Troubling emotions and unpleasant memories are part of the human
experience. We do not control the fact that they come up, unbidden and
most unwelcome, but they come up to our awareness nevertheless.
The
effort we put into NOT having these emotions, thoughts, sensations and
memories is called "dirty pain." Clean pain is the natural and automatic
result of living life (
Luoma, Hayes, and
Walser,
Learning ACT {Therapy}). When we try to deny, suppress, or "get rid of"
normal life pain, we get caught up in a battle that causes even more
distress. This is "dirty pain" and this type of pain is avoidable.
Anxiety,
depression, and fear all occur naturally in the human experience. But
when we decide to not have those negative feelings -- thinking that they
need to be gone before we can enjoy life and begin taking action, then
we create the "dirty pain" that lingers... and lingers... and lingers.
The bad memory, the fear, the depression are all transient, but when we
engage them in a battle they settle in for a good fight.
