I was brought up in a family where the brain and intellect were highly valued. Through my teen years, I felt like I didn’t really belong because I was highly emotional. (I’ve later come to understand I may be an empath or at least highly intuitive.) however, after my divorce ~8 years ago, it seems I built a wall and stuffed emotions away leaning far more heavily on the logical left brain as a place of safety.

Now, as I’m studying personal growth, I’d really like to open myself up to emotions again but I’m having a really hard time feeling and identifying emotions. When I’m being coached and I’m asked how does it feel? My brain is offering up a word but I’m not feeling the sensation in my body. So, I’m seeing that as step one of my question. How do I allow myself to feel when I can’t even identify a sensation?

Part two is of course taking it to the next step of feeling on purpose. I’m trying to find statements/thoughts that generate an emotional response of love, gratitude, excitement….feeling the way I think I will feel once I’ve achieved my goal. I’ve got crickets in my body. As in – I don’t feel anything. It’s like my brain says “yup – those are some cool words…..and that’s about it.”

How do I practice feeling on purpose if I’m not feeling anything?

In the words of Batty in Fern Gully “humans don’t feel anything. They’re numb from the brain down.”