As you become aware of a physical sensation that is trig-
gered by emotions during a movie experience, you increase
your capacity to tolerate unwanted emotions without needing
to suppress them, to numb out, act out, or release them in other
unhealthy ways. You do not need to resist these feelings any
more because you experienced them as just another energy in
your body. Without resistance your emotions can run their
course and do not get unnecessarily stronger. This can be seen
as a desensitization process.
Imagine that one of your recurrent undesired emotions
centers on situations in which it appears you are failing to
achieve a certain set goal. As you watch a film in which a char-
acter faces a similar situation, you might just notice some anx-
iety combined with increased tension in your stomach or faster
breath as you identify with the character.
As you practice the exercise at the end of this chapter, you
will most likely notice that it becomes increasingly easier for
you to stay with your authentic feelings and sensations in a
conscious way. Your “container” will have grown larger and
stronger. The next time you encounter a situation in which you
appear to be failing at something, you will be able to use the
same process you practiced when watching a movie.
As you are able to be more centered and clear, your
responses will become more and more appropriate. You will be
less likely to respond in an unconscious reactive mode, or to
not respond at all due to suppressed feelings. In the example
above, you might be less likely to numb your fear in addictive
behavior such as alcohol abuse, overeating, or overworking
because you will not feel so unbearably anxious anymore.
Instead of avoiding the feared challenge, you can develop the
courage to face it because your anxiety no longer overwhelms
or paralyzes you. You will “feel the fear and do it anyway” as
the title of a popular book says. Eventually the fear will dissi-
pate, and you will feel strong enough to take on the challenges
that previously prevented you from achieving your goal. This
will make you more successful in life.
“We know that the mind
can be reprogrammed, but
conditioned patterns of
perception tend to persist
in the absence of self-
awareness and conscious
intention to change.”
Frances
VaughanWatching Movies With Conscious Awareness 47