15 Tools for Emotional Healing
Life is full of difficult emotional situations. Many of these we can easily let go of. However, there are some that you need to purposefully take the time to heal and release.
If we let these sit as repressed or suppressed emotions, they can cause problems mentally and physically.
Before they do that, let’s explore ways you can heal from emotional trauma and wounds.
I have tried everything that I recommend below to heal from my own traumas.
The best part of this list is that some tools can be used not only for healing, but also for discovery of what is causing your emotional pain.
Before we dive into the tools I recommend, let’s make sure we are on the same page as to what emotional healing is.
What is Emotional Healing?
Emotional healing is recovering from past emotional trauma. This trauma can be caused by both good and bad life events. Examples are divorce, childbirth, moving and physical or emotional abuse. It can also be healing from events that created limiting beliefs. These we may not realize are damaging at the time, but later we uncover them as a source of trauma. These can include things such as childhood experiences.
Learn what to expect on your emotional healing journey.
Emotional Healing Tools
The healing tools are broken down into two categories.
One focused on the physical body and the other on the mental, emotional and spiritual bodies. Healing all four bodies is necessary for complete healing. They are all tied together. You won’t find complete healing until you heal all of them.
Tools for Healing the Physical Body
Your physical health is important for healing. Without your health it makes it 100 times harder to heal your emotions. There are two reasons for this.
First it is hard to do the necessary emotional work if you are in pain and dealing with medical issues. You need stamina and energy to do healing work.
It can be physically draining to heal your emotions. So, making sure your body is working helps.
Second, our bodies hold onto emotions that are not processed. You will speed up your emotional healing by working on your physical body.
This goes beyond a healthy diet and exercise. While those are important, you also need to engage in some form of bodywork that will release the stuck emotions.
Bodywork is a way of working with the body that works the muscle, energy, posture, etc. so that the body can heal.
If you want more of the science behind the stuck emotions, I recommend the following book. Molecules of Emotion: The Science Behind Mind-Body Medicine.
The following are the types of bodywork that I prefer. Keep in mind they are not the only ones available.
Reiki Emotional Healing
Reiki is a Japanese healing technique that removes the unnecessary energy from your body and your aura. It also balances and clears your chakras.
Using Universal Source energy, it clears what is blocking you. This speeds up the process of healing, because as you do the work excess energy needs to be removed. Reiki is a quick and powerful way to do this.
It has been so powerful for me that I became a Reiki Master. Learn More About Reiki Here
Massage For Emotional Release
Who knew that relaxing with a massage could help you not only heal your body but release emotions. Your emotions can end up living in your tissues.
When getting a massage, you loosen the muscles and release the emotions. I have even heard of people having a massage therapist with them at counseling to get double the benefit!
If you have never experienced massage before, I suggest that you ask for referrals. The more you can ensure a good experience the more likely you are to have luck releasing. And more importantly you want to go back!
I have gotten regular massages for over 20 years now. I can say without a doubt you get what you pay for. Paying for the more experienced and trained individual allows you to go less and receive the same benefits.
Myofascial Release
Fascia runs through the entire body. When you experience emotions that are not fully processed your body absorbs them.
Fascia is one of the places that can take the emotions. Causing even more pain than the typical physical use of Fascia.
Our bodies release neuropeptides when we experience emotions, they go through the entire body and attach to any receptor that is available. Including the fascia.
Myofascial release is a technique used to release both physical tension and emotions. Many massage therapists are trained in this technique. So, if you want to try both massage and Myofascial Release, look for someone who is trained in both.
Neuro Emotional Technique
This technique is based on muscle testing to find spots that you may be holding emotional pain. Then it is released through acupressure points.
I was unsure how this could work when I first learned about it but was very intrigued. Luckily my chiropractor is trained in it, so I could experience it without tracking down someone new. While not the most powerful thing I have experienced. It did make a big impact on the consistency of my emotional healing. It helped me find balance.
Yoga for Emotional Healing
As westerners most of us look at yoga as something we do for physical fitness.
Yet, yoga was designed for spiritual growth. The asanas are meant to help release emotions and prepare us for meditation and enlightenment.
It is very common to have emotional reactions in yoga. I remember the first time that I cried in yoga. It was out of now where in a restorative yoga class. Oddly it was not even on an issue that I had been dealing with that day. But evidently the hip opener we were doing brought to the forefront some emotions.
Luckily, I had already known there could be a connection, so I allowed myself to sink into the feelings. A few hours later I was ready to release those emotions.
If you have never tried yoga before I recommend you start at a local studio. The positions can be tweaked ever so slightly to get them just right. An online class or an untrained teacher can block your experience. Once you have the basics down, then head to YouTube!
I also recommend you start with a Hatha Yoga. Then move on to other traditional styles such as Kundalini.
For more on yoga and emotions: Yoga journal
My favorite YouTube yoga: Yoga with Adriene
Tools for Healing the Emotional, Mental and Spiritual Bodies
I have lumped all the tools for these parts together, because many of them will help with multiple areas at the same time.
EFT Tapping
This is hands down, one of the most efficient tools that I use for processing and releasing emotions. But more importantly re-writing your limiting beliefs.
Tapping utilizes acupressure points to calm the nervous system and assist your mind in creating new beliefs.
My process is to journal about my emotions. Then run through a tapping sequence based on my journaling. Not only did this release those emotions but it would typically uncover new emotions that I did not know I had. (I call this free tapping, just like you can free write in journaling!)
Be prepared to cry, laugh and release!
While it is not difficult, it can take time to get used to and learn the process. While it can be beneficial to work with someone who is trained, I personally don’t believe it is not completely necessary. Especially if you know what you want to tap on and are good at understanding your feelings.
If you do want to learn more about how I recommend you learn tapping check out this article: How to Learn EFT Tapping
Meditation For Emotional Healing
While meditation has been shown to have many amazing benefits, it has been the hardest one for me to master! My mind does not like to slow down.
What has worked for me is guided meditations. These are especially great when you need to heal an emotion.
I use an app called Insight Timer. It has not only a timer for “traditional” meditation, but also thousands of free guided meditations. Including over 1,000 on emotional healing. Plus, as a bonus you can earn stars for having a regular practice.
A couple of my favorite guided meditations in the Insight App:
- Healing Inner Child & Emotional Processing by Erin Colleen Linzi
- Working with Archangels by Steve Nobel.
You can also explore my guided meditations on Insight Timer, YouTube and my podcast – Meditate with Andrea. You can explore them here.
Journaling
Hands down the best thing I do every day! I use my journal as a place to understand my feelings, discover why I do things, release old beliefs and so much more.
For me it is like having a counselor with me at all times.
While journaling can take time to get used to, it is worth the effort to learn. Start out with 10 minutes a day of free writing about what you are feeling. Do not judge yourself. This is your space to explore without any fear.
As you discover new feelings and blocks, use that information to either tap, do mirror work or speak to friends and your therapist.
Don’t give up on this without trying it for at least a couple weeks!
For more on how to Journal, check out my journaling page. It will provide and overview and links to my journaling articles.
Forgiveness
I am sure you have heard this before. It hurts you to not forgive. It is not about them; it is about you.
Yet I am more than aware that this is also one of the hardest things you can ever do!
I read article after article on forgiveness. I journaled about it. I tapped on it. I did guided meditations on it. I have used everything in this article to work on forgiveness as part of my emotional healing.
Then finally I found the book that changed everything! Radical Forgiveness by Colin Tipping. Not only did this make more sense than anything else I had read. But Tipping has practice exercises and worksheets you can use to forgive.
Do yourself a favor, get the book, read it and do the worksheets. I keep a printed set of them by my journal spot, so I can work on forgiveness anytime I am feeling overwhelmed. Please keep an open mind when reading this book.
Forgiveness really is the path to emotional healing. If you do nothing else, work on forgiveness.
For more on How I learned to Forgive
Mirror Work
Mirror Work is when you talk to yourself in the mirror. This may feel crazy, but it has an amazing power. The premise is that you learn to love yourself by directly looking into your own eyes and declaring your love.
To heal emotionally and move on you must love yourself enough to actually do that. If you don’t love yourself, you will find ways to not allow yourself to heal. You will find a way to continue the suffering.
I think this is one of the fastest ways to get to the core of a problem. I was amazed how five minutes in front of a mirror can reveal the real issue (and usually some tears with it!) And this has occurred after years of dedicated work on healing!
I recommend getting the book, so you can reference back to the affirmations, journal questions and meditations. But you don’t have too, it is equally as powerful doing it on your own. Start by looking in the mirror every morning and saying, “I love you.”
Breath Work for Healing
There are many different types of breath-work. The idea is to use breathing to alter your state and release, re-energize or discover.
The one that I used the most is Harmonic Breathing. It is an ancient form of breathing that has you utilize two inhales and one exhale. You do this for a minimum of seven minutes. It is hard to describe how it feels, but it is similar to having a great meditation experience.
Other than a simple deep breathing in and out, I highly recommend you work with a trained practitioner. Having someone else there to guide you and be present is important. Some breath-work techniques can take you to physical and spiritual places you did not know could happen. Don’t do this with an untrained guide.
Some yoga styles incorporate breathing, so you may want to start there.
Friends
You cannot go it alone. You need your friends to help you process and heal. Without my friends I would have been lost through my major transitions.
Just being able to cry with someone, so you don’t feel alone is important. Loneliness can block your emotional healing.
Make sure you cultivate relationships where you are both interested in learning, growing and becoming better people. Do this before you need them and let yourself rely on them when you need them.
The right friend at the right time is very powerful.
Past Life Regression
Past life regression allows you to go back to lives that are directly impacting you today. This has been one of the most powerful experiences I have had. More powerful than when I walked on fire.
Once you get to the point where you have a final few pieces that you simply can’t figure out. That don’t make sense. Past Life Regression may be what you need.
I had a few limiting beliefs and issues that kept appearing. No matter what I tried, I could not figure out the source or even try to re-frame them without knowing.
So, I decided to give past life regression a try. I had already believed in it, and knew they could impact your current life.
But wow, I did not expect what occurred at all.
I suddenly was able to understand why some things kept happening. And why I felt the way I did. I was able to break the connection and be aware in my daily life of patterns that were still occurring.
However, hands down the best gift it gave me is the knowledge of what karma really is. (The need to learn a specific lesson, no matter how many lifetimes it takes. Such as all aspects of love.) And with that the knowing, that it is not just about this life. If what I desire does not occur here, it will in another life.
It has taken the stress of timing and understanding away.
Learn more about past life regression.
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is a great way to heal old emotional wounds. But it is also really powerful in helping you to uncover them. Especially the ones from childhood.
We don’t always remember our life moments that wound us. Hypnosis is a great way to do this.
You can work with a hypnosis therapist to uncover the issues. Then use it to overcome them!
I would recommend working with a therapist in-person for the exploration part. They can guide you better and help you manage what comes up. Once you know what you are dealing with you can continue with one-on-one help or use a pre-recorded hypnosis track.
I recommend the ones from Hypnosis Downloads. Every download is created by 3 hypnotherapists and one psychology graduate. I have used them for years and love them! They have thousands to choose from. For example, this one is on releasing a troubled childhood.
Counseling
Find a good therapist! They can help you through the dark days probably better than anyone else. That is what they are trained to do!
They can help you see things in a different light. They won’t judge. Their advice is unbiased with only you as the focus.
Without my two favorite therapists, I would have struggled through many of my transitions.
Counseling is NOT for the weak. It is for the strong. It is for those that want to grow. It is for anyone who wants to continually get better and not make the same mistakes in life.
If you are serious about healing, you need a good therapist.
If you need help finding a good therapist, ask for referrals or search on the Psychology Today website.
If you go to them, and don’t like them. Keep looking for one that is the right fit for you.
How to Pick Out the Right Emotional Healing Tools for You
With so many options it can be hard to decide which one is best for you. I recommend that you start with one and give it a while to get used to and see if it works. Many of these tools take time to see results. You won’t go to a counselor and walk out healed after one session.
On my healing journey it took me about 18 months to get to a space where I could really see noticeable results. There was improvement before this, but to get to a point where I could notice when I reacted differently to things that used to trigger me.
I also recommend combining tools to make progress faster. Once you confirm you like the first one and are used to it. Then pick another to improve your results.
For example, I combine journaling, meditation, Reiki and tapping. These are a great match when you are working to uncover limiting beliefs that may be from childhood. And then repair the belief.
Tips to Find Other Emotional Healing Tools
This list is not inclusive of every tool out there! So, if none of these work for you here are some things you can do to uncover other tools.
- Ask Others – Hands down the best way to discover ways to heal is to ask others what they do. If you are working with a counselor, coach or other type of support ask them what else they have seen work.
- Read – whether it’s books, blogs or magazines the more you read the more you will find tools. Reading is one of the best ways to learn new things. Here are some of my favorite emotional healing books.
- Scientific Research – Scientists are starting to research alternative healing tools to understand how they work. If you are into numbers and data, then read the medical journals to see what you can find that has already been proven to work. Side note, sometimes you just have to go for it even if it hasn’t been studied yet.
- Spiritual Guidance – Ask for guidance from your angel guides or higher source They want you to heal and become more evolved. They will guide you to the right tools for you at the right time. Anytime I am stuck I ask them to bring me what I need.
Things to keep in Mind While Healing Your Emotions
As you work on healing keep these things in mind. It can be a hard road, and I don’t want you to give up. Life really is better when you heal your emotional wounds. Just keep trying.
- Some tools build overtime. They won’t necessarily work right away. Consider healing like peeling an onion. As you remove one layer you find another. But I do promise the inside is better than an onion, more like you cleared the onion and found a diamond.
- You must be a self-starter. Because there is no quick fix and there’s nobody behind you pushing you to become a better person. You must want this. Post on your wall or mirror why you want to heal and grow.
- Acknowledge that you need help. While you do have to be a self-starter, you don’t have to do the work alone. Remember, friends and a therapist are great additions to your journey. Depending on what you are working on there are also support groups.
- It is a few steps forward and one back. As you start to evolve and grow, you will make leaps and bounds one day and the next feel like the walls are caving in. This is natural. Take a deep breath and start again tomorrow. My best friend and I affectionately call them taking lesson breaks.
While emotional healing is not easy, it is always worth it. Do the work and you will forever be grateful you did.