Expanding your capacity to feel

[Oliver Saavedra]

Does anybody else feel emotionally numb? 

Does anybody know any technique to expand our capacity to feel? 

 

I sometimes think I understood emotions and how they work, but then I realize its just my mind the one who thinks it understood. I know my subconscious structures and all but I have to admit I only know most things mentally.

On practice I find it hard to empathize and be compassionate, I find it hard to be vulnerable to myself and to others. I'm finally fine with all my relationships but I feel some numbness on them and also find it hard to adress the important issues. I think I know what to do (oh the mind always thinks that doesn't it?) but emotionally I feel like a dumb baby sometimes. 
 

Its just frustrating to not be able to feel strongly, sometimes I barely know I'm feeling something, making it hard to identify it and expressing it. I'm trying to be less focused on my thoughts and more into the energy inside me and all around, but takes practice I know. Any guidance?

[OctagonOctopus]

Anything that cultivates body awareness, mindfullness, yoga, martial arts. Practice obseving the feelings in your body, which right now is numbness, so observe the numbness with curiousity and without judgements. Then breath into the feeling as if you are giving it more space in ones body. As other feelings arise do the same. 

Psychedelics are amazing for going deeper into feelings, practicing mindfullness on them increases body awareness drastically. 

[Oliver Saavedra]

Thanks a lot! I'd be practicing just that

[rNOW]

Write it down. And observe whatever you wrote. Write what you're feeling everyday. Even if words fall short. Bring your feelings out on the paper. If you can't write, then draw, scribble, doodle, scratch, whatever, and then just observe them without judgement. You can try to do this too - Look at those desktop wallpapers and try to write what emotions do they evoke in you. Numbing is when you're scared that your emotions might not turn out to be what you want them to be, so you bury them inside. But your emotions don't care. They just want to be noticed. Emotions are just data of what's wrong or right in your life. Once you honestly and openly see them, they'll feel more free to come out in the open. 

Edited February 27, 2020 by rNOW