Emotions and Feelings

We have been asked recently,

“What is the difference between emotion and feeling”?

This is a good – and important – question, and what we’ve observed is that some people do not know how they feel or what emotion they are experiencing. In fact, what we have witnessed is there is a lot of judgement and preference regarding what is okay to feel and what is not okay to feel; what is “appropriate” Some people are “numb or frozen”, not connecting with the emotion within. We understand and know that the process of releasing pain and creating expression comes from recognizing what you are feeling: what emotion is moving within you.

For this conversation of heart opening, we have found that discerning what is feeling and what is emotion is very helpful for the process. This creates a common ground where we can meet to explore the possibility for healing and transformation.

Feeling is a sensation: hot or cold, tingly or numb, contracted or relaxed, uncomfortable or comfortable, heavy or light, tight or loose, emotional or physical pain.

Emotion is usually just under the feeling, such as; sadness, anger, grief, disappointment, frustration.

Healing occurs when we identify our painful feelings, and experience the emotion that is creating the pain. Feeling is the entry to moving with and riding the wave of emotion, which is an authentic and organic movement. When allowing oneself to feel, emotional awareness and balance can occur. To emotionally unfreeze and unwind takes time.

“Getting comfortable with the uncomfortable”

Allowing yourself to connect to and actually feel the uncomfortable feelings is the beginning of a nervous system reset. Being willing to fully ride the wave of emotion is emotionally maturing. Emotion is the fuel of awakening that brings self to the other side of the illusion, only to discover the truth that lies beyond the illusion of one’s present experience. Many are waking up to the awareness that there is more to life than their mind and more available in their life than their pain. The movement through feeling to recognition and processing of emotions creates new possibility and awareness ~ a conscious shift into new perspective and states of joy, peace or love. This, is heart opening.