Understanding Your Emotions

 Understanding Your Emotions, "Your emotions aren't the problem—they're the solution"

I want to tell you something that might change how you see yourself: Your emotions aren't the enemy. They're sophisticated intelligence trying to guide you toward wholeness.

Most of us were never taught this. We learned that:

• Anger is bad

• Fear is weakness

• Sadness needs to be fixed

• We should just "be positive"

But what if I told you that each emotion carries a specific message—and when you learn to listen, everything changes?

The Five Basic Emotions as Your Guide

ANGER speaks to boundary violations
→ "Someone has overstepped. Something needs protecting."

FEAR guides you away from danger
→ "Move to safety. Something doesn't feel right."

JOY confirms alignment
→ "Yes, more of this. This serves you."

SADNESS invites review
→ "Pause. Honor what you've lost. Discover the love beneath grief."

DISGUST protects survival
→ "No. Move away from what's toxic or wrong for you."

These emotions aren't problems to solve—they're guidance systems that have been with you since birth, trying ceaselessly to lead you toward what serves your highest good.

When Emotions Get Stuck

But here's what happens when childhood wounds block these messengers:

You might have learned that expressing anger wasn't safe, so it stayed—as tension in your jaw, tightness in your chest, chronic pain in your back.

Or that your sensitivity was "too much," so you shut down joy to avoid disappointment.

Or that your boundaries didn't matter, so disgust got overridden and you learned to accept what wasn't good for you.

This is where the body holds the score.

The Work We Do Together

In Reiki Divine sessions, your nervous system calms enough that emotions that were too overwhelming to feel can safely surface. The body releases what it's been holding.

Then in our therapeutic conversation, we make sense of what moved:

• What is this emotion trying to tell you?

• What boundary needs honoring?

• What younger part of you is speaking?

• What action wants to emerge?

This combination—body energy work PLUS meaning-making conversation—is what creates lasting transformation, not just temporary relief.

A Practice: The Sacred Question

This week, try this when an emotion arises:

1. Locate it in your body (tightness, heat, heaviness?)

2. Name it gently: "Fear is here" or "Anger is visiting"

3. Ask with genuine curiosity: "What are you trying to tell me?"

4. Wait. Don't rush to answer with your thinking mind.

5. Notice what arises—sensation, image, knowing, or just softening

You might be surprised by what your emotions reveal when you finally give them permission to speak.

If You Need Support

Learning to listen to your emotions is powerful work. Sometimes we need a safe container to practice—someone who can hold space while you feel what you've been avoiding, and help you interpret what surfaces.

This is what I do. This is the work.

If your emotions feel overwhelming, confusing, or like they're running your life—I'm here.

Book Your Session | Free Consultation

Coming in February: I'll be sharing about the 18 childhood wounds that block emotional wisdom—and how we heal them. Stay tuned.

Until then, listen gently. Your body is wiser than you know.

With warmth,

Nici 💜

P.S. If you're local and struggling with chronic pain, anxiety, or "mystery symptoms" that haven't responded to other approaches—remember, I'm South Yorkshire's only certified Spinal Flow Practitioner. Your nervous system might be holding what talk therapy alone can't reach. Let's explore what's possible together.