Hi,
This is Catherine Cocotone and I am author of Embodiment and the Treatment of Eating Disorders The Body as a Resource in Recovery.
I'll be reading from the meditation script 9.
13 or 9.
13 Having an Emotion Over Forti.
Find a comfortable seated position in which your feet and sitting bones are grounded.
Your core is engaged and you are extending through the crown of your head.
Allow your jaw and shoulders to soften and breathe.
If you like,
You can close your eyes or soften your gaze.
Choose an emotion that you would like to work with today.
It might be one that keeps coming up for you or one that you have been avoiding.
You're going to invite this emotion to come over for tea.
Take a moment here and select one emotion.
If you're not sure and you need some time,
Simply pause the meditation.
Once you are ready,
You can begin again.
Imagine that you are sitting at home and your emotion has come knocking on your door.
You expect this.
You invited this emotion over to have some tea.
It was time.
Either you have been avoiding this emotion or it's kept coming around and wanting to be seen and heard.
You walk to the door and invite the emotion in.
You show the emotion to a comfortable chair and ask what type of tea would it like.
You graciously prepare the tea for yourself and for your emotion and you set the cups and saucers on the table.
You offer sugar,
Milk and cream.
You might imagine what the emotion selects.
With your feet and sitting bones grounded,
You take a few deep and calming breaths.
And you remind yourself that you can ask the emotion to leave at any point.
This visit is on your terms.
You begin by asking the emotion what it would like to tell you.
For example,
Hello,
Anger.
I'm glad that you're here.
What is it that you want to tell me?
Listen.
And if you want some time here,
Simply pause the recording.
It is so nice to have the emotion right here because you can ask it anything you'd like.
You might ask the emotion if it's concerned with things that have happened from the past or things that might happen in the future or things that are present right now.
If it feels right,
Ask your emotion this question.
Are you concerned with the past,
The future or right now?
And then simply listen to what your emotion has to say.
You can pause here if you'd like.
You can ask your emotion what it needs and wants.
You can ask it if it has ideas about what it might want you to do.
You can say,
What do you need?
What do you want?
And you have ideas about what you would like to do.
And again,
If you want,
Pause here.
Remember,
Whatever the emotion has to say,
This is just information.
Emotions often have lots of ideas about our actions.
Some of them might be just the right thing.
And some ideas that emotions have for us are not the best ideas.
When they are big or intense or feel like they have been ignored,
Emotions don't consult with the other aspects of self that are more rational.
Often the thinking part of ourselves and our gut intuition have not been consulted.
You can ask your emotion about this.
Have you consulted the rational or intuitive mind regarding these ideas?
Remind your emotion to be really honest.
You might ask your emotion,
If you have not,
Why not?
And then listen to what your emotion has to say.
As you finish your tea,
You might ask your emotion any other questions that you're thinking of.
Then thank your emotion for the visit.
And as you walk your emotion to the door,
Assure it that you have seen and heard your emotion,
And that you will deeply consider all that it had to say.
You might breathe here with your emotion,
Breathing in and breathing out.
Once your emotion has left,
Place one hand on your heart and one hand on your belly,
And thank yourself for the courage and openness to feel,
To invite your emotion over for this tea.
It's a big deal.
Bring your awareness back to your breath.
And just simply breathe a few calming breaths here.
Good.
Slowly open your eyes if they were closed and bring your awareness to an object in the room,
Gradually expanding your awareness out into the entire room.
Enclose the session with one more deep inhalation and exhalation.
Thank you so much for practicing.
