The old saying that feelings are a must for healing, and a growing body of neuro-scientific evidence is supporting this old school wisdom. There is reasonable evidence to suggest that body awareness, interoception, plays a significant role in resilience and recovery. What makes us uncomfortable can lead us to the path of healing and recovery. It is a challenging path with a promise of transformation.
One such recent research study published in Neuroimage: Clinical (2022) suggested that failure to register sensations of sadness in the brain while feeling sad increased the risk of relapse into depression by almost 8-fold. It seems that suppression of emotions at a brain level is counterproductive, and at worse, may be harmful to our mental health.
At the same time, mindfulness training , which is about opening to the experience of emotions, related to developing awareness, especially body awareness related to shifting internal states, was found to be associated with reduced depression scores. Letting go of our burdens seems to healthy than walling it within.
If you feel antsy about learning mindfulness and its healing potential, especially if you have had odd past experiences, developing these skills in the spirit of gentleness and curiosity can give you a helpful start. It is also not advisable to plunge into mindfulness practice if you have severe anxiety since it is going to ramp it even further. If that is the case, consult a professional to help you ease into practice in a safe manner.
