WATER AS METAPHOR OF OUR EMOTIONS.

Water as an image can evoke our emotional world, that inner, mysterious, charming, unpredictable, dark, fearsome, pristine, inaccessible, chaotic, life-giving, diaphanous world. Just as this world of water is fickle, changing, surprising, so is the mystery behind the different forms of our emotional dimension, with the possibility of creating, destroying and renewing.

A beautiful lake of crystalline waters, our body in contact, submerged in that substance that surrounds every last bend. The sensation of blending in with the water brings with it an intense perception of relaxation, tranquility, freedom, of floating aimlessly, simply enjoying the situation and the moment. Do we give ourselves permission to remain in our emotions, allow ourselves to be invaded by them, know them and understand them?  

We live in a world of control, it would seem that the last goal of the human being is to try to control everything, naively to believe that we will achieve it.    

Perhaps it is essential to allow ourselves a space of stillness to be able to observe and understand our emotional world, to enter that powerful dimension of being, with no interest other than experiencing a large portion of ourselves, feeling what is happening to us, without trying to exercise an immediate action is an unparalleled way to get to know us, to be honest with ourselves.

We can imagine the waves of the sea hitting the cliff, transiting from the deep, showing again and again all its strength, meeting something as forceful as its own nature. How are our moments of anger like, how do we express our frustration, how do our fears manifest?  Are we aware of what causes us anger, can we respect feeling this way, can we perceive the moment when these energies awaken from the depths of ourselves, do we know their strength, do we recognize their power?     We can provide ourselves with a moment of humility that allows us to recognize our fears, what we feel helpless or weak towards. Behind the rage there will probably be some form of recognized or unrecognized vulnerability, however raising awareness can be a strong job, because it is going beyond the idea we have built of ourselves and seeing our weak points, simply recognizing ourselves as humans.

Raindrops falling on our home, producing that all-encompassing sound that can lead us to reverie, to the world of images and fantasy. That nebulous world where the longings for the unrealized and the longing for what we have lost are found. Are we capable of paying tribute to our gray days, to our low spirits, to what removes us from within and yet immobilizes us to function in life outside. Can we just let ourselves be, living our sadness, recognizing what is in it, and what it asks of us?  The life not lived, the one that for some circumstance we will never be able to carry out, asks us for that recognition, that mourning, that tribute. Finding a way to do it consciously, give it a place and a space, is to seek physical and mental health, to recognize that we are not machines that we must always be active, always reaping achievements, always looking for new goals, nor do we need to put the better face in the face of circumstances that are unfair, painful or frustrating; opening ourselves to these other possibilities is to move to a different paradigm.

We can bring to our memory, those waters that have been left without movement, that for some reason have stopped flowing, that are inert. Is it better known for us to contain our emotions, convenient or not; cost what it costs us ?.     We could also imagine those waters that can no longer be contained, the terror produced by the waters that have gotten out of control, that have left their channel, we can perceive through our body the sensation of anguish produced by the images of giant waves devastating it everything, we can feel the restlessness that wakes up thinking about a great dam that breaks and destroys.  Anger, like the waves of the sea, gain space for the cliff claiming its place, so our emotions also become symptoms because that is the way they have found expression, when they fail to reach their rightful place.     We can recognize the destructive power of our own contained, ignored, despised emotions. We realize that what accumulates will end up exploding sooner or later, it will come out in the most abrupt way and at the least appropriate time. If they stay stagnant for too long they will end up rotting all around. We cannot claim to exercise a repression of our emotional world without consequences, the power of the waters as the power of our emotions is stronger than our willingness to show a magazine photo posture.

Waterfalls and slopes flow generating life in its transit, showing its unmatched beauty, its playful journey that brightens any landscape, flowing through jungles and cliffs, adapting its flow to what the earth offers, finding new paths by which to advance, moving without rest, always new waters.     Are we able to allow ourselves moments of expansive joy, we laugh out loud enjoying the moment that happiness brings, we could allow ourselves to be seduced by the joy of the moment, we are open to let what brings us happiness remain in our lives. We can access our own capacity for fluidity, adaptability, lightness; Can we stop taking life so seriously? Perhaps we could remember ourselves as children, perhaps we could regain that which allowed us to simply flow.

Underground waters flow freely through the vertiginous covered path, making its way through the bowels of the earth, crossing caves and caves, where darkness is a constant, what those mysterious and beautiful places of water evoke in us: wells, caves and cenotes, for delight, life, health or fear of those who can observe them.  These places that are not found with the naked eye are the most fascinating, to discover them we will have to access our courage, perseverance, our desire, it is not an easy trip but it is worth it. These waters on an emotional level represent our unconscious world, that which goes beyond what we realize more clearly and on a daily basis. Sometimes the crises of life lead us to explore these places, whether we are prepared or not, other times we enter into them through a process of psychotherapy that will lead us to perceive those corners of our soul that keep an incomparable wealth for life.

Vallowing us to explore, recognize and give our emotions a space to flow, just as water flows in nature, is not letting them overflow crushing whoever is in our path. Emotional health is not a histrionic attitude. It is not an abuse against the rest on the pretext of expressing yourself.     Are we open to giving these powerful images a space of expression in our lives as much as our different states of mind need it?     To recognize our emotions is to be in contact with our intimate world, it is to recognize what is good for our life and what is not, it is to maintain a respect for our valuable and unique nature, it is to understand our affinities and also our disparities. It is recognizing that we do not have to fit in all circumstances, nor in all places. Nor do we need to have a complacent attitude towards others against our essence. Rather, recognizing ourselves is allowing ourselves to respect who we are, to live a meaningful life for ourselves.    

DRA. ISABEL AYALA VERA 

CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY

COMMERCIAL ENGINEER

JUNGUIAN ANALIST

+593996050245

The original article in Spanish has been published on 
October 15, 2016, found at www.paolaayalavera. jimdo.com, 
this has been translated for this publication, 
the rights to the text and the photographs are by 
Paola Ayala Vera. This article can be cited with 
the proper reference.