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What does natural medicine have to offer when dealing with emotions during and after a crisis on the mind plane?
Emotions are a means for communication between different levels of our conscious mind. They are a tool we use in order to cope with loss or something missing in our lives (Sadness), when life doesn't flow the way we want (Frustration / Anger), when we find ourselves outside our safe zone (Fear), when we try to control what cannot be controlled (Anxiety), when our reality is in a complex place with no instant solutions (Worry / Over thinking), when the light is out at the end of our tunnel and life feels bad (Depression), when we won the lottery and can't handle it… (Too much happiness – and yes, there is such a thing ;) ). All these examples are just short insights and not an attempt to go deep but do make it clear how emotions are a tool that can help us cope or at least understand where we are in life when consciously we may not be aware of our inner voice.
During times of crisis emotions tend to rise and even flood and so working with emotions is crucial for better coping during and after a crisis. Wisely managing emotions during crisis can help us with damage control and may even prevent damage and at time may even prevent a hard situation from becoming a crisis altogether.
After a crisis is over emotional flooding is common, and very often mental and physical therapy need to wait for the ebbs of emotion to subside.
Emotional intelligence is the basis for healthy living as well as for coping with crisis in general and especially with emotionally loaded ones. The knowledge of how to read our emotions, recognizing the present emotions, releasing them, preventing emotional flooding and dealing with floods when already present. EQ has proven to be a reliable prediction tool for success in life, more so then IQ. Success in dealing with emotional crisis is logically crucial for succeeding in a life during quiet times and more so when dealing with the ups and downs that life often throws at us. Some need it more than others but we all have those moments.
Natural medicine has varied tools for dealing with emotions in different ways. There is always at least one tool that will meet the needs and often more than one.
Bach flowers: These remedies are meant to focus our consciousness on specific emotions and help us to balances them. There is a remedy for anger and frustrations, two for fears, several for depression etc. Choosing the most accurate is a form of art. The common practice allows and encourages the use of several remedies at once. My experience shows, that choosing one most accurate remedy is more challenging but also more rewarding since it means we are required to be more accurate on the one hand but on the other hand the healing focus is on a single emotion. The result of this system is often a faster resolution and can lead to very accurate processes. "Peeling off" such an emotional layer often reveals another one underneath and thus leads to a second single remedy therapy and then maybe a third. This is a swift and accurate process that rarely needs a month for each remedy as is commonly the case – more likely several days. This usually results in a quick and successful process. This type of Bach flower therapy is especially effective during crisis managements since emotions during crisis have a natural cycle to them and rarely remain stable or fixed on one emotion for long.
Herbal therapy: I wouldn't count on herbs for working with specific emotions as a rule; rather I use them as a general stress reduction tool and for better adaptation in order to help out with coping during the process. I find that formulas based on four qualities of herbs can go along way here: Thymoleptic herbs (Mood raising), Adaptogens (Assist in adaptation during stress), Anti anxiety (When relevant) and general stress reducers.
Jin Shin Do: manual therapies are a wonderful choice during most emotional crisis situations since emotions tend to collect in the muscles. This specific therapy has a rather unique ability to release and/or help digest specific emotion very well. This goes beyond the general emotional release that every other type of massage can offer.
The use of de-stressors techniques as a stress management system: The habit and ability of releasing pent up emotions on a regular basis while keeping a close watch on stress levels (As taught in my book: "Learn peace in an hour") can greatly improve our ability to cope with emotional crisis. Knowing how to gauge the emotional volume stored within at any given moment is crucial for managing emotional loads. Making a daily habit of de-stressing is also very valuable for healthy living in general. In a post-crisis situation, taking the time to unload can prevent flooding.
Remember – so long as emotions come, flow and go they are healthy and will not endanger our health. It is only when emotions get stuck or are suppressed that they can lead to ill health and unbearable emotional levels.
