The Motion of Emotion
In an earlier post we learned a bit about the positive thought processes of “YES, AND” as well as changing our language to keep us motivated and validate our experiences. This time I wanted to narrow in on the common and shared human experience of pendulating.
Take a moment to picture a pendulum in your mind. Visualize that suspended weight swinging back and forth in constant motion. As that weight sways, it reaches one side and then glides through many different points to the other side, without stopping. It continues to swing, reaching to the extremes of its range with every repetition, until an outside force stops the weight and causes it to rest in a suspended, neutral position.
When you think about this year, are you dreading some aspects of it?
Are you hopeful in some aspects? Are you pendulating in your spirit? It is especially common in times of strain, stress and struggle in our lives, to become like that pendulum we were thinking about before. We start to swing between the gamut of our emotions and can often lead our minds into the extreme ends of happiness and sadness, between depression and anxiety, between rest/relaxation and chronic fatigue/stress. We get stuck in a constant cycle of polarization with our emotional pendulum constantly swinging.
“Somatic Experiencing (SE) therapy is particularly relevant when dealing with pendulating emotions—fluctuations between different emotional states.”
So, what do we do?
How can we get back to center…to rest, to stillness and regulation? It can seem completely overwhelming and maybe hopeless but let me assure you, it’s not! It IS possible! You can narrow those swings and even get back to center with the right help.
Have you ever heard the expression, “You can’t see the forest for the trees?” It’s an idiom that is used to help us visualize what we can’t see. The forest represents the big picture and the trees are the details that make up the big picture. If we are standing in the middle of the forest, all we can see are the trees that surround us, i.e. our pain, our grief, our problems, our fears, our doubts, our failing health, etc.
However, when we step out of the forest and reach a clearing, we can see the details that shape the forest. We can see more clearly how our circumstances have made the forest fuller and stronger and the areas of scarcity and weakness. Focusing only on the tree or only the forest can be considered all or nothing thinking which, depending on the circumstance, can be very detrimental.
How can therapy help?
Therapy can help us walk out of that forest and into the clearing or perhaps walk into the forest and trim those trees so they aren’t so overbearing. The goal being to get that pendulum to stop its violent swings and get you back to that grounded, centered being that you can be.
Somatic Experiencing therapy is particularly relevant when dealing with pendulating emotions—fluctuations between different emotional states. The approach emphasizes the connection between the mind and body, acknowledging that emotions are not solely experienced in the mind but also manifest in physical sensations throughout the body.
SE therapy often involves techniques to regulate the nervous system. This can be especially beneficial for individuals experiencing intense and fluctuating emotions, helping them find a sense of balance and stability. Mindfulness practices, common in somatic therapy, can assist individuals in staying present with their emotions without becoming overwhelmed. Grounding techniques may also be employed to anchor individuals during emotional swings.
If pendulating emotions are linked to past trauma, SE therapy’s trauma-informed approach can be especially valuable. It helps individuals navigate and release stored trauma in the body, fostering healing. If you are struggling with pendulating emotions and are looking for help, consider Somatic Experiencing therapy.
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We are located in Richardson, TX in a beautiful office building that features a modern, cool, and calming atmosphere. There is also a walking trail that connects to a park which is great for mindfulness, processing, grounding, and reflection.