We put emotions into some different, special category of the human soul - like we don’t need those, or those are silly or those are dangerous
The way we have learned to work with emotions, is as if they are something very different from sensations or thoughts - Karla McLaren says they are actually not that different.
She tells us how she grew up in a spiritual new age community where they hated emotions - and how horrible that was
They could only function with happiness and joy, nothing else was allowed. And how self-soothing became what they turned to - sports, herbal remedies, distractions of all sorts in a constant flow, so as not to feel all the unwanted feelings.
We explore a concrete experience of how to work with shame when it arises
There are no bad emotions, all our emotions have something to tell us, and we should listen. Yes its painful, but its okay to feel pain if there is a purpose to it and a meaning in it
Sometimes, however, says Karla, we need to resist, for example when there is injustice. And sometimes we even need to resist being normal.
We explore the messages from anger: what do I value, and what needs to be protected and restored.
We also touch upon the difference between having shame about who you are and to feel shame about a particular thing.
Karlas practice for emotions is called: Empathic mindfulness practice
She herself grew up with a lot of self hatred, and thinking something was wrong with her, and she had to learn how to remove this toxic messaging
And we can not think our way out of these things, because emotions are much more powerful than thoughts.
Your emotions are trying to protect you, Listen to your emotions, is Karlas message
Emotions are always true, but they are not always right, because they don’t always have all the information.
Emotions are the voice of the soul, because they remember everything.
So much in our daily life is very shallow, but the emotions know the depth of things. And our emotions can hold us to a higher standard.
Sometimes however, we need to gently retrain our emotions. But there is always a genius underlying the emotions.
We explore the difference between sadness and grief, and talk about the need for grief rituals
There is a gift in depression, and if you know the gifts, then you change your whole relation to depression.
Depression tells you to not move forward the way you have been. So it pulls the energy away from you, so you can not move forward in the same way. There is always a reason for depression to arise. Depression is like a reality check, and it can be painful to take a really honest look at our life, at what is actually not working.
Karla says we pathologise emotions. It is however okay to sometimes distract yourself into a different feeling, but we cant do it all the time. Intentional distractions are okay.
Become an ally and a friend to your emotions, protect them as they protect you
These ar Karlas four pillars for a whole life: art, practice, ritual, community
People don’t really understand what emotions are, they are a fundamental part of cognition, she says. And they are befriending an important part of your soul.
And In the shadow is where the power and the freedom lyes, we conclude.
www.karlamclaren.com
My website: www.duritaholm.com