What do trapped emotiond do to us?

In his book The Emotion Code, Dr. Nelson writes about trapped emotions :


“Trapped emotions can cause you to make the wrong assumptions, overreact to innocent remarks,
 misinterpret behavior and short-circuit your relationships. Even worse, trapped emotions can create depression, anxiety and other unwanted feelings that you can’t seem to shake. They can interfere with proper function of your body’s organs and tissues, wreaking havoc with your physical health, causing pain, fatigue and illness." (page.11)

Also, a quote from page 13:
”The Emotion Code is about clearing away the baggage, so that you can be who you really are inside. You are not your emotional baggage, but sometimes your trapped emotions can derail you, or cause you to travel on paths you’d rather not take. Trapped emotions can keep you from
living the vibrant, healthy life you are meant to live. (end of quote)


Have you ever said something or reacted in a way that you later regretted? I think we all have done that, more often than we want. Yet if we "travel on paths we'd rather not take" are  we truly free or are we bound by a pattern inside of us that derails us every time from the path of peace and happiness we truly desire?

For example: If we have the trapped emotion of  anger, we may get overly upset about small things, alienating people around us, family, co-workers...to the point where they may even avoid us or withhold information from us because they care not to witness the reoccurring explosions that are so uncomfortable to bear.  No one , in their right mind and heart, chooses the painful path. The preference is to feel good. That is seen in nature too: a plant will turn its leaves toward the source of light. The purpose of life is to experience it fully. No one would want to limit that experience, yet that is exactly what we do when we allow our trapped emotions to come between us and our joy, between us and the people we love.

Our joy comes from giving and receiving with others: we are wired for communication and exchange. Being alone, in the extreme case as in solitary confinement, is considered the harshest punishment. I always remember John McCain's testimony about his years in solitary confinement. He wrote :"As far as this business of solitary confinement goes—the most important thing for survival is communication with someone, even if it's only a wave or a wink, a tap on the wall, or to have a guy put his thumb up. It makes all the difference."
http://uwf.edu/findingflorida/documents/JohnMcCainOnSolitaryConfinement.pdf


Communication does make all the difference, it is the way energy flows, it is life itself. Knowing that, why would we allow ourselves to be put in isolation out of our own making when it is so detrimental to our health and well being? Why would we chose to alienate those around us?
Maybe , so far, we thought we had no choice, we are a victim of our circumstances but once we have a way of releasing the trapped emotions, we no longer need to feel helpless. We can learn to chose otherwise. There is another option.  That is the power of change.

Going back to the example of the chronically angry person: when that anger is released, they will learn to process information others give them more graciously. It will not set off the fiery raging tendencies it previously did. This change will give others trust and confidence to share more and communicate more with that person. Both parties win in this situation when trust and ease of exchange is restored. How much more would people share with each other -husbands and wives, parents and children, friends- when that had the assurance that the other party will be open minded, open hearted and never react with negative judgment?  If there was total assurance of total understanding..how wonderful that would be!

The only barriers to that state we so wish for are those trapped emotions: fear, hopelessness, insecurity..and the list goes on. The reward for putting those barriers down are love, security, a wonderful feeling of belonging... It is to feel truly home, all the time. Isn't that what Heaven is?
Doris Crompton