How to resolve deeply held emotions beyond the Mental Level
Here is a very common question I am asked.
“I used to carry around a ton of anger (or fear) when I was growing up.
Since this emotion quite affected my day-to-day life, I finally decided to tackle it.
First, I’ve completed a series of psychotherapy sessions, which really helped me understand what those feelings were and where they originated.
I’m definitely not as angry as I used to be, but I still feel that same old energy and physical sensation lingering.
Plus, I’m still reacting to certain things that trigger the same emotion.
Why is it and how can I help resolve these emotions?”
What she is looking for is not simply to feel better.
She wants to resolve the emotional issue so that it no longer bothers her and she can be free from it.
So, what else might be helpful when understanding the issue is not enough?
Let’s explore it together step by step.
The mental level first
First, for many, like the patient who raised the question above, psychotherapy or counseling is a great place to start.
Psychotherapy can address the issue at the mental level, help you understand its origin, and learn how to manage it.
It can help you clarify your emotions.
I find that it often works better for those who want to process things mentally first.
And yet, the patient’s experience tells us that something has been left untouched beyond the mental level.
That is what the patient is asking about.
Energetic Level: the pattern associated with the emotion
What mental processing cannot fully address is the impact of emotions beyond words.
There is something that we can simply experience without being able to control it.
That is energy.
We humans carry energy, and modalities such as acupuncture and Reiki specialize in working with it.
In the Western concept, it is also called vibration or frequency.
A. How emotions become an energetic pattern
Every emotion carries a certain frequency.
The frequency of anger differs from that of worry, sadness, joy, or peace.
You could have been exposed to a certain emotion more often than others in childhood.
You could have been angry at your parent for whatever reason, lonely without their presence, or bullied in school.
In the long term, an emotion such as anger, sadness, frustration, or insecurity could dominate your emotional state.
Its frequency could then become your dominant vibration, creating an energetic pattern.
B. When the pattern continues
When this happens, you may live with the emotion constantly, or something small may trigger it over and over again.
You may see your life through the “emotional lens”.
This is how an energetic pattern can become established and continue unless you try to address it.
The patient above recognized this pattern and decided to take action to heal.
Can you get out of this pattern?
Yes, absolutely.
The negative vibration of a certain emotion, like anger, can be detected and released with an energetic tool, such as Reiki.
This is where energy healing can be especially useful.
It is used as a clinical healing tool, rather than for general energetic balancing.
A qualified and experienced practitioner can work with this pattern.
Soul Level: the deeper imprint created in the subconscious
A. The energy vs. the soul
Even after the energetic pattern is released, there can still be something residual.
This is when deeper healing may be needed at a different level: the soul level.
The soul is the core of our existence.
The energetic and soul aspects are considered two sides of the same coin.
They are connected, but they manifest differently and therefore require different approaches.
Energetic issues may trigger soul issues, and vice versa.
Emotional issues often require soul care from a unique perspective.
B. Subconscious imprints
The soul holds memories of critical events that affected your life, stored primarily in the “subconscious mind.”
They are different from how you consciously remember the event in your cognitive mind.
What we are concerned with are subconscious memories, which are often unresolved or lingering.
They are often called subconscious “imprints,” which can continue to negatively impact your life.
That is the reason why mental recognition of the issue or energetic release of an emotion may not be enough to resolve the issue.
It is critical to address the subconscious imprint derived from the past.
C. Healing the unresolved suffering: a story
Common cases are childhood issues, but they can go beyond the present life, like past lives, if you believe in reincarnation.
Let me give you a story.
Someone I knew in the past shared her family background with me.
Her father died suddenly, and her mother was an alcoholic.
Although she was still suffering from her past, she turned her emotions into fuel for her compassion to help others living with emotional suffering like herself.
Although her action was so moving and courageous, she did not know how to heal herself.
One day, I gently suggested that she could heal her emotions. She could not understand my suggestion, stating that no one could change the past.
I said gently:
“We cannot change the past, but we can heal our soul.”
I wished to help her heal, but I never had a chance to do so.
I am sharing this story because this is the turning point. Yes, we can heal and free ourselves from ongoing emotional suffering.
Final Thoughts
In this article, I shared my view on how emotional healing can be completed even if we cannot change the past.
As a result of healing, you may find something you did not anticipate.
When an old emotional pattern no longer occupies so much of your inner space, you may feel a new sense of freedom.
The space that was once occupied by repetitive emotions can become available for something new.
Perhaps it is a new way of seeing yourself, a new feeling, or simply the freedom to experience life differently.
Sometimes, healing is not about becoming someone new. It is about becoming free to be more fully yourself.
With Love & Compassion,
Master Mika Ichihara