Repressed emotions

“Unexpressed emotions will never die. They are buried alive and will come forth later in uglier ways.”

Sigmund Freud

We are experiencing emotions (feelings) all our lives. At any given moment you might be feeling content, happy, excited, angry, sad, disgusted, guilty, shameful, or fearful. At times you will experience a combination of these emotions.

In childhood, we are often forced to hide and repress particular emotions to keep parents, teachers, older siblings, and other community members happy and connected with us. For example, if being angry around Mum upsets her and leads her to temporarily withdraw her love for me, then I will learn to repress my anger and keep it hidden.

Unfortunately, the pattern of hiding and repressing emotions can become a lifelong habit that is hard to break. Many of our clients at Koira have said “I know what I am thinking, but I have no idea how I feel right now”. Other clients have told us they experience long periods where they don’t feel anything. Therapy can be the first step in helping you identify your feelings and break the pattern of repressing emotions.