Throughout our lives we experience all kinds of emotional ups and downs, and while we don’t always remember the specifics about past situations or events, their emotional after effects can stay with us indefinitely. Whenever we are unable to cope with our emotional pain, it may be easier simply to dismiss it or deny its existence. In other words, we “stuff” it hoping whatever we are feeling will stay hidden and we won’t ever have to deal with it. Some of the ways we do this include:

• Pretending nothing has happened
• Engaging in compulsive behavior
• Overeating
• Drinking to excess
• Using prescription or recreational drugs
• Over exercising
• Overworking

Even though you think you have let go of something from the past and it's all behind you, your body can still be harboring the invisible energies of past emotions associated with it. You may be surprised to learn that you are carrying the past around with you in ways you could never have imagined. When we do not allow ourselves to feel our negative emotions or find a healthy way to release them, they can get stuck in our body, and if buried for a long period of time, can actually cause all sorts of physical conditions.

What is a Trapped Emotion?

When certain emotions become too powerful for us to handle, the result can be an electrical short circuit that becomes lodged somewhere in the body. An emotion can become trapped at any age or even be inherited. A trapped emotion is an invisible ball of energy that wherever it entrenches itself, the energy field in that area becomes distorted. The result can be self sabotage, psychological distress or physical illness or pain for which there is no medical explanation. While any distressing event can result in trapped emotions, a few of the more common causes are:

• Loss of a loved one
Divorce or the end of a relationship
• Financial hardship
• Job loss and forced unemployment
• Home or work stress
• Miscarriage or abortion
• Physical trauma
• Physical or emotional combat
• Physical, mental, verbal or sexual abuse
• Negative self talk
• Negative beliefs about yourself and others

Trapped emotions can also lodge in the area around the heart to form a “Heart Wall.” This is an invisible wall of energy the subconscious mind creates around your heart to protect you from further emotional hurt. While a Heart Wall can keep you safe, it makes it difficult for you to give and receive love. Those who have a thick Heart Wall often go through life feeling isolated and disconnected from others.

Dr. Bradley Nelson elaborates on this in his book The Emotion Code, How to Release Your Trapped Emotions for Abundant Health, Love and Happiness as follows:

“I believe that Heart Walls affect us in two ways. First, they block the heart energy from flowing through the body; this makes it more difficult for the body to heal itself, and can cause physical symptoms, particularly in the neck, upper back and shoulders. Second, they block us from fully opening our hearts to others. In essence, a Heart Wall will make you numb to others and make it more difficult for you to feel emotions and connect to others. When you realize that the mind puts the heart wall up to protect us in the first place, it all makes sense, but if you have a Heart Wall, you will have a harder time being able to give and receive love freely.”

Once a Heart Wall is removed, the body has to go through a healing process; subsequent changes in your life may appear gradually in ways you might not immediately recognize.

How Does a Trapped Emotion Affect You?

If you are finding it difficult to understand why you can’t seem to shake certain emotions, it might be because that emotion is trapped somewhere in your body. Wherever a trapped emotion lodges itself, the surrounding body tissues tend to fall into resonance with its vibrational energy and you will naturally attract more of that emotion to you. For example, let’s say you have anger trapped in your body that you’ve unknowingly carried around for years. As a result, you often feel angry or easily become angry, even over something insignificant. Each time you encounter a situation where you could become angry, you are far more likely to do so because a part of you is already vibrating with the frequency of anger. Until that trapped anger is released, you will continue to attract more of it.

The more trapped emotions you have, the more negative energy you are radiating. This is why positive thinking and self help programs alone aren’t always successful. Even worse, trapped emotions can create depression, anxiety, prosperity and relationship issues, and interfere with the normal functioning of your body’s organs and tissues. If you have persistent and unexplainable aches and pains or a chronic condition for which traditional medicine has no answer, trapped emotions could well be a contributing or underlying cause. Applying The Emotion Code is an easy way to find out.

Author's Bio: 

Judith Albright, MA, is a stress management specialist in Fort Collins, CO who uses tapping and other energy healing techniques to help people neutralize stress and change underlying beliefs that are sabotaging their lives. For more information about Judith and her work visit www.stressfreewitheft.com.