Anger, frustration and depression all have the same root causes. In our Mind Body Medicine course students learn about how specific emotions are accompanied by particular types of behaviour and how these behaviours create specific stresses on the body that create specific diseases.
So anger, frustration and depression all relate to being stuck and constrained. The more constrained the more frustration and anger we experience.
Why do people get stuck? It comes from having high expectations of themselves and trying to meet the expectations of others. This leads to a preoccupation with doing the ‘right’ things and being perfect. Since being perfect is unobtainable, inevitably they get frustrated and angry.
Its not other people that make us angry (they are the trigger not the cause). Instead its our own lack of choice and flow that creates the anger. It’s the end outcome of being hard on ourself.
Depression has the same root. It is caused by an inability to move and express ourselves in our life. It can be prompted by physical immobility (eg being drained by sickness or child birth) and/or emotional immobility.
In Mind Body Medicine we help people become more aware of their feelings and what these feelings imply about their relationship to themselves. If a client is angry we might ask them how hard are they on themselves?
Then we help them embrace the solution to these emotional patterns. In the case of anger, frustration and depression we need to get clients to understand the root cause: they see themselves as what they do – hence they become preoccupied with performance.
What is the alternative? If we connect to a pet or a child we love them just for who they are. Dogs are not particularly useful high performance beings! They are just authentic animals that express their innate nature. That is what we love about them. Imagine if you could feel the same way about yourself. Would that give you more freedom to just be?
Paraphrasing Shakespeare: the ultimate question should not be ‘to do or not to do’ but rather to ‘be or not to be’.
You can experience the many benefits of Mind Body Medicine at our Student Clinic. Click here to learn more and make a booking.
Written by David Corby. David is CEO of CCM, teacher of holistic kinesiology and mind body medicine and published author of ‘Finding Joy Within’, ‘Energetic Protection’, ‘Neuropressure’ and numerous accredited courses. David is a registered Acupuncturist, a mind body practitioner and holistic kinesiologist. A world renowned lecturer who teaches in Australia and overseas.
