Energy is in itself a neutral force, despite its power. It is consciousness, however, that determines whether energy is positive or negative. From the perspective of energy and consciousness in our lives, it may seem that the more aware we are, the more likely we are to direct our energy towards creation, connection, and evolution. If we're not conscious, our energy is directed towards separation, stagnation or even destruction.
Blocked Energy
My practice involves working with energy blocks and restoring energetic integrity. As humans, we all have memories of moments when we felt in our flow. As a result, our minds are open and flexible, our breathing is deep and rhythmic, and we feel spacious in the body. Flow occurs when we are balanced between expansion and contraction, activation (doing) and receptivity (being/allowing). Our reason (thinking), emotion (feeling), and will (doing), work together in harmony.
We are confident in ourselves and our process and are therefore undefended. This is what we call being in energetic integrity.
These moments of energetic integrity are short-lived for many people I know, including myself. It is common for people to describe their energy as blocked, stagnant, or stuck. Their breath is held, shallow, or uneven and certain muscles feel tight or weak. Energetically they feel ungrounded, over-bound (separate), under-bound (enmeshed), or fragmented. They find it difficult to hold a healthy balance between doing and being, giving and receiving. They are aggressive or submissive. They are either overly reasonable, overly emotional, or overly willful. They struggle with stubbornness, procrastination, perfectionism, obsessive thinking, exaggerated individualism, or conformity.
Here are some examples of energetic blocks:
Cognitive Blocks
An energetic block is having a closed mind. When our beliefs are fixed, we become blocked. It's common for people to say, "This is just how things are," or "I'm just not that kind of person," or "God doesn't want me to have that." Such statements are cognitive blocks.
Forcing Currents
Lack of faith in ourselves or in our processes blocks our energy. This state prevents us from exercising our will. Surrender is not possible. Instead, we force our energy onto situations or people because we are afraid we won't get what we want - we believe that force is the only way to get what we need. Using our energetic grip, we can create a demand like, "Give it to me," or "I will make you love me." This energy is called a forceful current.
A pioneer of body psychotherapy, Wilhelm Reich proposed that we block our own energy to protect ourselves against unwanted emotions. He viewed these blocks as tools for suppressing emotional expression. He believed that blocking energy was an adaptive way to cope with life's frustrations.
Restoring Energetic Integrity
It takes some self-exploration, time, and willingness to take the risk in order to restore energetic integrity. To become more conscious, we must do the work before us. We are asked to take responsibility for how we use our energy to defend and stay separate. In order to understand our beliefs and the images we hold as absolutes, we need to get to know our beliefs. We are asked to feel into our bodies and energy and notice what places we distort or refuse to bring life to.
Your awareness of your energy will begin to reveal pieces of the puzzle. You may begin to see the ways you use your energy to defend against certain experiences and emotions. You may begin to see how your energy has been used as part of an adaptive strategy, how it has served you and how it no longer does. You will hopefully begin to appreciate how using your energy in this way holds you back from the potential that comes with embracing your full life force.
I believe this process isn’t just for our own personal growth. If we can understand the relationship between our own energy and consciousness, than we may be able to understand the relationship between energy and consciousness in the systems we live in, such as in our families, our political system, money, war, and the way we treat our planet.
What if, for example, we understood war as the energetic distortion of power and creativity? Or what if we viewed the compulsive striving for economic wealth as a cognitive distortion of safety and scarcity/abundance?
Energetic distortions can be found almost everywhere in our society and in ourselves, and are maintained through our lack of consciousness. If we can begin to understand the distortions of energy, and do the hard work to transform it back to its natural flow, we have a good chance of effecting real change in ourselves and in the world we live in.
A QHHT session, Soul Empowering session, Reiki session, or Energy coaching session can help you bring back your energy into its natural flow again!
Lots of Love to you Brilliant Souls!
Ania