Are you looking for practical tools to achieve a better sense of self-alignment? How can an emotional detox lead you to live a better, calmer, and more holistic life? How can you get through your reactions to your emotions to fully process them and receive their full value? In this podcast episode, Dr. Cristina Castagnini speaks about detoxing emotionally with Sherianna Boyle.

MEET SHERIANNA BOYLE

Sherianna Boyle is the author of 10 books, including the Emotional Detox book series, and her latest, Energy in Action: The Power of Emotions & Intuition to Cultivate Peace & Freedom. She is the founder of Emotional Detox Coaching, an adjunct Psychology Professor, and host of the Just Ask Spirit Podcast.

Visit Sherianna's website and connect on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

IN THIS PODCAST

  • The core principles of emotional detox
  • Releasing reactions, not emotions
  • CLEANSE: the seven steps for processing emotions

The core principles of emotional detox

When Sherianna knew that she needed a change of pace and a new way to approach life, she began researching everything there is to know about emotions. She looked into what they are, how they impact your mind and body, and how they can influence your behaviors. Sherianna wanted to figure out how to do a proper emotional detox that was suited to her needs and could be adapted to whoever needed it as well. Her emotional detox is based on a handful of core principles:
  • All emotions are good as long as they are processed
So all of them; fear, insecurity, doubt, shame … They’re all good so long as we don’t just hang out in them [because] when we hang out in them it feels a lot like ruminating … But if we give them permission to be moved … you get a lot of value. (Sherianna Boyle)
When Sherianna explains that all your emotions, even the difficult ones are “good”, she means that our emotions are valuable. They offer value to you if you use them, experience them, and process them. The second core principle is that:
  • With an emotional detox, you are not looking to get rid of your emotions, but to feel and process them which ultimately releases them from your body and mind
Emotions get covered up, buried, minimized, pushed aside … through overthinking, overanalyzing, comparing, contrasting, shaming … And I call those “reactions”. So when we have those types of reactions, it suppresses the emotions, so when it comes to an emotional detox, you are trying to get to them. (Sherianna Boyle)
The third core principle of emotional detoxing is:
  • That there is only one emotion, which is love, and everything else is a reaction
What are we detoxing? We’re detoxing reactions so that we can get to the emotions, and the emotions when they’re in motion, they’re a form of energy, and then we start to feel better … You start to feel more grounded, you start to feel a sense of security. (Sherianna Boyle)
Little by little, because it does take time, but as you begin practicing emotional detoxing by focusing on letting go of your reactions to your emotions, you can isolate the value that they bring you, as well as the insights and wisdom. Through consistent emotional detoxing, you develop your inner trust in yourself, your body, and your faith in the world around you.

Releasing reactions, not emotions

By going on an emotional detox, you are essentially detoxing and releasing the reactions that you have around certain emotions so that you can get through to them, experience them, and integrate the value that they offer you. Without developing a sense of trust or peace within yourself, some emotions might trigger reactions from you and if you don’t know how you handle them, you may suppress that emotion, locking away having to feel it but then also getting to understand its value. By learning how to navigate and release your reactions to different emotions, you can begin to integrate their value into your life without feeling weighed down by it all.
Changing that way of seeing it really helped me. I’m not saying you have to do it that way, you do what feels right for you. I’m saying that your emotions have value, they’re part of you, you can’t get rid of them - I’m sorry, they’re there! So let’s discover what you can do with them. You can process them, and they turn into something really beautiful. (Sherianna Boyle)

CLEANSE: the seven steps for processing emotions

C - Clear reactivity: practice grounding and mindfulness techniques and learning how to feel safe within your body L - Looking inward: identifying your emotions without going into the stories and narratives around them E - Emit: move the energy of the emotion
We mindfully start to move it through vibration. We add vibration to your body. If you’re in fear, you’re losing energy and vibration, your vitality… So we want to add some in there. (Sherianna Boyle)
A - Activate: figuring out the direction where you want to go with the more options that you have N - Nourishment: learning how to marinate in the energy of the emotion while being present and connecting with yourself
If you’re in the moment, and if you’re in your body, then you’re going to have an easier time releasing anxiety, you’re not going to be in that chronic thinking … I want you to feel nourished in that space because you’re creating new memories with [and in] the moment. (Sherianna Boyle)
S - Surrender: now, after going through all the previous steps, you have enough energy to surrender to the new behavior and the new process. What are you going to allow into your life now, and surrender to the change, trusting that you will be okay? E - Ease: affirming the change by practicing ease in this new phase of life and a new way of navigating life

USEFUL LINKS

MEET DR. CRISTINA CASTAGNINI

  I am a licensed Psychologist and Certified Eating Disorder Specialist. While I may have over 20 years of clinical experience, what I also have is the experience of having been a patient who had an eating disorder as well. One thing that I never had during all of my treatment was someone who could look me in the eye and honestly say to me "Hey, I've been there. I understand". Going through treatment for an eating disorder is one of the hardest and scariest things to do. I remember being asked to do things that scared me. Things I now know ultimately helped me to get better. But, at the time, I had serious doubts and fears about it. If even one of my providers had been able to tell me "I know it's scary, but I had to go through that part too. Here's what will probably happen...." then perhaps I would not have gone in and out of treatment so many times. My own experience ultimately led me to specialize in treating eating disorders. I wanted to be the therapist I never had; the one who "got it". I will be giving you my perspective and information as an expert and clinician who has been treating patients for over 2 decades. But don't just take my word for it...keep listening to hear the truly informative insights and knowledge guest experts have to share. I am so happy you are here!

THANKS FOR LISTENING

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