestive problem to
more life altering illnesses such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome,
eating disorders, depression, anxiety, substance abuse, self abuse (cutting),
phobias and addictions including alcohol, sex, relationships and gambling. And
another of society’s most difficult problems that is occurring with increasing
regularity and intensity is violence.
So, what is really going on here? A lot has been written about these illnesses,
but most of what has been written does not take into account that the root of
these problems is emotional in nature. If you don’t know the main reason for the
problem, solutions are slow and costly in coming about. Some solutions may have
some impact, but progress is slow because the root cause is not being addressed.
This is happening in mainstream medical programs.
In our society, any deviation from feeling well is called an illness or disease.
This type of labelling alone has judgmental undertones that cause us to
experience further unpleasant emotions, albeit unconsciously. We are sick;
therefore, we are bad or defective or inferior in some way. This feeling in turn
undermines our ability to look for a solution that would return our body to
balance. And it could further cause us to feel a sense of hopelessness.
The body is an organism that has been designed to have all of the elements
inside it flowing. When the flow of any of these elements is restricted or
obstructed, an imbalance results. When an emotion is felt, consciously or
unconsciously, it is felt in the body. When the emotion is restricted from
moving, it restricts the natural flow of the elements. If this situation is not
corrected, an imbalance results which usually manifests in physical form. If it
happens once in a while for short periods of time, the body can adjust to that.
If it occurs frequently and is chronic, it is a pattern that results in chronic
patterns of imbalance. Chronic fatigue syndrome is a good example.
Let’s take a brief look at some imbalances. Looking at these challenges is the
first step to not having them.
Depression
What has happened for depression to occur? In some rare cases, the biochemistry
of the body is altered by a purely physical malfunction that results in
depression. But, most of the time, the biochemistry of the body is altered by a
combination of elements, a majority of them, emotional in nature. There is much
research and much written on the topic of depression. The area I am focussing on
is the area that is just beginning to be explored now in the sciences. And it is
recognizing and changing this emotional arena with its underlying belief systems
that is bringing the most effective results yet to date.
Depression occurs when you feel hopeless about a situation. You don’t like the
situation and feel like it is permanent and that you don’t have the ability to
change it. It leaves you feeling powerless and hopeless. It could be a quality
within yourself that you don’t like. It could be one or a combination of
external events. It could be a long-standing frustration that does not change no
matter what you do or that you don’t even have the time to work on it. It can
proceed on a very submerged level, so much so that you are not really aware of
what is going on. But this can be changed....
(an excerpt from Chapter 3 of
Honouring Your Emotions - Why It Matters
by Johanna Vanderpol)
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