Emotional architecture, part 2

Like physical baggage, emotional baggage is literally “held” — clutched by your body as chronic muscle contraction. 

Emotional architecture shows up in identifiable patterns based on your natural strengths and weaknesses, the traumas you experienced as a child, and your life experience.

Dr. Wilhelm Reich identified seven segments of the body in which this “emotional clutching” mainly occurs, forming your emotional architecture. The locations of these segments seem to correspond somewhat to the Hindu chakra system.

Jiddu Krishnamurti said,

The highest form of intelligence is the ability to observe without judgment.

What makes this difficult is we often make judgements in order to hold ourselves together. Judgment is often an emotional survival instinct.

By feeling through the pain of being changed by new ideas, you’re gradually lowering your defenses against reality at a rate you can tolerate without falling apart.

You don’t have to clutch your current beliefs in order to hold yourself together — the truths that remain when you stop resisting them will hold you up.