Sometimes we find in our lives that the majority of our experiencing of our existence is taking place in a very small portion of ourselves, in our heads. As if we are cognitive machines only.
We think and reason and problem solve and calculate and draw conclusions, converse with others and the world around us, all up in our heads. This is an important part of our experience for certain, but, not the only, or even more primary part of our being.
In this writing, I want to talk about a broader arena of experience. Something I am calling "felt sense". This is a bit of an intangible space. It is a crossroad between intellect, intuition, and emotions. Throw in, spirit or soul if you would like, and you have a soupy mix of life!
In this interchange of these various aspects of ourselves, we can experience life far more fully and direct. We can get in touch with the very essence of ourselves and our experience of reality is much broader.
Let me unfold this idea in a few key components of how we touch base with our felt sense:
This Felt Sense can be experienced by living in the present moment. We must be conscious of now in order to fully experience our lives. When we live in our heads alone, we are often lost in the past or future. To live in the now, we must tap into our awareness and live here.
The Felt Sense can be experienced by connecting to our inner self. Whatever you wish to call this space within, it is essential to connect to it if you want to experience life more fully. Your thoughts are the tip of the iceberg, your inner self is the rest of the iceberg below the surface. A deep well of you that you are missing if you don't connect to this part of you.
The Felt Sense can be experienced by trusting our intuition. You have a built-in guidance system. Intuition has been called gut feeling, hunches, inner voice, sixth sense, insight, and more. The little consciousness within that just knows. We are rewarded when we pay attention to its nudges.
The Felt Sense can be experienced by listening to our physical sensations. Our body has a lot to say. The physical you has an intelligence all its own. When we are in tune with the somatic indicators of our body, we are going to find more wholeness, wellness, and generally more awareness of what our body needs and has to say about the way we are living our lives.
The Felt Sense can be experienced by paying attention to our emotions. . Emotions are energy in motion. Our truest experience of life can be felt powerfully if we will connect to our emotional selves. Most of us, at some point, knew this part of ourselves more fully. Life hurt us, and we closed off this area of us, we didn't want to feel hurt, anger, resentment, pain. The trouble is, we also cut off, joy, passion, love, happiness, contentment, and so many other aspects of ourselves.
When we are willing to live in the cross-section of all of these aspects of reality and ourselves, we experience life more fully, grow into the person we really long to be, and make an impact on others in a way we never could otherwise.
I wish to send this writing out today, to challenge and invite you to a more full experience of yourself by diving into a felt sense experience. It is a journey, take the first step by just saying yes to this idea. step out into the unknown of a fuller version of reality than you have been experiencing, and watch out for some growth, change, challenge, opportunity, and fulfillment.
Warmly,
Tony Gilotte
This was so beautiful Tony! As I read this in the middle of the rainy night, not able to sleep for so many reasons, listing to the water drain off houses and cars outside, I felt comforted. Protected from the storm by these kind and thoughtful words.
Thank you.