Hardship

How It Starts
I grew up in a very sheltered town: white, middle class, conservative, straight (for all that I was aware). We were taught to be polite. The "darker" nature of humanity was hidden away from us. Even our parents distress and conflicts were kept behind closed doors. So, when they finally divorced, it was a huge and sudden shock.

Although, we often think that we are giving our children a gift by hiding the more base side of ourselves, what a child learns is to fear people who behave with other than the sanitized politeness. Even worse, children learn to fear these natural aspects of themselves. They learn to repress their fear, anger, even their sadness. When this is the case, they cannot access the great assets these emotions provide. Fear may warn us of danger, anger may be a call to justice, sadness may evoke compassion: it may open a door through which we can experience the impact of a loss and therefore, truly let go.

When my parents divorced, I moved with my mother to a life that provided opportunities to open to my repressed emotions. In a school where I was teased, chased, and beaten to the point of having my leg broken, I could no longer deny the feelings boiling within. The fear that kept me running away from these bullies turned to anger that exploded towards one boy who had chased me after school. This huge volcanic release of anger was quickly followed by a torrent of sadness. It was a very cathartic and enlivening experience.

"I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals, or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain!"
~The Invitation, Oriah Mountain Dreamer

The Gift Of Hardship
Reflecting back to that time, the greatest gift has been to see just how I brought this situation into my life (and inevitably, all situations). Entering this school with the naivete that I should only be polite, not defend myself, nor tell an authority, I quickly became the bullies' personal punching bag. It was my lack of knowledge of this side of society, how to be with it, and my discomfort with my anger, that attracted this dynamic into my life. If I'd been comfortable with my anger, I wouldn't have continued to cower and remain passive. In reality, that dynamic was the perfect opportunity for me to access my anger and use it to advocate for myself. Granted, this was an explosive expression of it, which is what we often experience when we are afraid of what we might do or what might happen to us, if we express it

This wake up became a huge doorway of opportunity for me. I studied martial arts and meditation. I got into counseling. These tools allowed me to see 1) just how much I had closed off from my emotions, 2) how much of life I was missing because of it, and 3) how beautiful and enlivening the experience of emotion is.

Two years into my first marriage, I had an affair. I lied outright to my wife. This was very painful. I thought that I had done something so shameful that it needed to be hidden from her, that telling her would be too painful for her, and more to the point, for me. I told her lies, which just amplified this pain. Our relationship eroded until I couldn't handle it any longer. Telling her the truth, although initially very painful, was the most freeing thing I could have done. When I finally confronted my fear and shared openly, I felt great relief and freedom. I also learned from the depth of pain of having had an affair, that I didn't want to do that again.


"I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine of your own,
without moving to hide it or fade it or fix it!" ~The Invitation by Oriah Mountain Dream

Throughout my life, what in the moment I identified as "hardship", I have since recognized to have always been a Gift. These times humbled me, bringing me closer to my humanity. They deepened my compassion for myself and all beings, and in the end, opened my heart to greater Love and acceptance, while deepening my gratitude for life.

The Hawaiian Kahuna practice of Ho 'Oponopono is the cultivation of the awareness that everything in life is a Gift. Every thing, every situation, every person, every breath, even every thought and feeling. The only focus we need to have is to treat this Gift as we would any other gift. We "unwrap" it with anticipation of the new, fresh opportunity that is presented to us. If initially we don't see the Beauty of this Gift, we ask "What Gift is Life giving us?" til we do. We look for the Gift in every moment. And when we do, we find it. We cherish it. We recognize what it means to "cherish" this life that is ours. With this attitude, there is never hardship.

"The World Is As You See It" ~ Swami Muktananda
 So, is hardship even a real thing, or is it how we perceive the situations in our lives? Is it perhaps a fabricated human falsehood? Imagine that at our core is the "petri dish" of perception: how we think of ourselves and the world. Out of this foundational idea/story grows our self image and the lens through which we see all of existence. The optimist sees a world of opportunity, the pessimist sees gloom.

"It's the heart afraid of breaking that never learns to dance.
It's the dream afraid of waking that never takes a chance.
It's the one who won't be taken who can not seem to give.
And the soul afraid of dying that never learns to live."
The Rose~ Amanda McBroom

Do you feel stuck in your life? Do you have concerns in a relationship or.feel weighted down by  addiction?
Do you want to experience the wealth of strength and joy within you?
It is my profound honor to assist you through whatever passage you are traversing, to a deeper awareness of your innate worth, and the recognition and expression of your unique gifts.

Contact me:
On Facebook: Sahar Eric Pinkham
On YouTube: SaharSound

I wish you Peace.

Conflict Resolution, Part 2

When we verbalize our emotions, we are using linear descriptions to express a non-linear aspect of our life. Emotions are "energy in motion"; not a linear description. To access and authentically express your emotions in a healthy way, I offer a very powerful technique that I occasionally use in support of couples in my counseling practice. Sit facing each other about 5' apart. Whichever of you is feeling the most intensely will start this process by holding a drum between your legs and drumming what you feel. No words are spoken as they can actually distance us from this very visceral expression. Although, I encourage you to non-verbally vocalize what you are feeling, as it will assist you in even more effectively expressing your emotions. While one of you is drumming what you feel, the other says nothing, just listens and opens in an empathic way to what is being expressed. This technique requires no drumming experience or technical ability whatsoever. In fact, it's best to let go of technique all together. Let go of anything linear; rhythmical patterns, tempo, and words. This will allow you to better let go of "thinking" your way through this emotional exercise and to more fully express your emotions. "Drum out" your feelings as long as you need.

 Now it's the other persons turn. Repeat this same process. Take turns, back and forth until you feel "done". When you both feel complete, talk about what each of you felt while the other drummed.

As I mentioned in last weeks blog, although there are myriad variations of emotion, they boil down to 4 basics, making them much easier to identify. These 4 are sad, mad, glad, and scared. By remembering these, we can have a basic navigation of this inner watery realm of emotion.
We often confuse emotions with action words. We say things like " I feel betrayed" or "I feel abandoned" or "I feel alone". Betrayal, abandonment, and being alone are actions, not feelings. These terms imply that we have been victimized. They also imply that the person we are in conflict with is the perpetrator.

Here's a list of descriptive variations of emotions, for more accurate identification and communication.

Sad                             Mad                     Scared                  Glad        
sorrowful                     resentful                afraid                     happy    
melancholy                  irritated                  fearful                    content   
gloomy                       enraged                  frightened              satisfied    
heavy-hearted             furious                   timid                      rapturous   
mournful                     annoyed                 nervous                 enthusiastic
dull                             indignant                anxious                  inspired     
discouraged                bitter                     apprehensive          vivacious   
somber                      angry                      terrified                  exhilarated 
dismal                        infuriated                horrified                  joyous                     

Here are more variations, so that you may never again be at a loss for words.

Confident            Doubtful            Interested
secure                  skeptical              fascinated
 resolute               suspicious            curious
 certain                 hesitant                engrossed
 bold                    indecisive             intrigued
 determined          perplexed            concerned
                            wavering             absorbed

After witnessing your partner express their feelings, tell them what you now realize about them:

1) Do you recognize experiencing the same feelings they expressed in your own life?
2) What needs do you see they were attempting to get met as the conflict started?
3) How do you attempt to get these same needs met in your own life?
4) Tell them what needs you were attempting to get met when the conflict started.

As we recognize the needs of another in ourselves, our love and compassion deepens. We see that everyone has the same feelings and needs. We see ourselves in everyone and everyone in us. We see that it is through our humanity that we experience our Divinity, or Oneness with all Beings. We are motivated less by fear (based on the belief that we are separate). We live more out of being inspired by Love.

It's been said that in essence, there is only one choice; whether to be motivated by fear or inspired by Love. As we develop our "loving muscles" we choose fear less and less. Eventually we no longer choose fear. Once we have chosen love enough, we'll no longer choose fear. We no longer consider fear as an option. At this point, we experience the 'choice-less choice' of choosing only Love."

"Get into that state which is beyond thought,
beyond change, beyond imagination,
beyond differences and duality.
Once you have begun to get into that state and can stay there…you will see your own Self in everyone around you.
Then the flow of love from within you will be constant and unbroken." –Swami Muktananda

Conflict Resolution, Part 1

Ever have an argument and wonder how it spun so far out of control?
In this article, I offer some simple steps to assist in moving from the suffering we experience in conflict to the peace and gratitude of understanding and compassion.  These guidelines apply to all communication, whether your companion is a business partner or friend. Take some relaxed time with them to come to agreement as to how you can best apply these guidelines.

Take A "Time Out "

Agree on a time out signal, You may choose a signal unique to you, while your partner may choose one unique to them. This signal can be a peace sign or the time out sign used in sports.
Use whatever signal is easiest for you to remember. One that has no charge for either of you.

As soon as you recognize that you are feeling tense, defensive, or hurt, show the "time out" signal.
During this time out, allow yourself to recognize how your upset was not caused by them, but your reaction to them. This is a very important step. No one is the cause of our emotional and mental suffering, but us. Others may say and do things that trigger our reaction, but how we react is totally of our choosing.

Identify The "Software"

As you sit for this time out, become aware of the tension in your body and the emotions you're experiencing. Identifying just what you are experiencing physically and emotionally, is a significant step in the process of identifying that your reaction stems from an old belief you have likely carried much of your life. I call these old beliefs "software", because they are "programming" that is not part of our "hard drive" or who we really are

Notice the location of the tension in your body. This is important because we hold the tension from our "software' in specific places in our body  (termed "cellular memory").
Sensing this tension, we have a pointer to just which program we are "running".

Although there are myriad variations on emotions, they boil down to 4 basic emotions, making it much easier to identify what we are feeling. These 4 are sad, mad, glad, and scared. By remembering these, we can have a basic navigation of this inner watery realm of emotion.
We often confuse emotions with action words. We say things like " I feel betrayed" or "I feel abandoned". Betrayal and abandonment are actions, not feelings. These terms imply that we have been victimized. Next week I'll elaborate on communicating emotions.
When you have some clarity on your physical sensations and emotions you have taken a significant step away from blame and victim-hood to Self awareness and freedom.

The Talking Stick

Have an object available that will act as the talking stick. It can be anything; a pen, a comb, a key; any item within reach. Again, nothing that has a charge for either of you. When you return to talk, determine who is to talk first. Each person talks as long as they like while holding the "talking stick" as a reminder that they have the "floor".

Even though you have taken time apart, you may feel so heated about an issue that you find it difficult to listen while the other person speaks. When this is the case, consider the following.
When I talk to my wife about an issue I have with her, she may have an immediate emotional reaction, resulting in her focusing more on her reaction than being present with me. In this case, it actually works to my advantage to put my issue aside for the moment and listen to her, allowing her to express whatever she needs. Remember, you want your partner present with you and if s(he)'s clouded by his/her reaction, how present are they really gonna be for you?

Added benefits of this are that when you return to your issue, s(he) will be more present with you and  you may find that the intensity you felt earlier has lessened and been replaced with peace and gratitude. Why? I submit that it's because you have given them what you set out to get from them in the first place. You applied the Golden Rule.

"Be the example you want to see in the world" ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Creating a bridge

I think of the Golden Rule as a"bridge"to others. Become aware of what you want from others and as long as you offer it, you'll experience it.
All the reasons that we enter relationship (ie getting certain needs met, being understood, being accepted, receiving compassion, friendship,), can be boiled down to one one easy to remember reflection; "Have I built a bridge to this person"? Have I walked in their "shoes"? Do I have compassion for them?   Have I applied the Golden Rule?" Give to others what you want to receive from them.

This bridge is available to us in every relationship and is a tool that deepens our ability  to understand, have empathy, and compassion for others. The more we create bridges, the less conflict we experience. Eventually, creating bridges  becomes our natural approach to relationship.

Next week, I'll continue the theme of conflict resolution. I'll also share with you an amazing tool that tanscends the limitations of talking about issues. A tool to get immediately to the heart of the matter, to express it and quickly return to Love.