Did you know that unresolved emotional issues can cause health problems? And, did you know that your beliefs play a part in those unresolved issues?
When you experience anything, you have thoughts about your experience or situation, whether or not you are aware of them. Your thoughts are filtered through your beliefs to determine the degree to which you are safe (vs. threatened). That degree of perceived safety creates feelings, such as fear, terror, rage, anger, happiness, joy, bliss, gratitude, awe, etc.
The greater the perceived threat, the greater the (negative) stress response – fight, flee, freeze – to survive the “danger”. Your system’s default is to help you survive.
Your body’s stress response is intended to escape/survive a short term threat, then return to thriving. The stress response tends to support inflammation, and is not healthy when it becomes chronic, or your “norm”.
Your physiological responses to stress are the same no matter what causes them. They are primitive responses that were intended to escape the proverbial tiger.
Are you being chased by tigers regularly? Probably not real ones. But, your body doesn’t know the difference. Running late for your day, trying to be 6 places at once, getting a speeding ticket, having a bad hair day, forgetting to pick up the dry cleaning for tomorrow, multi-tasking while the dog gives you “sad eyes”, worrying about retirement, and hating work, are all stressful. They ARE your modern-day tigers. And, your physiological response is still the same, varying by degree depending on how significant (i.e., threatening) your stressor is to you.
You process thoughts all the time about your situation, whether or not you are aware of them. Those thoughts trigger feelings, which trigger emotional physiological responses.
Unresolved emotional issues exist, in part, because of your beliefs about your situation at the time, and your resulting ability to process the situation. They are a stress response that becomes your “norm” when you are not able to resolve them.
BACK TO MY LAST ARTICLE, AND THOSE EMOTIONS BUILDING BENEATH THE SURFACE…
What happens when you experience something that leaves an emotional mark? Your belief about what is happening triggers a response in you, remember? Perhaps you are simply too young to process what happened in an emotionally mature, resourced way. Perhaps the situation was traumatic or overwhelming, and at the time your physical survival was on the line, channeling your resources to simply staying alive. To survive, you coped, compensated, and moved on, losing sight of the emotional aspect of the event. Or, maybe you were just human, very sensitive, and are still “hanging on to it”, whatever it was…..
That energy of the unresolved feeling, that patterned response, is still within you to some degree. It is like fireworks going off continually within a bag. Bumping, wearing, tearing, burning, hurting. Inflaming. Setting the stage for dis-ease.
And, every unresolved similar experience you have had since layers upon that, and adds to it. More fireworks in the bag.
When those fireworks are focused in a particular area of the body, craniosacral therapists call it an “energy cyst”. It also may manifest as a tension pattern in the fascia, muscles, and organs, especially if there was a physical injury at the time of the event. It is like a dent in your car.
It actually can disrupt the fluidity, movement, and function of the tissues, glands, and organs involved. It interferes the flow of fluids. The disruption from the unresolved emotional issue and tension creates dysfunction, chronic pain, and limited range of motion.
Stress adds more layers and further complicates things.
Think back to the last time you had an ache or a pain that bothered you enough to remedy it. Maybe a stiff neck. Maybe a sore back. Remember the list of “causes” you contemplated: “Did I sleep on it wrong? Do I need a new pillow? Did I lift or twist wrong? Did I over-do it on the ski slope, or in the garden? (Or….. the infamous “its old age catching up to me”..).”
Or, perhaps, it has been a chronic problem since that time you fell off your bike, slipped on the stairs, were in that fender-bender, or had that baby. Maybe it has been with you since you were in the womb……
Did you contemplate the insults, injuries, slips, falls and accidents that have built up over the years and how those unresolved issues may be impacting you? Your physical injuries may not have completely healed no matter how you handled it emotionally, but they also may not have completely healed BECAUSE of how you handled it emotionally.
Did you ask yourself what stresses you, and what the beliefs are that are causing that stress?
Of the hundreds of clients I have had in the 15 years I have been doing bodywork, I have never had anyone say to me that the possible cause of their pain or health issues may have been a belief they had. They may have gone so far as to say it is stress, but they stopped there. As if that is the norm, and there is nothing to do about it but relax for a while. AND, then go back to living the same way…. Lather, rinse, repeat.
I used to be the same way. I didn’t know better then, either. It is the way we are raised.
It isn’t how I live now. I always look at my Inner World. Always.
IF YOU HAVEN’T FIGURED IT OUT BY NOW, STRESS COMES FROM YOUR BELIEFS…..
It isn’t your kids’ fault for asking too much of you. It is what you believe about saying yes/no. It isn’t your spouse’s fault because they left their dirty socks on the floor. It is what you believe about the dirty socks being left. It is the choices you make, even when you say you “have no choice”. It is your Inner World…… Follow me? You can control that, but not THEM. Notice, I didn’t say it was easy, though.
If you really want to stop the pain, stress, and health issues, you need to get to the roots of it. You need to release the unresolved emotional energy. You need to address the underlying beliefs. Make sense?
And, by the way, surgery to remove the painful part doesn’t release that energy…… Neither do pain killers. Can you guess if muscle relaxants do? Nope. These are all symptomatic treatment, which may be necessary, but don’t address the roots of the problem.
ON THE FLIP SIDE, RECENT STUDIES SHOW THAT POSITIVE EMOTIONS REDUCE INFLAMMATION.
Inflammation is considered a precursor of disease. While it is a necessary and natural part of the healing process, you don’t want too much of it.
Negative emotions contribute to inflammation, where as positive ones reduce it.
Do you know what the most positive of all human emotions is? If you guessed awe, you’d be correct. It is the most positive based on its association with the lowest levels of Interleukin-6, an inflammatory marker ( http://www.medicaldaily.com/awe-inspiring-moments-lower-inflammation-marker-cytokines-positively-impact-health-328092 ). In other words, it helps reduce inflammation more that the other positive emotions.
As I said in my last article, focusing on positive thoughts doesn’t mean the negative thoughts don’t exist in the background. It would be the same as saying what is behind you, i.e. out of your line of sight, in this very moment isn’t there.
Spending time thinking and feeling positively is still beneficial to your health. The question is, how much of that do you need to do to off-set what is going on negatively in the background? Is that realistic and attainable? Do you still want that old tape running beneath the surface?
What obsolete beliefs and unresolved emotional issues can cause you health problems? What lives within your Inner World waiting to be resolved?
You can only handle so much at one time. You are human, and it is natural to resist change when it requires you to step outside of your comfort zone. And, it may be way more comfortable being uncomfortable.
You may not be ready to accept dirty socks as the new floor covering. And, that’s ok. As long as you are aware of what is going on, and choosing the best you can for yourself at the time. Or, maybe you are trying let it be “ok”, but you just can’t seem to….yet. Being aware is different than not having a clue.
It is also possible that whatever lies beneath the surface eludes your conscious memory because it was too painful to recall, or you were too young. It may have happened before you were born. That’s ok, too.
You still can release it, and the unresolved emotional issues that go with it, whatever it is. You can take a step toward better health.
NOW YOU THAT YOU KNOW UNRESOLVED EMOTIONAL ISSUES CAN CAUSE HEALTH PROBLEMS, WHAT DO YOU DO?
The older you are, the more likely you are to have unresolved emotional issues. It is a part of life.
You may or may not be aware of them. You may have thought you were “so done with that” and moved on. You may not have realized how something has impacted you. You may be aware of those difficult moments, and your challenges dealing with them.
Do you have chronic stress? Chronic pain? Health issues? Anxiety? Depression? Difficulty sleeping? Low energy? If you answered “yes” to any of these, you may have unresolved emotional issues.
There are many ways to address unresolved emotional issues, each having pros and cons. You should determine which is best for you and your particular situation. The important thing is to make an informed decision, and DO something. The longer you wait, the more layers will be added on, and the more difficult it can be to get to the bottom of them.
A holistic approach encompasses all aspects of the unresolved situation – body, mind, spirit. Some approaches are not holistic.
I love, and use, craniosacral therapy and transformational coaching, especially when together as a Well-Being Program. They helped me, and others, when nothing else did. They are not intended to substitute for necessary medical or psychological care, but can suffice or complement when you are well resourced.
These holistic approaches get beneath the surface, without using the same mind that created the problem to solve it. They go deeper to help the energy move out that needs to, releasing those energy cysts, releasing the tissue tension, transforming obsolete patterns into empowering ones. And, because we are working with the energy of the situation, and the non-conscious mind, you don’t need to know, or necessarily recall the details.
Now that you know unresolved emotional issues can cause health problems, and your beliefs contribute to that, what will you do differently?
How can I help you today? Contact me for a consultation to determine how we may work together to help you attain optimal health by releasing and transforming unresolved emotional issues, obsolete beliefs, and chronic tension patterns.
If you’d like more detailed tips that what you see in my articles, join my email list, and receive access to free gifts and bonuses to help you reduce stress and improve your health in the process.
I see your Light! I see your Greatness! Have an awesome day!
P.S. What inspires awe in you? Feel free to comment below!
BTW, my girl Adrienne Cow arrived safely at Farm Sanctuary on Thursday April 7, 2016. She was greeted by giant Jay, and given a warm welcome (sorry for the grainy quality):