We Numb Gratitude And Happiness

Brene Brown is one of my favorite speakers.  You may know her from the TED conferences where she likes to talk about vulnerability and shame which happens to really resonate with me personally.  In a talk she gave, there was a quote that was very profound.

When we numb [hard feelings], we numb joy, we numb gratitude, we numb happiness. (Brené Brown) - from The Power Of Vulnerability

You see, numbing is something we all do as humans.  It is part of our biology and it is an unconscious act which replicates itself most likely every day of our life.  We are usually unaware that we are doing it, but it runs like fine tuned software program.


Her statement really says that when we don't allow our self to feel everything, we numb ourselves to gratitude and happiness.  When we numb ourselves, our body attempts to get our attention through physical symptoms (such as pain, tension, health issues, etc.).  These are the messages of numbing in our mind and body.

The way to connect with these numbing messages is through the felt sense.  It is when we go in and connect the felt sense of our body through the mind body interface that we are able to not only listen to these messages, but find awareness in our life and become more conscious.  The more conscious we become, the less we will numb our self to life, feelings, thoughts, and the actions of those around  us.

This is not a mental exercise, although it requires the mind to be focused and willing to travel in these numbing experiences.  It is a an exercise that connects us deep within our body where we sense, feel, and connect to that of the focused mind.  If you can't feel it, you're numb and to let go of the numbness, you must feel it in the body.

We all don't like unpleasant things in our life and we often try to avoid them.  However, the more we do this, the more we are encouraging the growth and survival of these numbing moments of our life.  We are empowering them.  If we empower them enough, they show up in many ways physically, and until we let them go, they will haunt us.

On the bright side, when we consciously connect with our awareness in our body, we will find power and freedom and peace unlike we have ever experienced before.  We will see the potential in our life, rather than the limitations.  We will be awakened to a life that is meant for us, not one that we feel we must trudge through.  It is only by going into the felt sense that we are able to stop the numbing process and find gratitude and happiness for our life.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 11/12/12 by Don Shetterly

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