The “pumping” technique to channel emotions

The pumping technique or emotional decompression It is used in states of intense stress maintained over time. People are like fragile balloons that swell as they accumulate worries, sadness and discomfort brought to them by the noise of everyday life and the adverse whims of life. In the end, the burden is so immense that we end up sinking, not knowing how to react.

Aesop said that it will always be better to eat a crust of stale bread in peace than a banquet surrounded by anxiety. It’s true. The complicated thing, without a doubt, is that we are forced to function in environments where banquets are held, where the agitation is maximum, the pressures a constant and the existential dissonances an eternal leitmotiv.

We live in a time in which uncertainty, nervousness and confusion accumulate more and more. We are “swollen” with silent suffering that prevents us from reacting and even being ourselves. We need tools, new approaches to deal with that emotional burden. This technique can help us to this end.

The “pumping” or emotional decompression technique: what does it consist of?

Ariel Leve is a renowned American journalist famous for writing a book titled An Abbreviated Life. In this work he explains his memories, and especially his childhood. In the 70s he lived in an apartment in Manhattan, where it was common for Andy Warhol and other celebrities of the time to hold their wild nighttime parties.

She spent those nights locked in her room, scared and unable to sleep. Added to this was having to live with a mother (a renowned artist) with a narcissistic, fickle, carefree and also violent personality. The suffering of those years made her accumulate a series of emotions that acted to the detriment of her physical and psychological health.

He was also aware of how this negative and unequal state of mind also “infected” his environment. All that accumulation of adverse experiences, complex emotions and memories formed the mark of a trauma. The same one that thousands of people around the world suffer from similar experiences.

The pumping or emotional decompression technique can be useful in these cases. We delve into it.

Channel to release

It is often said that The basic law of the universe responds to one principle: energy is neither created nor destroyed, it is transformed. This phrase was actually formulated by Antoine Lavoisier, and although the field of thermodynamics applies, it is also useful to us in the world of emotions.

Thus, the emotional pumping or decompression technique is a very useful resource in the context of post-traumatic stress. Work such as that carried out by Dr. Stephen Regel, an expert in trauma, supports the effectiveness of this resource in psychotherapy.

It consists of working on emotions, paying attention to mental schemes, release what is not useful to us and then leave space for well-being to enter.

Visualization and association: naming what hurts

The emotional pumping or decompression technique requires performing a visualization exercise. We must keep in mind that the complexity of the internal pressure that generates emotional pain is that we are afraid to look inside ourselves. But if we carry out a simple exercise mediated by deep relaxation it can be easier. This consists of the following:

Close your eyes and relax. He breathes deeply and, when you feel relaxed, he visualizes a labyrinth that you are entering little by little. Calmly.As you progress you will come across the things that worry you and that hurt you. Let the mind flow on its own and take you towards those complex and even painful dimensions. Make contact with them.When you find those internal realities, describe them and explain how they make you feel.. Translate them into words, the first ones that come to mind even if they don’t make special sense (pain, fear, darkness, etc.). Also, do not hesitate to vent those emotions in tears if you need to.

The pumping technique involves releasing buried feelings and emotions to the outside. to cleanse them and transform them into healthier states.

Pumping technique: understand and transform to release

After the exercise of visualization and emotional release or relief, something very specific can happen. When releasing emotions it is common to suffer an emotional breakdown. All the accumulated energy is left out and we feel overwhelmed. There is an excess of sadness and even anger.

The pumping technique requires that we continue purging and working on those emotions. It is not enough to remove them, you have to understand them and transform them.

This would be the way:

Find the causes and origins of that pain, anguish and worry. Write them down if it helps you. Now, it’s time to transform those emotions. What we feel cannot disappear just like that. Let us remember the law of thermodynamics mentioned above. No one can volatilize their anguish or feelings of guilt by magic. We must reconstruct thoughts and transform emotions, leading them to more relaxed and harmonious states.The correct way to do this is by reformulating ideas, speaking to ourselves in a compassionate way and applying a more rational and less emotional approach. Reformulate harmful thinking patterns and attitudes, release blame, turn off resentment, forgive and forgive yourself if necessary. Assume that there are things that cannot be changed or controlled, but you can control your reactions to everything that happens.

In essence, the pumping technique or emotional decompression is a useful and effective resource that we can all do. It is almost like a transformative fire capable of extinguishing all unpleasant sensations linked to repressed emotions. However, it is not exempt from certain complexity and therefore, it is always appropriate to have the support of a specialized professional.

You might be interested…