By Wafa Faith Hallam
"Emotional disturbances especially suppressed emotions are
the causes of all diseases.” Neville Goddard, Feeling is the secret.
Most of us have at least heard of the mind-body connection. We are aware that stress and worries affect our health in detrimental ways. Great progress has been achieved in the way we approach what we eat, how much sleep we get, how much stress we are subjected to, and whether we exercise enough.
But most of us do not yet truly understand the depth and breadth of that connection. Most of us still do not know that our belief systems determine what we see and how we feel. Most do not know that we are—like all things in the universe—made of energy, including our thoughts and emotions. That energy is measured as positive or negative energy in physics. Therefore, the thoughts and feelings that we predominantly harbor have a direct effect on our health and well-being. And our bodies are the best indicators of the types of emotions we carry around.
If our feelings are predominantly negative, our beliefs will be negative as well. And if our beliefs are mostly negative, our thoughts will be negative too. Beliefs, after all, are mostly thoughts that we have repeated to ourselves or heard often enough. Our beliefs are also the result of our upbringing and environment and tend to change over time. Those beliefs affect the reality that we perceive and the world that we create for ourselves. The relationship between beliefs and value systems, feelings and emotions, and thoughts is intricate yet undeniable.
We cannot tend to our feelings without taking into account our beliefs and thoughts. However, at the root of it all are our feelings and our bodies are exquisitely set machines to detect the slightest changes. An interaction with someone, a circumstance, a thought can trigger joy, anxiety, or indifference, and everything in between. When we are happy, our biological indicators are all good. The reverse is true. When we are depressed and miserable, our health is automatically compromised.
Very simply, if we are aware and present, we can immediately detect how we feel and attend to the feeling. Many teachers will tell you to choose your thoughts and pick the positive ones. From my experience that is nearly impossible. When in the midst of a negative feeling that is already engulfed in negative thoughts, it is often not possible to switch to a positive mindset. It is far easier to focus on the negative feeling itself and let it go; although I admit even that is difficult when the momentum of the negative thoughts has taken hold. But we can at least tweak at it then (or later) by asking ourselves how we feel, then tolerate the discomfort of the emotional pain, sit with it without resisting it and letting it run its course to allow the energy behind it to dissipate.
Without getting side-tracked and lost in the quality of our thoughts and values, we can address most of our mental and emotional problems by addressing and acknowledging our feelings and emotions, surrendering to them and letting them go*. By doing so, we are able to stop the onslaught of thoughts and shut the monkey mind. This is surprisingly effective and the immediate result is great relief. Furthermore, the effect is long lasting and is experientially verified. You only need to rely on yourself and the freedom that is experienced by you.
If you listen to your body, treat it as your friend, with respect, love and attentiveness, it will flourish and serve you well. It will become your guide and will help you avoid most obstacles. If you never or rarely pay attention to it, ignore all its warnings and treat it as a workhorse, garbage processor, and otherwise do violence to it, it will eventually fall apart and it will become your enemy. Of that, you can be sure!
*Note: I have described this method in far more details in an article titled “Your Negative Feelings Are to Blame (or, the Secret to Lasting Happiness)” published on November 11, 2015 in my blog.
