“Emotional sobriety is the progressive identification with the spirit which precedes the personality”. It's the ability to allow without resistance any and all emotions as they arise. It’s the capacity to experience anything and everything as it arises.

You sit down to release a painful feeling… and suddenly, you’re scrolling on your phone. Reaching for a sugary treat in the fridge. Or maybe you “forget” to practice. Convince yourself this doesn’t really work; that you’ve released enough. It can’t be beneficial to be experiencing painful sensations. Sound familiar?

Grief is a universal experience—one we all encounter sooner or later. But in the 12-step rooms, we’re often better at talking about powerlessness and unmanageability than we are at confronting the deep sorrow that lies beneath them.

Releasing is the natural, intuitive act of allowing emotions to move through us — without resisting, analysing, suppressing or expressing them.