[sugahorse1]

My question seems to be the opposite to what most threads are about.
How do you learn to feel emotions again? I try suppress my emotions as quickly as possible and get on with life. But I know that there ought to be guilt, grief, anger...something.
My T is very good at pushing the right buttons to make me feel, but when I'm alone I've just come up with his coping mechanism.
I know it's not healthy. I just feel numb. Therefore I must be bottling everything up and I know one day it's going to explode.

[iffylivy]

maybe take a night walk and just get into a deep thought about everything that bothers you and the person its portrayed too, then design in you're mind different scenarios of thinking the person, no matter how vicious it is, then scream it all out. i think that maybe after all that you'll feel little better save then once you talk to them and honestly say what's on your mind then you'll already know how not to handle it. and calmly let it all out. Because your anger about the situation will mostly be gone and you won't be as aggressive. Just a thought, i think might be good. cause i know i smile in every situation and i mean all. I've done so much that my brain thinks thats the answer and unconsciously. smiles or laughs. its sort of a defense mechanism, in a way for me. But try what i said out. if it doesn't sound too silly.

[sugahorse1]

Thank you; I noticed yesterday how much I do benefit from some time alone to reconnect with myself

[sugahorse1]

I think I should be grieving and I'm not. I think I should be feeling sadness, and I'm not.
I think I should be feeling lonely, and that's probably the only thing I can vaguely feel. I'm not happy and not sad. I'm numb. I'm nothing

[iffylivy]

hmmm. i feel that way a lot , more so recently. its hard to differentiate at times. Like what's the real major feeling.

[ShaggyChic_1201]

Originally Posted by sugahorse1

I think I should be grieving and I'm not. I think I should be feeling sadness, and I'm not.
I think I should be feeling lonely, and that's probably the only thing I can vaguely feel. I'm not happy and not sad. I'm numb. I'm nothing

I don't have any solutions because I'm in the same boat. But I wanted you to know that you're not alone.

[MomgaJupiter]

I shut down my emotions in high school. When I started therapy at 25 I had forgotten that my body was supposed to have a physical reaction to emotions. When I started thinking about old hurts in therapy my body started waking up, and I was feeling emotions again. Today I can go to feelings from two routes - either thinking about the hurts from then or now, or I start with paying attention to how my body feels and see if an emotion is attached to that body feeling. Good luck - it does get better in time.

[avlady]

Does listening to music help? i know alot of my feelings I can find in certain songs that move me.