Harnessing The Intelligence in Emotions

There is intelligence in emotions. They tell stories about what is important to us, and, what is possible for us. If we dare to traverse the depths, we transmute our emotions towards that potential.

Transmuting emotions, is the process of harnessing intelligence in emotions. The process of moving from contraction to expansion. The process of discovering capacity. The process of moving the energy in emotions to bring about profound change.

Specific emotions transmute in a specific way.

Anger transmutes to clarity.

Grief transmutes to compassion.

Confusion transmutes to spaciousness.

How is that?

Anger. We get angry because something important to us has been violated. When we get angry, it is directed at the person or the system that has violated it, not what has been violated. When we turn our gaze inwards and let go of who has violated it, our focus turns to what has been violated. That which is truly important to us. As we sit with that, we discover the most conducive way to go about achieving it. So, as we turn inwards, we find clarity towards our values and the steps towards fruitful action.

Grief. Our capacity to feel grief is directly proportional to our capacity to feel love. When we sit with grief without getting caught up in the spiral of thoughts or directing towards anyone, we connect with that capacity, we connect with our heart. And in that soft space, we find expansive compassion for the human experience.

Confusion. Confusion arises out of experiencing a lot of things simultaneously and not being able to process them. Slowing down, and sitting with confusion, allows us to hold each piece, and see connections between them. As we do that, integration occurs. Synthesis occurs. New learning emerges. Our perspective expands. A sense of spaciousness arises.

Anger is our capacity for clarity. Grief is our capacity for compassion. Confusion is our capacity for spaciousness.

Emotions are a profound gateway to transformation. A gateway that opens through a practice of both witnessing and sitting with the emotions.

Source: A conversation with Diane Musho Hamilton, during her course in Compassionate Conversations.