The definition of “stuck.”

We’ve all been there. Some might call it “lost,” which has nothing to do with knowing where you are in the woods. It means just not knowing what to do, which choice to make. Or perhaps feeling frozen, unable to move in one direction or the other.

On another level, it can describe the frustration of setting a goal or intention, working towards it but feeling thwarted by something every time you try to move forward on it. This is commonly accompanied by a vocal “aargh!!!” 

I often hear from clients, “I just know something is holding me back, but I don’t know what it is.” I believe that to be true. The things that we actually know are holding us back — lack of funds, time or education — are obvious and we often can do something about them. But what about the other, more subtle things that keep us stuck? 

In my personal experience, these things are subtle only because they are invisible. Their impact on my life and my clients’ lives is anything but subtle. It’s more like smacking up against a brick wall, over and over. Cue the “Arghh!!! I don’t know why this isn’t working out for me!” And you can’t see the brick wall.

We are energetic beings, made of energy that is both dense (the physical body) and of higher energy (emotions, thoughts, beliefs, soul). It’s all energy, just at different vibrations. When we have a negative experience in which we don’t process our emotions fully, we can trap that emotional energy in our body, where it continues to resonate. Think of it as a ball of energy about the size of an orange. And it can really muck up the works. We respond to other situations in our life with this ball of energy — trapped emotion — driving the bus. Our conscious mind can’t overcome it and doesn’t even know it’s there. But the subconscious mind knows.

When we have several experiences over a period of time that have the same result, our subconscious then “collects” them, so to speak, and forms a belief system. For example, a child might encounter a spider and be mesmerized by its beauty. The experience is pleasant, interesting. So when he sees the next spider, he approaches it with the belief that this is a pleasant and interesting creature. His belief system says that spiders are okay.

But another child might encounter a spider that jumped at her. It isn’t a pleasant experience, and she’s scared. A year later, she encounters another spider in a similarly frightening way. The subconscious takes these two incidents very literally (That’s the only way it operates, which is the subject for another blog post). Who knows how many incidents it takes, but at some point, the subconscious says, “Okay. That’s enough. Spiders are scary. Period.” Thus, a limiting belief is born.

Trapped emotions and limiting beliefs keep us stuck. They’re operating on a subconscious level that is extraordinarily powerful. Your subconscious controls 95 to 99% of your daily activities, such as thoughts, choices, emotional responses. Your conscious mind only controls 1 to 5% of your daily activities. When you feel stuck, it’s the subconscious stuff that’s standing in your way.

I’ve used a number of modalities over the years to clear these subconscious blocks, and I’ve found some more effective than others. The combination of PSYCH-K® to balance limiting beliefs and Emotion Code to release trapped emotions is a powerful pairing. They’re quick, easy ways to leave your baggage behind and get on with a far more satisfying life.