163 SelfWork: Emotional Growth: An Exercise in Self-Compassion
The SelfWork Podcast
Margaret Robinson Rutherford PhD
4.8 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 24 January 2020
⏱️ 26 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In today’s SelfWork, we’re going to be talking about how to enrich your emotional life through self-compassion. So many people tell me that they don’t know how to begin to risk feelings that have been suppressed for years.But when you do, you expand the emotions available to you, and enrich your own emotional life. I gave some basics in Episode 102 – so there are other ideas there as well. Today, i offer one simple exercise or visualization for you to try that might open an emotional door for you.
There’s always the caveat when I’m talking about reaching out to deeper feelings.That caveat is that trauma work – risking feeling emotions that are a result of trauma or abuse – often needs to be done with a trauma expert. You can get overwhelmed or even dissociate if by yourself. So please assess the risk carefully.
The listener email is from someone who’s angry that a loved one attempted suicide, although there is also great compassion. She’s confused and afraid she doesn’t have the right to be angry.
Important Links:
Dr. Foojan Zeine (Link to see our interview on YouTube),
Dr. Kristin Neff's book Self-Compassion
You can hear more about emotional growth and many other topics by listening to my podcast, SelfWork with Dr. Margaret Rutherford. Subscribe to my website and receive one weekly newsletter including my weekly blog post and podcast! If you’d like to join my FaceBook closed group, then click here and answer the membership questions! Welcome!
My new book entitled Perfectly Hidden Depression has arrived and you can order here! Its message is specifically for those with a struggle with strong perfectionism which acts to mask underlying emotional pain. But the many self-help techniques described can be used by everyone who chooses to begin to address emotions long hidden away that are clouding and sabotaging your current life.
And there’s a new way to send me a message! You can record by clicking below and ask your question or make a comment. You’ll have 90 seconds to do so and that time goes quickly. By recording, you’re giving SelfWork (and me) permission to use your voice on the podcast. I’ll look forward to hearing from you!
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is self-work and I'm Dr. Margaret Rutherford. |
| 0:13.0 | At self-work, we'll discuss psychological and emotional issues common in today's world |
| 0:19.0 | and what to do about them. |
| 0:20.0 | I'm Dr. Margaret and self-work is a podcast dedicated to you taking just a few minutes today for your own self-work. |
| 0:29.0 | Hello and welcome to self-work. I'm really happy to be with you today |
| 0:33.8 | because I have just gotten through a terrible bow |
| 0:36.6 | of flu, so my empathy for any of the rest of you |
| 0:39.8 | who are in the same boat. |
| 0:41.6 | I'm Dr. Margaret Rutherford. I'm a clinical psychologist from |
| 0:44.7 | Fayetteville, Arkansas and I've been in practice over 25 years and I started self-work |
| 0:49.4 | because I not only wanted to reach the people who are already comfortable with psychological and emotional issues or perhaps those who have been initially diagnosed with depression or anxiety or having some other kind of relationship problem that was maybe something a little more |
| 1:04.7 | complicated than they were accustomed to, but also to those of you who might |
| 1:09.7 | never darken the door of a therapist, but you're just curious enough to find out a little bit more |
| 1:15.3 | about what a therapist might have to say. |
| 1:18.2 | So no matter what group or whatever the reason you're here, I'm delighted and honored. |
| 1:25.0 | Today we're going to be talking about how to enrich your emotional life, |
| 1:30.0 | and the pathway we're going to be talking about is through self-compassion. |
| 1:34.0 | So many people tell me that they don't know how to begin to risk feelings that have been suppressed for years |
| 1:38.8 | or feelings that they cannot even imagine feeling or they have no practice feeling. |
| 1:44.0 | I'll hear things like, I just don't get angry or I haven't cried since I was a baby. |
| 1:48.0 | It's not as simple as you think to actually connect with some emotions that you've suppressed or rigidly |
| 1:55.7 | compartmentalized as I like to say especially in perfectly hidden depression. |
... |
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