28· Investigation: Untangling and Calming Afflictive Emotions
Experiencing an afflictive emotion can feel like being caught in a knot or a tangle of disturbing thoughts and feelings. We want to be able to tease the strands of the tangle apart, to unknot what otherwise feels like a mess of mental and physical affliction when we are fearful, angry, sad or anxious. To see the more simple and perhaps more innocent threads of physical sensations, internal talk, and mental images. And to begin to make it a habit to always go to the body first, as this will help the emotion move through the body more rapidly – when we’re not focused on the story and feeding it. This will be important for bringing mindfulness to bear.