Tag: stress

Managing our Emotional Feeling States.

Managing our emotions can be a challenge. It takes practise. We talk about ‘raising our vibration’ and living from our highest potential but often find ourselves conflicted by difficult feelings that push our limits. Most of us have fallen victim to the beast within. In these testing times it doesn’t take much to rouse!

Our frustration mounts as we wait in line behind a particularly slow customer, we dissolve into road-rage if someone cuts us off, we feel our blood boil as we process political decisions shown in the media or we lose it with our partner over a well-trodden conflict.

Screen Shot 2016-12-13 at 3.13.30 PM (1)We are only human after all, here to feel and express the full gamut of our emotions. This is part of becoming whole and intergrating our shadow.

If we suppress these feelings, banishing them to the nether regions of our unconscious, we risk a potential outburst at a later stage. Or worse, health repercussions as our body takes the brunt of our denial.

portrait-child-hands-57449It is helpful to find a path of acceptance rather than suppression or rejection.

One of the techniques I use with my clients for managing difficult emotions engages the practice of acceptance. Once we have accepted the difficult emotion we can allow a space to replace. You can then ask yourself: ‘What would you rather feel instead?’

Try the following exercise:

  1. NOTICE – Identify the emotion or feeling as it arises
  2. ACCEPT – Put your hand on your heart space and say to yourself “I am completely here with you. You are safe to feel and express exactly what you feel right now.” (Essentially you are communicating with your inner child)
  3. ASK – “What would I rather feel instead?”bird-fly-gespentisch-night-53989
  4. BREATHE – Take a conscious breath and see it filling your heart space. You can imagine your breath as a colour, coming in through your crown chakra at the top of your head and flowing into your heart. You are using the breath and your intention to support you as you change that feeling state.

See how this works for you, let that shadow side merge and allow your soul to soar! You can also use this in your daily practise as a heart focused meditation.

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The Healing Benefits of Music

How do you feel when you listen to your favourite tracks?

Music therapy is a well-established, research-based profession that supports the health and well being of children and adults of all ages. There is now a wealth of research that shows music and sound can reduce anxiety, trauma, stress, depression and manage pain.

Numerous studies have reported promising outcomes with cardiac management, PTSD, Alzheimers, quality of life for cancer patients and neurological impairment such as stroke recovery. Doctors are even prescribing music for some of the disorders.

I use to work with patients with HIV-related cognitive deficits – similar to dementia – at a London hospital. Following my research into the benefits of music with dementia, I decided to start a weekly singing group.

After a few months, many of the patients displayed profound changes in mood, session engagement, communicative attempts such as eye contact, and speech. They also showed less anxiety and agitation, really appearing to love the singing and the music. Two patients produced sounds for the first time in years – a rewarding experience for all involved.

The Lancet recently reported results from a review of 7000 patients who listened to pre-recorded music before, during, and after surgery. They found the experience of listening to music could lower activity in the nervous system, reducing pulse rate, breathing rate and blood pressure. They also found pain, anxiety and the need for pain medication were reduced.

Patients who listened to music in the operating theatre, whilst under general anesthetic also benefited. This prompted the researchers to call for all hospitals to offer personalised music selections to people undergoing surgery.
Science Daily reported on a systematic review, published by the Cochrane Library, which looked at 52 trials with 3731 participants. They found significant evidence that music interventions help alleviate symptoms of anxiety, pain and fatigue in cancer patients whilst improving quality of life.

Oxford University in England reported research on lowering blood pressure. They found slow classical music, which followed the 10-second rhythm had the greatest impact. An earlier study suggested listening to our favourite music can strengthen the heart and improve recovery in patients with heart disease.

Music therapy was noted to improve behaviour in patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease. The study reported reduced agitation, irritability, sleep problems and eating difficulties. For the research see Alzheimers, which also reports on Addiction and Depression.

I am passionate about the transformative power of sound healing and use Tibetan bowls and various chime bars in my guided meditation. More on sound healing in my next post…

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