Healing hangover - what to expect & how to manage this.

Not always, but sometimes, it is not unusual to experience an emotional hangover post session. Lets explore what a healing hangover is, what to expect & how to manage this.

What can this feel like?

This can feel like fatigue and deep exhaustion. You can go through a process of feeling many different emotions and sometimes, they can feel like they are all happening at once. Often I find you feel the one or two emotions we tapped into in session, for a day or so. The body needs some extra time to process this and its likely something that you have not allowed yourself to feel completely for a long time.

Just know this will last for a short period of time. There are some resourcing tools you can utilise to help you work through this process with greater ease. Read on to find out what they are.

Why am I experiencing this?

Wether you experience this or not, isn't a reflection of how effective a session was. It just means you may need a little longer to process some of the emotions that came up. Potentially you are releasing something that you have held onto for a long time and this has either, caused you to feel a lot of stress through your life and/or you have held onto a lot of emotion related to whatever we have released or touched on in session.

Our subconscious mind also likes what is familiar. Even if that familiar 'thing' or action or belief is not really helping us. In some strange way it has been helping us for a long time. So when we let go of limiting beliefs, our subconscious mind can feel a little rattled and will need some time to integrate and adjust.

Im someone who needs time to process. I find that I feel really great for about 48-72 hours after a session and then I feel a bit of drop a few days later. Because I don't experience this right after the session I forget to correlate how I am feeling with the work I have just done. Other times, I feel no emotional/healing hangover and instead feel lighter and less burdened.

We are all truly unique so how and what you experience will vary. I do want to note, it is temporary and the more we embrace this experience the easier it will be.

In saying this I do encourage you to reach out to your therapist if you have tried all the things and still not feeling great. They can support you further with some additional tools to help you shift through this process.

TOOLS - To support you:

I want to offer you some tools and resources to help you through this process. Some may be very obvious but when we are not feeling our best, leaning into these tools are immensely beneficial.

R.A.I.N Method - A great tool to help you identify and process your emotions.

Recognise and try to identify the emotion and name it, if you can.

Allow yourself to feel the emotion, let it be expressed. The harder we push it down the stronger it can feel.

Investigate where this emotion is coming from. What triggered the emotion and if the trigger really is the cause or, is it coming from somewhere deeper? Is it true?

Nurture and be kind with yourself. Negative emotions are just as much a part of our lives as "positive" ones. We need to experience the full spectrum.

"Negative" emotions are a way to identify that something isn't right and we need to address it so pushing them away and ignoring them will not mean they will just go away. We need to look at them and let them be expressed.

Maintain your daily routine - As human beings we love routines because we love the familiar. Keeping to your familiar daily routine creates a feeling of safety that will support you as you process your emotions. If you don’t have a solid daily routine, start one.

This can look like waking up a little earlier to do some light stretches, going for a walk first thing in morning and getting the sun on your skin. This is fantastic for cortisol regulation, detoxing and to keep our circadian rhythms on track.

Maybe it is simply sitting down in the morning with a cup of tea or coffee and writing out your to-do list and intentions for the day. It doesn't have to be complex but is important, so we can lean into this stability when things feel a little off or overwhelming.

Exercise – I know, it is always recommended. The reason exercise is great, is because emotions like anger or anxiety are actually quite *high vibrational and action taking energies. They are processed best through movement..

*Lower vibration energies such as depression or grief can be supported by boosting serotonin and dopamine via exercise. Either way, exercise helps move emotions through the body quicker an help boost those feel good chemicals.

This can look like walking, doing some stretches, some yoga poses, dancing around your living room. Whatever you feel like doing to move your body and get that blood pumping and muscles activated is perfect.

*When I speak about low and high vibration energies, I am referencing David Hawkins Scale of Consciousness 

Journal –The process of journaling is about allowing yourself to connect within to ponder, question and in turn, begin to know ourselves better. Daily journalling is easy to adopt and can be added at any time of day. It’s a fantastic way to build a better connection with self, help to regulate our nervous system by allowing us to observe our experiences as opposed to being in them. If we are feeling triggered and dysregulated, journalling without judgement gives us a safe outlet for our feelings.

Meditation -  Like journaling, meditation helps with inner connection, quieting the mind and allowing yourself to slow down and be still. I have several meditations available to support integration post session. If you would like to try these, reach out and I will share the link.

Id love to know, have you experienced a healing hangover? What did you do to help you through this experience?