Emotions Can Connect Us to Our Deepest Truth

This is the second time Pantarei Approach student Milla Harkness, has written a post for our blog. Her first post was just after her second module and now, after her 3^rd module she reflects, on how emotions can connect us to our inner truth.

The emotional world has always been something I’ve found beautifully complex. I can experience joy, pain, grief and gratitude all in the same tears. Emotions can connect us to our deepest truth and they’re a poignant reminder that we’re alive. They provide us with a direct line to our hearts. High emotions like passion, joy and love can make us feel like we’re flying, in a state of euphoria, in the perfect flow of life. Whilst the lower emotions like fear, anxiety and sadness can leave us feeling disempowered, demotivated and disconnected from ourselves and the world around us.

I Am Not My Emotions

Part of the approach of Pantarei, is to help our clients feel in control of their emotions. This is as opposed to their emotions being in control of them. It was an illuminating concept for me – to remind myself that I am not my emotions. And that I can re-center and come back to the strength and stability of my body, even in times of high stress, or deep sadness.

I recently returned from a trip to Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, where I spent considerable time meditating around the lake. The lake is considered to have great power. It’s known locally as the ‘womb of the world’, and the mythical birthplace of the Maya. It’s also the perfect mirror to the emotional world.

Connecting to My Inner World: The Chaos and the Calm

At sunrise the lake was calm, quiet and so still that you could see the bottom. This felt symbolic for being at peace and in control, connected with myself and my path in the world. It felt like the optimal state of consciousness; the pinnacle of my emotions. Half an hour of meditating later, nirvana slipped through my fingers as a boat crossed the lake, replacing tranquillity with chaos. Waves, noise and white foam prevailed which was like nature demonstrating conflict, confusion and distress.

Whilst these are all natural emotions to feel and are an inevitable part of the human experience, it doesn’t stop me from feeling overwhelmed when I feel them – out of control and like it’s a distinctly unnatural state of being. The chaos and disruption for me is always coupled with a desire to return to my previous state. A state of calm and ‘usual’ order, as quickly as possible.

When I feel overwhelmed by my emotions I lose clarity and sight of the bigger picture. I forget that this feeling or reaction is transient and that in time it will evolve into different forms, constantly evolving as more information and new experiences come to light. I remind myself to zoom out, seeing how a scenario plays out, before jumping ahead to make an overwrought conclusion.

Learning to Trust My Innate Wisdom

Pantarei has helped bring great clarity to situations in my life, that were previously clouded by emotions. Like zooming out from the lake, Pantarei can provide a bird’s eye view of an issue. This enables me to understand why I feel the way I do and what actions I need to take as a result. Being taken out of your head and guided into the innate wisdom of your body, is empowering. It deepens your trust and connection with yourself and allows you to reach your own conclusions about your life.

During sessions, people often see visualizations of topics we’re focusing on. On my recent trip, I gave a session to a Guatemalan woman who was my age and a single mother of two. Her mother was a single mother, as was her grandmother. She equated strength with being independent and being able to handle things on her own. In our session, we focused on the idea that it takes a strong person to ask for help. During the treatment an image came into her head that she described as “a web of people all with their arms outstretched ready to help”.

This picture touched both of us deeply with its simplicity and power. A beautiful reminder that help is always there, if we break through our own barriers to ask for it.  It also demonstrated how emotions can connect us to our inner wisdom as well as to each other.

Shedding Light on Our Uniqueness

Simplifying complex emotions into clear images can shed clarity and lightness on what seems to hold you back. In another session my client wanted to explore the idea that she was somehow blocking her own success. She felt some fear around stepping into the spotlight and promoting her new projects. During the session we played with the idea of changing the color of the spotlight she imagined. It moved from stage show white, to a forest green.

This shift in perspective reminded her that she was in full control of how she was being seen. That she could promote her work in her own unique way that felt comfortable and true to herself. Afterwards, she told me that she had felt the sensation as if her head was being tipped back and washed in a river. We felt that it symbolized her rebirth as she flowed into a new empowered stage of her life.

Connecting Our Body and Mind with the Pantarei Approach

One of the unique ideas of the Pantarei Approach is that we are touching the emotions rather than only muscles. Releasing emotions from our body through physical touch can unblock obstacles in our lives. It creates space and opens up new paths where we can flow more freely in our own unique stream.

By Milla Harkness