Where Did the Love Go?

Have you ever lost your ability to love?  I have been hesitant of love a few times in my life, especially after relationships (both intimate and friendships) that ended.  But I really lost it, believe it or not, after one of the most joyful and life-changing experiences I had.  I came back from Europe December 28, 2019 and one of the first things I noticed when I interacted with my friends and family was the loss of the emotion of love. 

My Brain Knew, My Heart Did Not

Seriously— I could not feel the love.  I knew I loved them, cared for them, but it was flat.  Detached.  What I imagine people explain when they are on antidepressants where there are no highs and no lows.  In a way it was devastating–but I couldn’t even feel devastated.  Usually I would use Emotional Freedom Techniques (tapping) with myself for something like this, but I couldn’t figure it out. I hired Gabriella from Migration of Emotion, and the best way I could describe it was as if my heart was in a concrete bunker.

Part of the reason I went inside?  Safety.  I connect so deeply and so easily to people that I had stopped connecting because it was too painful to keep leaving. 

Where Is the Connection?

The first time I was in Europe I’d be in one area three weeks then go to another area. There was always something new to see, some new excitement to be had. The second time I was there, I wrote my book, The Touch Crisis, and it was much less like that.  Friends hosted me, but I also took a lot of continuing education and was in hostels or camping temporarily.  The connections were not as deep and, in fact, a lot of the people I considered close friends in the U.S. were not staying in contact or returning texts.  Because I was going back to places I had traveled before, there was less magic and a little less enthusiasm about where I was going.  I lost, over time, my desire to be connected because subconsciously I didn’t want to feel the pain and loss of leaving people.  

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I do remember a couple months traveling and thinking I ‘should’ feel more excited about what I was seeing . The realization I had been to all these beautiful places and done all these amazing things and had no one who really understood, no one who really could share that experience with me, was horribly isolating. 

Jung on Loneliness

Carl Jung said in Memories, Dreams, and Reflections, “Loneliness does not come from having no people about one, but from being unable to communicate the things that seem important to oneself, or from holding certain views which others find inadmissible.”

I knew I had changed, but kept questioning: what is this lesson?  I was doing my work, tapping, self-exploring.  Shouldn’t this be easier?  I felt so lonely I couldn’t even find the motivation to do my self-work.  Apathy was my main companion.  I escaped through reading, sometimes drinking or eating too much, and sometimes stared at the computer.  Watching movies was pointless because I would spend an hour trying to find what to watch only to turn something on and be completely dissatisfied– all because I was dissatisfied within.  I felt lonely, isolated, and not understood.

My point? 

With help, I came out of it; she helped me find what actually needed to be healed.  She did for me what I strive to do for others, and I am extremely grateful.

Love is worth it.  Connection is worth it.  It’s why I’m so passionate about relationships and why it’s my life mission to help people feel wanted, connected, and powerful.  Sometimes shit hits the fan and it feels it’s too hard or impossible to heal.  Hell, half my work was about getting over the fear of feeling pain or heartbreak.  The other portion was about observing where I was getting love, support, and understanding but wasn’t able to see it.  

My Question for You

Where do you want to feel more love with yourself, others, and/ or your community? What is preventing you from having that? How will you choose to communicate the things that are important to you?

With love,

Dawn