How to ACTUALLY Process & Release Your Emotions

The ikario Podcast: human thriving in the modern world

There's a lot of talk about "processing emotions" and most of it is frankly unhelpful. As someone who used to suffer from depression a lot, dealing with heavy emotions has been an important topic in my life. I've found that most of what people do to "process" emotions is really just avoiding emotions, with extra steps.

I've also found that NOT processing emotions comes at a steep cost. We become emotionally bogged down and it becomes a burden on all aspects of life. Also, this all starts way further back, when we make the mistake of being overly attached to labels of "good" and "bad" emotions.

In this video, I share what DOESN'T work as well as the only thing I've ever found that DOES actually work for processing emotions and relieving yourself from that emotional burden.

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00:00 Intro

01:17 The Conveyor Belt of Emotions

02:09 The most unhelpful story about emotions

04:13 Should you feel bad about your "bad" emotions?

07:00 The same emotions keep coming around

08:37 Why process emotions?

09:50 The dreaded quiet evening hours

11:44 Numbing as a response to emotions

12:25 The problem of pseudo-therapy in everyday life

16:06 "Processing" but actually avoiding

17:00 Breathwork and nervous system regulation

18:25 Somatic processing

20:04 The only thing that actually works

20:38 Example of "opening the box"

23:08 The internal motion of non-resistance

25:01 How to tell that real processing has happened

25:58 Thankfully, we have grief

27:34 My experience of learning the process

28:37 Thankfully, we have fear

29:33 Letting go of resistance

32:09 What about the REALLY BAD emotions?

34:40 Different ways to open the box

36:29 The Surprise Factor

37:43 Feeling happy for no reason at all

39:19 The long term effects are pretty great

41:40 How much joy do you allow in your life?

43:47 My attempt to change your life

46:35 Introspective Writing as a tool for awareness