What’s the difference between emotions and sensations?
Sensations are just sensations. Physical sensations in the body.
These sensations can have stories associated with them. And these stories give meaning to the sensations.
The stories sometimes create what we call emotions, and they tell us they are emotions.
Without stories associated with sensations, it’s easy and simple to feel and rest with the sensations. They seem neutral, and even friendly or mildly interesting.
With stories associated with the sensations, it can sometimes seem scary to feel them. We avoid feeling them, because we think something unpleasant or even terrible will happen if we do.
That’s why a simple exploration can be very helpful. When I separate out the associated images, words, and sensations, I get to see what’s there and how my experience is created by my own mind. In this case, I get to see how the emotions is created, what stories created the emotions (in my current situation, and perhaps in the past), and what stories I have about the emotions and what they mean.
All of this helps loosen the sense of reality it may initially have. It makes it easier to feel the sensation component of the emotion, and feel it as sensations. And that means I don’t have to try to escape it anymore (through compulsively going into thoughts, distracting myself, reacting). It’s OK to feel it.
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Initial draft…..
Emotions vs sensations
What’s the difference between emotions and sensations?
A simple way to say it is that emotions means sensations + stories, and these stories give meaning to the sensations. And sensations are just sensations. Without stories attached to sensations, it’s usually not a problem to feel them and rest with them. They don’t seem scary or uncomfortable.
Both the story and sensation component of an emotion are valid and important. It can be helpful to acknowledge and look at the stories. And it can also be helpful to acknowledge, notice, and feel the sensation component of emotions.
It can be tempting to wish to feel the sensations as sensations, even when stories are still attached to them. If the “stickiness” of the stories is not so strong, it can help the mind notice and differentiate the sensations and the stories.
If the stickiness is quite strong, it can be helpful to look at the story component, and see what’s there. This can help loosen or release the stickiness of the stories to the sensations, which makes it easier to notice and feel the sensations as sensations. And that is often experienced as a relief, even as coming home.
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Initial notes……
– emotions and sensations
– emotions = velcro, stories
– sensations = sensations (also a story, really)
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What’s the difference between emotions and sensations?
A simple way to say it is that emotions means sensations + stories, and these stories give meaning to the sensations. Both components of an emotion are valid and important. It can be helpful to acknowledge and look at the stories. And it can also be helpful to acknowledge, notice, and feel the sensation component of emotions.
To notice and feel the sensation component as sensations, and see what’s really there as sensations.
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A simple way to say it is that emotions means sensations + stories, and these stories give meaning to the sensations. And sensations are just sensations. Without stories attached to sensations, it’s usually not a problem to feel them and rest with them. They don’t seem scary or uncomfortable.
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Looking at the images and words seemingly attached to the sensation helps soften or release their “stickiness” to the sensations, which makes it easier to notice and feel the sensations as sensations.
If the stickiness is less strong, feeling the sensations as sensations can also make it easier to differentiate the sensation and story components that are there.
……..
What’s the difference between emotions and sensations?
A simple way to say it is that emotions means sensations + stories, and these stories give meaning to the sensations. And sensations are just sensations. Without stories attached to sensations, it’s usually not a problem to feel them and rest with them. They don’t seem scary or uncomfortable.
Both the story and sensation component of an emotion are valid and important. It can be helpful to acknowledge and look at the stories. And it can also be helpful to acknowledge, notice, and feel the sensation component of emotions.
It can be tempting to wish to feel the sensations as sensations, even when stories are still attached to them. If the “stickiness” of the stories is not so strong, it can help the mind notice and differentiate the sensations and the stories.
If the stickiness is quite strong, it can be helpful to look at the story component, and see what’s there. This can help loosen or release the stickiness of the stories to the sensations, which makes it easier to notice and feel the sensations as sensations. And that is often experienced as a relief, even as coming home.
………
A simple way to say it is that emotions are sensations + stories. The stories give meaning to the sensations.