Have you ever wondered why society frequently asks us to hide our emotions? Do you remember that time when you became self aware of your emotions and decided that it wasn't safe for your to express them?

I have always been a very sensitive person. During my childhood and teenage years, I used to cry a lot—not just about things that happened to me, but also feeling deeply the distress of others. There was a point when I stopped showing that. 

One time, I was saying goodbye to a dear friend. We were parting ways, and I didn’t know if we would ever see each other again. The wound of separation runs deep into my being, so much so that I cry even when I watch similar scenes in movies. That day, with my friend, there were several people there saying goodbye. He was starting his solo journey to college, and I felt immensely sad. I was silently crying, and people were watching me. Before that day, I was never aware of how people saw my expressions of emotion, especially sadness. An older lady approached me and, almost dismissing my feelings, said, “Oh, you’re crying? You are so emotional!” I turned inwards and felt ashamed of showing my emotions that way. Since then, I have guarded myself from showing feelings in public.

You know what the saddest thing about this is? When you block one expression of yourself, you block all expressions. I noticed how in the years to come, I was incapable of showing excitement, joy, or pride for my accomplishments, among many other things. I cannot say I became numbed to my emotions, because I still feel them, but I would just keep them to myself. Mind you, I was already 30 years old when this event happened. I could just imagine how many times in the past people had judged me for expressing my emotions the way I used to do.

Another interesting part to this story is that only one year before, I spent a few weeks in a meditation retreat in Colombia, where emotional work was a significant part of the healing process. There, I learned to acknowledge, feel, and release my emotions. But this work was still not deep enough, as I discovered later in my own practice.

Now, what’s with emotions? Why do I incorporate them as part of my therapy practice? I have come to discover that emotions are not only beautiful expressions of our human experience; they are portals to our healing. They are messengers, signposts that guide us to the core of our suffering. They have guided me to find my abandoned inner child, hurting in a forgotten corner of my subconscious mind. They have guided me to core wounds that blocked me from expressing myself, from moving forward, from stepping into my power and wisdom.

Could it be that this power of emotions, the potential they have to elicit healing in the human being and to empower us is the reason why we have been conditioned to repress them, to not show them, to hide them, to deny them? I invite you to change your perspective on your emotions, on the human capacity to express yourself through them. To open your eyes to the beauty of them, to their power.

Emotions are enchanting portals that invite us to embark on a profound journey of self-discovery. They hold the key to unlocking the depths of our being, revealing hidden treasures and uncharted territories within ourselves. When we approach our emotions with gentle curiosity and boundless compassion, we open ourselves to an infinite well of wisdom and growth.

Welcome emotions back into your life, your unique expression. Explore them with curiosity and thirst for knowledge of self, embrace their messages and be brave to be guided by them into your depths. That’s where your power lies. That’s where all you’ve been looking for resides. That’s were you are.