Si (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} notnotabouthim) wrote,@ 2007-04-25 13:28:00 |
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Releasing Techniques
As mentioned before, there are many releasing techniques available. They're relatively similar though, so I'll discuss the two key ones I've found so far.
Sedona Method
This is a relatively intellectualised approach. You ask the following question about any issue X.
I do like the gradual loosening of your attachment to the issue, along with the final "When" question - the implication being, of course, that if you CAN, and WILL, why not just let go of it now?
Releasing Technique
Ridiculously generic name, but anyway. This is more of a feeling based, rather than mind based approach:
This method is more or less what I've found useful to do, except I just instinctively stay relaxed, and aware/feel/identify all kinda blend into one smooth "oh, I have a dark blue pain about there" sort of reaction.
Of course, there are many variations that waver between those two, but there's not a lot of value in expounding on them all.
How to find a feeling (if it hasn't already popped up)
First, calm yourself down. Try to sit or stand still, and take 3 regular breaths without thinking anything at all.
Next, look downwards (which triggers the kinaesthetic part of the brain & helps you focus on physical feelings).
Finally, say 3-4 times (for example) "Attachment to wanting approval from John". If this is an issue for you, you will often feel unexpected feelings arising. They could be sharp pains in odd places in your body, or a rushing sensation, or, as happened when I did the Vipassana course and was very calm/aware, it might feel like your head is on fire and your eyeballs are going to explode. Hehe.
The important thing is - it's just a sensation. Don't become attached to it. Don't react to it. It'll pass, as all sensations do. The less you react to it, the easier the letting go is. Just try to locate the feeling internally, as accurately as you can. If you don't feel something, no matter what you try, either it's not a problem for you, or just keep practising. Like all things, it's just practice. The more you do, the more subtle the feelings you'll be able to detect.
The great thing about this is, you can then systematically clear every aspect of your life, without having to actually be in that situation. Anything you think you might have an issue with. Anything you think might stress you out, or cause you problems, or you know you have nasty reactions to. Any person or situation who bothers you. Quite literally, anything.
A great starting point is to look for wanting approval, wanting control, or wanting safety, with any situation or person you know.
How to Let Go
It's so easy to say, but trickier to do. Here are the different methods I've tried:
Imagining myself detaching from the feeling/problem, and it floating off
Turning my grounding tube into a vacuum and letting that help me remove it
Creating a rose (neutral object), grounding that, then sending the feeling/problem to that
Imagining the feeling/problem in my hand, and dropping it
Creating a rose around the feeling, sending it out over nearby water, and blowing it up
For a while I struggled with "letting go", or "releasing". Then I realised, there are several issues. First is the (subtle) implication that I'm holding onto something. The best phrase I've heard is "drop it". Imagine something balanced on your flat, outstretched hand. You're not holding it, there's no clinging, you just drop it.
Secondly, if I was dropping something, I'd end up with the feeling tracking its way downwards through my body, which was slow, tedious, and prone to problems (argh! It's stuck in my leg, and it won't leave!).
In terms of efficiency though, the best method I've found is:
For "sharp pain" types of feelings - create a rose (no particular reason, it's just a neutral object), around the feeling, then sending the rose over some nearby water, away from people, and explode it.
For "rushing" types of feelings - just keep repeating the phrase, stay totally neutral, and let the feeling naturally subside.
Both these techniques are very fast. The rose technique you can do between breaths. What I've noticed is, if I forget to blow up the rose, the pain stays there. It only disappears when I explode it. Sometimes with a blurred pain, it might take a few goes to get all of it, but it's still very fast.
What it's all about
Starting from the basic premise that the mind controls the body, what I'm starting to realise is that by paying close attention to my body, what I'm actually clearing isn't physical pain at all. It's negative thoughts, behaviours, patterning, reactions. These pains that appear and disappear are your body/mind trying to communicate with you, in the best way it knows how - through feeling.
The great thing about this is, you really don't have to rationalise anything, figure out what the underlying cause is, etc etc. Just being in a situation, feeling the feelings, and releasing them, will automatically clear you of massive amounts of issues. From my own experience, just going to a place with a large number of unpleasant memories, or interacting with people that typically bring about aversive reactions can result in literally, hundreds or thousands of these feelings in a day. All of them you simply drop.
I must admit, I'm still struggling a little to understand how this works, or even believe that it does. All I can say is, I watch myself exposed to behaviours that even a handful of days ago would have sent me off into a large instinctive emotional reaction. I release the feelings that come up, whoever it is continues the behaviour, and I feel absolutely nothing. No reaction at all, physical or emotional, and trust me, I'm looking hard, very hard to see if I'm still being affected. I'm not.
I may not be able to explain it, but I guess that means it works :)
As mentioned before, there are many releasing techniques available. They're relatively similar though, so I'll discuss the two key ones I've found so far.
Sedona Method
This is a relatively intellectualised approach. You ask the following question about any issue X.
- Can you let go of X?
- Will you let go of X?
- When?
I do like the gradual loosening of your attachment to the issue, along with the final "When" question - the implication being, of course, that if you CAN, and WILL, why not just let go of it now?
Releasing Technique
Ridiculously generic name, but anyway. This is more of a feeling based, rather than mind based approach:
- Become aware of the feeling
- Feel the feeling
- Identify the feeling
- Relax into the feeling
- Release the feeling
This method is more or less what I've found useful to do, except I just instinctively stay relaxed, and aware/feel/identify all kinda blend into one smooth "oh, I have a dark blue pain about there" sort of reaction.
Of course, there are many variations that waver between those two, but there's not a lot of value in expounding on them all.
How to find a feeling (if it hasn't already popped up)
First, calm yourself down. Try to sit or stand still, and take 3 regular breaths without thinking anything at all.
Next, look downwards (which triggers the kinaesthetic part of the brain & helps you focus on physical feelings).
Finally, say 3-4 times (for example) "Attachment to wanting approval from John". If this is an issue for you, you will often feel unexpected feelings arising. They could be sharp pains in odd places in your body, or a rushing sensation, or, as happened when I did the Vipassana course and was very calm/aware, it might feel like your head is on fire and your eyeballs are going to explode. Hehe.
The important thing is - it's just a sensation. Don't become attached to it. Don't react to it. It'll pass, as all sensations do. The less you react to it, the easier the letting go is. Just try to locate the feeling internally, as accurately as you can. If you don't feel something, no matter what you try, either it's not a problem for you, or just keep practising. Like all things, it's just practice. The more you do, the more subtle the feelings you'll be able to detect.
The great thing about this is, you can then systematically clear every aspect of your life, without having to actually be in that situation. Anything you think you might have an issue with. Anything you think might stress you out, or cause you problems, or you know you have nasty reactions to. Any person or situation who bothers you. Quite literally, anything.
A great starting point is to look for wanting approval, wanting control, or wanting safety, with any situation or person you know.
How to Let Go
It's so easy to say, but trickier to do. Here are the different methods I've tried:
Imagining myself detaching from the feeling/problem, and it floating off
Turning my grounding tube into a vacuum and letting that help me remove it
Creating a rose (neutral object), grounding that, then sending the feeling/problem to that
Imagining the feeling/problem in my hand, and dropping it
Creating a rose around the feeling, sending it out over nearby water, and blowing it up
For a while I struggled with "letting go", or "releasing". Then I realised, there are several issues. First is the (subtle) implication that I'm holding onto something. The best phrase I've heard is "drop it". Imagine something balanced on your flat, outstretched hand. You're not holding it, there's no clinging, you just drop it.
Secondly, if I was dropping something, I'd end up with the feeling tracking its way downwards through my body, which was slow, tedious, and prone to problems (argh! It's stuck in my leg, and it won't leave!).
In terms of efficiency though, the best method I've found is:
For "sharp pain" types of feelings - create a rose (no particular reason, it's just a neutral object), around the feeling, then sending the rose over some nearby water, away from people, and explode it.
For "rushing" types of feelings - just keep repeating the phrase, stay totally neutral, and let the feeling naturally subside.
Both these techniques are very fast. The rose technique you can do between breaths. What I've noticed is, if I forget to blow up the rose, the pain stays there. It only disappears when I explode it. Sometimes with a blurred pain, it might take a few goes to get all of it, but it's still very fast.
What it's all about
Starting from the basic premise that the mind controls the body, what I'm starting to realise is that by paying close attention to my body, what I'm actually clearing isn't physical pain at all. It's negative thoughts, behaviours, patterning, reactions. These pains that appear and disappear are your body/mind trying to communicate with you, in the best way it knows how - through feeling.
The great thing about this is, you really don't have to rationalise anything, figure out what the underlying cause is, etc etc. Just being in a situation, feeling the feelings, and releasing them, will automatically clear you of massive amounts of issues. From my own experience, just going to a place with a large number of unpleasant memories, or interacting with people that typically bring about aversive reactions can result in literally, hundreds or thousands of these feelings in a day. All of them you simply drop.
I must admit, I'm still struggling a little to understand how this works, or even believe that it does. All I can say is, I watch myself exposed to behaviours that even a handful of days ago would have sent me off into a large instinctive emotional reaction. I release the feelings that come up, whoever it is continues the behaviour, and I feel absolutely nothing. No reaction at all, physical or emotional, and trust me, I'm looking hard, very hard to see if I'm still being affected. I'm not.
I may not be able to explain it, but I guess that means it works :)
