In this session I want to talk about the difference between emotional pain itself and then the fear of experiencing the emotional pain. They are two very different concepts that can produce very different realities…. And the thing that appears to determine whether we go on to develop all the fear around experiencing emotional pain is how hard we resist and wrestle with it…. as opposed to allowing it and processing your way through it. We can either meet it with a mindset of resistance and rejection, or allowance and acceptance. Which is not to say you condone or enjoy it, but that you just allow it to be present without pushing it away. What you resist, persists….so when there isn't that resistance or opposing force, you're then allowing it to pass right through.

Do we create our own suffering and misery? I want to explore how the beliefs and expectations we hold on to …so dearly can be the source of so much of the suffering and misery we create for ourselves. We all have them, but what I want to show you…. is that it may be worth your while to have a much closer at them so you can see how they're causing you so much pain and suffering in the form of resistance, disappointment, anger, frustration, loneliness, sadness…..and any other feeling you no longer wish to be inundated with. It's at this point you might want to jump into defence mode…..and attribute these emotional states to what is actually happening to you from out there. From all the people, in what they say, how they say it, what they do or don't do, from your job, from your children, parents, friends, your boss, the weather, the town you live in, even the country….you name it everything else that is happening outside of ourselves is …we think….responsible for how we feel..

Our suffering stems not from external circumstances, but from our resistance to 'what is.' When we let go of the illusion that others are responsible for our emotions and take full responsibility for our own internal experiences, we free ourselves from unnecessary suffering.

In this episode I teach a step by step process for how to process emotions, so you can stop avoiding life. We live in a society that stigmatises emotions and relegates discussions about feelings to therapy and so we have been conditioned to avoid, deny, and distract ourselves from negative emotions. We engage in activities that temporarily numb the pain or provide temporary relief, but in the long run, these actions lead to more suffering. Our primal instinct to move away from pain and toward pleasure keeps us locked in a downward spiral. We must recognize that experiencing painful emotions is a natural part of being human, and denying them only perpetuates our suffering. By accepting the 50/50 nature of life and allowing ourselves to fully experience and process emotions, we can find opportunities for growth and transformation. We need to examine the thoughts and stories that create our emotions, question their validity, and explore alternative perspectives. By becoming observers of our emotions and focusing on their physical sensations in the body, we can process them through to completion. Additionally, understanding that our thoughts and behaviours are often shaped by our conditioning and environment allows us to have compassion for ourselves and others. By breaking free from societal conditioning and embracing emotional intelligence, we can liberate ourselves from the cycle of pain and suffering. Let's do this…