What we see on the surface can conceal a much deeper emotional landscape. Like a body of water, what appears calm or turbulent on the surface may hide an entire ecosystem beneath. Unless we are willing to look below the surface, we may never fully understand what is influencing our reactions.

The same holds true with us. We all put on brave, happy faces, and for some of us, how we appear on the outside is frequently not what we feel on the inside. Feelings of overwhelm, anger, or sadness may not be appropriate for the boardroom or the classroom. Ignoring our feelings or pushing them down can cause us to lose touch with the emotional body. Suppressed emotion tends to resurface in different ways. Over time, chronic suppression can contribute to emotional dysregulation, numbing behaviors, or persistent stress responses.

Many of us have been conditioned to judge and categorize our emotions as either acceptable or unacceptable. From a very young age, we learn what is appropriate and what is not, through family dynamics, societal norms, our friends, schools, churches, and workplaces. To fit in and stay safe, we carry these judgments forward, often passing them on to the next generation. Internal judgment varies from person to person, and it may be acceptable for one person to express happiness or anger but not sadness. Likewise, it might be acceptable for another person to feel scared and fearful, but not joy. We learn to criticize ourselves and push away undesirable feelings or fears, and in doing so, deny ourselves the opportunity to process, heal, and release, creating areas of emotional constriction or what some traditions describe as “blockages” in the emotional body.

To have a healthy emotional body, we first must realize what judgments we hold and which emotions we deny. Once we can establish how we feel about our emotions, we can work on acceptance and healing. In my practice, I work with clients in a couple of ways to access and release pent-up emotion. For some clients, we will do this through a somatic scan of the body in a traditional hypnosis session to access any tightness or tension. We work through not just the sensation itself, but also the thoughts and beliefs that accompany it. Another approach I use is chakra-based visualization and balancing work. By working through and visualizing each energetic area of the body, we can access the emotional ties and support a greater sense of balance and regulation. Sometimes the shift is felt immediately; other times emotions resurface and require continued integration outside of the office.