A Bird and a Fish May Fall in Love….
Hi There,
Are you a fan of suspense movies? Personally, I loathe the tension as the plot builds and conditions continue to escalate. I’ll never forget watching Silence of the Lambs, reluctant to view what I intellectually knew to be a masterpiece.
Upon deeper dissection of these thrillers, I realized that, as Don Miguel Ruiz Jr. would say, movies are "Light projected on a screen with a great sound system.” If watched without the sound, these films wouldn’t be nearly as creepy. It’s the almost imperceptible music that invades the viewer’s unconscious and leaves you emotionally distressed.
Now consider that Emotional Ambivalence constitutes that subtle hum of anxiety and stress lurking just below the surface of the psyche. These thoughts and their emotional influence contribute to the musical score of your life’s screenplay.
Think about it (as I have done perpetually for the past month): We feel the tug of emotional ambivalence about anything we deem important that isn’t black and white. In other words— just about everything. Thankfully, once you make the invisible visible, you can better manage these emotions and live a life of greater clarity, focus and fulfillment.
I recently witnessed a woman working through a diametrically opposed reality that comprised her life. The technique and lessons learned from this exercise left me feeling more capable of managing the realities of life that are simply no-win situations. The event was a Strozzi Institute webinar to introduce both the concept of Somatic Embodiment and a four-day retreat to take place in Briarcliff Manor, NY this May.
During this virtual session, one participant requested a somatic practice to help her manage the racist dialogue, taunting and abuse inflicted upon her by her husband (whom she loves) and his family. Talk about a bittersweet reality!
The facilitator invited everyone on the call to rub our hands together as we brought to mind two diametrically opposing realities we’re contending with presently. I tuned into the details of a dilemma I’m personally managing. We then positioned our hands in a “scale” fashion, imagining one of these issues sitting on one side of the balance, thereby feeling the weight and the gravity of the situation.
Following the facilitator’s lead, I placed the “contradicting reality” into my other hand. When prompted, I crossed my hands in front of my body and considered how the opposing positions of my hands felt. Finally, we were directed to bring our hands together, outstretched, as in an offering. When I checked in with my body, I was astonished; my dilemma felt more integrated.
If this stirs your curiosity, invest an hour in the recording (The demonstration begins at 39:31). But the whole session is valuable if you’d like an introduction to somatics. It’s a “don’t miss” if you’re interested in a 4-day immersion into this form of health and wellness.
Cheers!
-Deborah
Deborah Goldstein
DRIVEN Professionals / Forbes / Linkedin
info@drivenpros.com | LinkedIn
DRIVEN Professionals, 35 Adrienne Lane, Garrison, NY 10524