CHARGE: A New Way to Look at Energy Psychology
It's not the meaning of life we seek but our aliveness.
Once we have that the meaning of life is obvious.
Everybody's talking about Energy Psychology
these days. We seem to have finally figured out that the mind alone
does not heal, and that the body is an essential component of mental
health. We also know that allopathic medicine, while capable of many
wonders, fails to address the psychological role in the perpetuation of
disease. We desperately need models that address this integration in
order to become whole.
Energy is the interface between mind and body.
Just as the electricity in your computer allows the hardware and
software to interface, the life force that runs through you connects
your body and mind. That life force is known by many names: Yogis call
it prana; Oriental medicine calls it chi; the Star
Wars movies called it "the Force." Bioenergetics is the study of the
human personality in terms of the energetic processes of the body. In
Bioenergetic therapy, we call this energy "charge."
By
whatever name you call it, the internal software of the mind - our
thoughts and beliefs-- tells this energy where to go in the body-- and
where not to go. It tells us to hold our bellies in, or hold our voice
back, to take action or to shut down. How we distribute this energy
through the body can make us feel anxious or depressed, vibrantly alive,
or full of blockages. When we block our charge we shut down our
chakras, our feelings, and our sense of aliveness.
I like to think of the word "charge" as standing for:
Consciousness Having A Really Genuine Experience.
If
we're full of charge we are intensely alive, regardless of whether that
charge feels pleasant or painful. We feel especially alive when we're
charged up with excitement or pleasure. But even when we're angry or
afraid - we at least feel real and present. That's because we're having
a really genuine experience!
We seek charge because we seek aliveness.
An experience with a strong charge-- positive or negative-- has a lot
of meaning. If we minimize our charge, we minimize our aliveness and
life begins to feel meaningless.
The
human body/mind/spirit complex keeps a balance or "economy" of charge
throughout life by charging and discharging. We charge up by engaging in
challenges, having fun, or receiving love and affection, as well as
through more biological activities like eating and sleeping. We
discharge through releasing emotion, such as crying or yelling, as well
as through work and physical activity.
However,
our "economy" of charge may get stuck at a high charge level, which we
call anxiety, or a low charge level which we experience as depression.
This is because of faulty regulation in the charge/discharge cycle,
where charge is instead bound into body armor, such as excess weight or
chronic muscular tension. This body armor forms patterns that can only
be broken up by contacting the vital life energy that is bound. No
matter how much insight we have, no matter how many cobra poses we do,
it is the charge that is the glue of all our complexes, patterns, and
behaviors.
Mind-Body
Integration teaches you to connect with the basic "charge" or life
force, learning to follow it deep into the core, and allowing it to move
through the body. Energy then awakens the chakras, clears blockages,
brings insight, and dissolves body armor. This process of deep healing
is an art, but it can be learned. It will transform your understanding
of yourself, your relationships, and your clients.
Blessings,
Anodea Judith
