Emotional Alchemy: Emotions as Energy - Part 2 | Transform Your Feelings
To become an Emotional Alchemist, you must first understand your raw material: emotions as pure energy. This post explores how feelings are not abstract, but physiological waves of power moving through you. Learn to distinguish the energy from the story your mind tells, and practice "mindful containment" to transform your lead into gold. Your feelings are not your enemies; they are the very power you will use to forge a life of resilience and peace.
In Part 1, we introduced Emotional Alchemy as the art of transforming difficult feelings into strength and wisdom. But to become an alchemist, you first need to understand your raw material. You must learn to see emotions not as problems, but as pure energy.
This shift in perspective is the single most important step in the entire process. It’s the difference between being terrified of a lightning storm and learning how to harness electricity.
The Physics of Feeling: It's All Vibration
Think about the last time you felt a surge of anxiety. Where did you feel it? A knot in your stomach? A racing heart? Tingling in your hands? Or a sudden flash of anger. Did your face get hot? Did your jaw clench? Your shoulders tighten?
These aren't just abstract "feelings." They are physiological events. They are measurable changes in your body: hormones like cortisol and adrenaline flood your bloodstream, your nervous system fires, your muscles contract. An emotion is quite literally a wave of energy moving through the intricate biological system that is you.
In the framework of alchemy, this raw, unfiltered, bodily sensation is your "base metal"—your lead. It’s primal, powerful, and undirected. It’s not "good" or "bad"; it just is.
The Problem: We Confuse the Energy with the Story
Our suffering rarely comes from the initial energy surge itself. It comes from what we do with it next.
Our minds are master storytellers. When a wave of emotional energy hits, our brain immediately scrambles to label it and explain it. That tightness in your chest isn't just energy; it's "I'm anxious because my boss looked at me funny, which means I'm probably going to get fired, which means I'm a failure..."
See what happened? A simple energy sensation became a full-blown catastrophic narrative. We get trapped in the story, fighting against it or believing it to be an absolute truth, and in doing so, we block the energy. We try to cap the geyser instead of channeling it.
Resisting the energy (suppression) is like trying to hold a beach ball underwater. It takes immense effort and eventually explodes back to the surface, often with greater force.
Being overwhelmed by the energy (acting out) is like letting the geyser erupt uncontrollably, often damaging things around us.
The alchemist's way offers a third path: ** mindful containment**.
The Alchemist's Approach: Witnessing the Current
Imagine you’re standing by a flowing river. The river is the constant flow of energy that is your emotional life. Leaves and branches (your thoughts and stories) are floating on the surface.
Most of us either:
Jump onto a branch and let it carry us away (getting lost in the story).
Try to dam the river entirely (numbing out).
The practice of Emotional Alchemy is to simply sit on the riverbank and watch. You notice the sensation—the energy—without jumping onto the thought-branch. You acknowledge, "There is tightness," or "There is heat," without the story of "why" or "what it means."
When you do this, a miraculous thing happens. You realize you are not the river, and you are not the branches. You are the awareness watching them. This creates a crucial space—the "container" or "crucible" of the alchemist—where transformation can occur.
A Practical First Step: "Name It to Tame It"
Neuroscience backs this ancient wisdom. A study led by Dr. Matthew Lieberman at UCLA found that the simple act of naming an emotion—literally putting a label on it—dampens the activity of the amygdala (the brain's alarm system) and increases activity in the prefrontal cortex (the center of rational thought).
This is the "Name it to Tame It" technique, and it’s your first alchemical tool.
Try it now:
The next time you feel a strong emotion, pause.
Turn your attention inward. Scan your body. Where do you feel it? What are the physical sensations? (e.g., "pressure in my chest," "fluttering in my stomach").
Gently label it. "This is anger." "This is anxiety." "This is excitement."
Say to yourself: "This is a wave of energy. I can feel it without needing to act on it. It will pass."
By doing this, you are not getting rid of the energy. You are changing your relationship to it. You are beginning the process of conscious transmutation.
This energy is not your enemy. It is the very power you will use to forge your gold. It is the fuel for your transformation.
Next in Part 3: We'll get specific. We'll explore the main "Emotional Poisons" and their Antidotes—a practical map that shows you exactly how the lead of anger, jealousy, and fear can be transformed into the gold of clarity, inspiration, and courage.
Question for you: Where in your body do you most commonly feel stress or anxiety? Becoming familiar with your body's signals is the first step to working with them. Share if you feel comfortable!