“This article expertly outlines steps that many therapists, including myself, utilize in identifying and releasing past painful emotions. It is important to address that these steps though providing support, may not provide the necessary support to deal with deep depression issues, severe PTSD symptoms and many other debilitating mental health issues. If you are suffering from any of the above it is strongly recommended that you seek the assistance of a qualified practitioner to assist you.” Nancy Princetta
 by Deepak Chopra

Have you ever argued with someone and walked away feeling terrible about the way you were treated? Or the way you treated them?

Or maybe you got hurt deeply by someone you loved – someone you thought cared about you too?

Wouldn’t you like to know the secret to dealing with those painful emotions in a way that effectively clears them from your body and psyche?

The truth is, it’s not easy to deal with painful emotions head on. But it is something world-renowned expert in mind-body science, Deepak Chopra, MD, FACP, calls one of the most critical and fundamental components to good physical, mental, and spiritual health and well-being.

Because if we don’t deal with pain when it occurs, it will resurface as compounded emotional toxicity later on – often showing up as insomnia, hostility, anger, fear or anxiety.

Even more concerning is that our unresolved feelings of anger and fear often get turned inward at ourselves ‒ creating a layer of guilt and shame that only serves to deplete our physical, emotional, and spiritual energy until life feels (at best) like an upward climb . . . and perhaps even, impossible.

Learning how to effectively clear emotional pain from our bodies and psyches isn’t something most of us have been taught how to do.

But it is simple enough for anyone to learn! In fact, there’s a simple, 7-step exercise from Deepak :

Now it’s time to put what you listened to into action.

Try this simple 7-step process for releasing emotional pain:

1. Identify and name it:

Set aside a few minutes when you won’t be disturbed. Sit comfortably and close your eyes. Recall some circumstance in the recent past that was upsetting to you. It may be a time when you felt you were mistreated, an argument with your partner, or perhaps a past injustice at work.

For the next 30 seconds, think in detail about that incident. Try to picture what actually happened as vividly as you can, as if you were reporting it for a newspaper. Here, you are the observer watching this event. You are not the event, argument or emotional upset; you are merely witnessing what is happening.

Now identify exactly what you are feeling. Put some word on the incident that describes what you are experiencing. Be as precise as you can. Do you feel unappreciated? Insulted? Treated unfairly? Give the feeling a name. Come up with a word that epitomizes the painful experience. Focus your attention on that word.

2. Locate it physically:

Gradually allow your attention to move away from the word. Let your attention wander into your body. Become aware of the physical sensations that arise in your body as a result of the emotion you’ve identified.

These two elements — an idea in the mind and a physical sensation in the body — are what an emotion truly is, and they can’t really be separated. This is why we call it a feeling — because we feel emotions in our bodies.

Let your attention pass through your body as you’re recalling this experience. Locate the sensations the memory brings up. For many it’s a pressure in the chest or a sensation of tightness in the gut. Some feel it as pressure in their throat. Find where it is in your body that you’re feeling and holding the emotional experience.

3. Express the emotion:

Now express that feeling. Place your hand on the part of your body where you sense that the feeling is located. Say it out loud: “It hurts here.”

If you’re aware of more than one location for the pain, move your hand from place to place. At every location, pause for a moment and express what you’re feeling. Say, “It hurts here.”

When you experience physical discomfort, it means that something is unbalanced in your experience — physically, mentally or spiritually. Your body knows it — every cell in your body knows it. Befriend these sensations and their wisdom, because the pain is actually leading you to wholeness.

4. Take responsibility:

Be aware that any painful feelings you experience are your feelings. These feelings are happening inside your body now as you remember the pain, even though nothing is actually taking place in the material world. You’re only remembering what happened, yet your body is reacting with muscle contractions, hormonal secretions and other responses within you.

Even when the painful incident was occurring in the material world, the effect was entirely within you. You have choice in how you interpret and respond to emotional turbulence. Recognizing this is taking responsibility for your feelings.

This doesn’t mean you feel guilty. Instead, it means you recognize your ability to respond to painful situations in new and creative ways. By taking responsibility for your feelings, you can also gain the power to make the pain melt away. You’re no longer blaming anyone else for having caused the pain, so you no longer have to depend on anyone else to make it go away. Hold that understanding in your consciousness for the next few moments.

5. Release the emotion:

Place your attention on the part of your body where you’re holding the pain, and with every exhalation of your breath, have an intention of releasing that tension. For the next 30 seconds, just feel the painful sensation leaving your body with every breath. Some people find that making an audible tone that resonates in that part of your body where the pain is localized helps to loosen and lift the contraction away.

You can also experiment to discover what works best for you. For some people, singing or dancing does the trick. You may try deep breathing, using essential oils, or taking a long warm bath.

6. Share the outcome:

Sharing the outcome of releasing your pain is important because it activates the new pattern of behavior after the old painful pattern is released. Imagine that you could speak to the person who was involved in that original painful incident. What would you say to that person now?

Bear in mind that he/she was not the real cause of your pain. The real cause was your response. In your transformed state, you are now free. So you can share what happened without blame, manipulation or seeking approval. Perhaps they intended to cause you pain, and you may have unwittingly collaborated in that intention. Maybe you would like to say you no longer intend to fall into such traps.

Whatever you say is totally up to you. As long as you have an awareness of the steps we’ve taken so far in this exercise, whatever you say will be right for you.

7. Celebrate the process:

Now you can celebrate the painful experience that had taken place as the valuable material that helped you move to a higher level of consciousness. What was previously a disconnected, destructive and disabled part of your psyche is now integrated and contributing its power toward your greater spiritual goal. Instead of responding to the situation with a pain reflex, perpetuating the problem, you’ve turned it into an opportunity for spiritual transformation. That is something to celebrate! Go out for a nice dinner or buy yourself some flowers or a present to honor the new you.

Mastering the art of releasing emotional pain and toxicity is just one important step to purifying your mind, body, and soul from the inside out.