Emotional issues?

[mikeshafer]

I was watching a video by Matt Monarch about his raw experience. He said that when you're not medicating yourself with cooked food, you allow your body to release emotions buried deeply, and he said that after having enough raw food for long enough, a lot of his old emotions rose to the surface and exited his body. I thought this was interesting because vipassana meditation has a similar principle, where you really feel for your body's sensations that are your body's trapped emotions.

Has anyone had experiences like this? I'm only about 75% raw for the past few weeks so I'm not feeling any energy benefits, weight loss, etc. but I am curious if anyone can relate to this emotional release issue. If harmful emotions are stored up in the body and the body can, indeed, heal itself, then it makes sense, but I'm still skeptical.

[Stina]

Definitely. I watched that at work at one level four years ago when I stopped drinking alcohol and smoking pot. Now I'm watching it at work with-in this system. At least I have some rock-solid coping mechanisms and it's still hard. I often seek escapism when old issues are surfacing and simply escape into an engaging cook. I have to be 100% Raw for this to become an issue.
I suspect it's why so many people think eating raw is a good idea, get overwhelmed not only with the physical addiction of cooked food but also a torrent of emotions releasing and go back to their old ways.

[mikeshafer]

Do you find that raw forces an emotional release? I understand plenty of people have strong connections to cooked foods as coping mechanisms for emotional issues, but I'm really referring to emotional catharsis simply from eating raw foods. Has anyone who was raw for a few months/years had an emotional breakdown, start crying, release a lot of tension, and then suddenly feel wonderful?

I'm really curious about this area.

[Eva]

OMG. Look at me blog. This is me! I MUST stay raw because I am detoxing so many issues I didn't even know I had. I want them gone instead of buried!!

[Eva]

And I'm feeling great again right now, like I released a LOT, by the way.

[shine72]

I found this happened with me about 1-2 months after going raw. It still happens from time to time. I'll just get overwhelmed emotionally for seemingly no reason, have a good hard cry, and then feel great! One way this has helped me though, is last week, I got some God-awful news about a friend. The old, cooked me would've been way to overwhelmed and cried and turned to my comfort foods. That day, I was not only able to process my emotions, but experience all the good that came out of that day also. Something I would NOT have been able to do when cooked. HTH!:D

[Nichola]

Oh my goodness,

I have been doing a 100% raw fast for just one week and loads of old emotions and negative thoughts resurfaced. heavy dreaming too. was vert intense and very upsetting.

[Spiral Leana]

My experience so far has been the opposite. If I eat raw (properly), I feel tranquil, clear and positively thrilled. If I eat sad or eat foods I can't digest (like too many nuts!!) I immediately fall into old negative thinking patterns.

I'm only raw 2 months so time will tell

I have experience with vipassana, about 3 years, so I know what those surfacing/ releases are like for me....intense

Once on a 10 day sit, I did some experimenting and monitored what I ate with how I felt mentally and during my meditation......the conclusion.....VEGGIES are the most positive, life giving food!!!

the only other food there to test was grains, and some wheat and sweets....the day I ate one wheat cookie was by far the most negative mental day I had there. the grains made me slow and heavy...the fruit a little heavy but not as slow

[trinity082482]

I found for me that raw helped with my mood.. It didn't make my negative feelings I hid behind food come out to get me lol but I did notice that I felt happier. All the stress I once had while eating cooked foods I still have with raw but I am a worry wort by nature. :D

[Dj 247]

I had some emotional detox about a month after eating mostly raw. I felt really angry with everyone for a period of days and then it was over. I hardly ever get angry now. I feel happy most of the time. I sometimes have some lows as in lack of energy, but I am drinking green smoothies to help with that. I also need to add some exercise to my routine.

[mikeshafer]

Cool. I've been 75% raw for the past few weeks, I'm trying to push it up to 100%. I'm working out at least once per day, sometimes twice. I'm hoping that this extra cardio will help me shed weight and detox faster, and I pray that emotional detox is also a result.

I have headaches all the time that cannot be explained by any doctor I've seen. (probably at least 30 now) Vipassana meditation made me feel better for a few days, but I don't have time to meditate two hours per day since I work 14 hour days including weekends. I also feel like my jaw is permanently clenching, perhaps due to some deep-rooted emotional issues too. So I really hope that raw helps me. Please oh please help me, oh raw food!

[Zaphirah]

I am a food addict. Have been since at least age 5. All the foods I have ever eaten have had emotions tied to them. I ate to comfort my sadness, depression, loneliness, anger, frustration, etc. Then I would have to diet and exercise-which I felt anger and shame and other negative emotions. Even when i went raw for the first time I was constantly frustrated and anger with the food and the carefree SAD eaters around me. In my heart, I believe that the emotions we were feeling at a certain point in time are biologically tied to certain toxic foods that we ate at that moment. I believe that not only the toxic chemical but the toxic emotion are stored in the body. When we go raw and begin to detox these chemicals-the negative emotions detox too.

Check out my blog link in my sig. I talk about this near the bottom of the page. Since I wrote that blog I have only had ONE negative emotional day-and that was just a few hours before I went into intense 2-3 day detox complete with migraine, nausea, and lethargy.

HTH

[dalimeindacoconut]

Since being 95% raw for the last month and a half it has become painfully obvious that I still have emotional issues which are tied specifically to sugar for me. My sugar addiction has subsided greatly, but have not been able to let it go completely ergo the last 5%. I myself gave up alcohol and drugs twenty years ago as well. This is the last issue that needs to be addressed. Personally, I've been experiencing the 'retracing' which everyone keeps talking about ie: physical symptoms which are tied to emotions we repeat over and over again. Somehow when I am going through something emotionally I have been able to focus on the raw food and forego alot of the sugar because of all of the support I receive on this website.

[Spiral Leana]

mike, have you seen any chinese medicine practitioners for this??? headaches etc???


also don't give up on vipassana if you can't sit 2 hours a day....I know that is a huge commitment but you will still benefit from some amount of sitting

[mikeshafer]

Honestly vipassana didn't do much for me. It was an interesting 10-day experience, something I'd like to do again some day once I'm not working, but I just didn't feel any major sensations over the ten days. Most of the time I was so exhausted from meditating that I wanted to sleep.

I saw an acupuncturist a few times but it didn't solve anything.

[sweepea32]

Hi Mike,

I had a TERRIBLE emotional detox that was very scary. I was 2 meals raw with a cooked vegan dinner at that time. Old emotional stuff that I thought I had dealt with somewhat surfaced and it was very difficult for me.
I have been struggling since then with raw foods.


Mary

[mikeshafer]

Would you describe what it feels like to have a bad emotional detox? Does it just come up and you start crying? I'm curious if other external factors might influence emotions as well.

[berrynice]

Since being 95% raw for the last month and a half it has become painfully obvious that I still have emotional issues which are tied specifically to sugar for me. My sugar addiction has subsided greatly, but have not been able to let it go completely ergo the last 5%. I myself gave up alcohol and drugs twenty years ago as well. This is the last issue that needs to be addressed. Personally, I've been experiencing the 'retracing' which everyone keeps talking about ie: physical symptoms which are tied to emotions we repeat over and over again. Somehow when I am going through something emotionally I have been able to focus on the raw food and forego alot of the sugar because of all of the support I receive on this website.

dalimeindacoconut,

So good to hear your history. Mine is very similar. I've been sober for 17 years. Clean from drugs and alcohol, but can't seem to shake the sugar addiction. I'm hoping raw eating will help me overcome this final addiction, clean my body, get rid of insomnia, acne, tired, bloating, the list goes on. I'm so grateful to discover something that seems to be the answer. I'm in the midst of transitioning. Waiting for my book to arrive.

:) I've tried similar eating in the past, not completely raw. I only lasted one week. I'm hoping with the experience and insight of the members of this website< I can overcome this addiction to the stuff that does not feed my body.

I never realized the enzymes were the key to feeling better. Thanks everybody!

[TheAvocadess]

HA! SO TRUE! I was great for the first week raw and then started to detox... not just physically, but memories would come up, grief that I thought I'd dealt with. I cried for 3 days! I figured it was just a part of healing so I allowed it to come up and out.

Great topic!

[mikeshafer]

I'm amazed at how so many people are experiencing such detox in such a short amount of time. I was raw for 30 days straight and all I felt was tired.

Granted, I didn't have green smoothies during those 30 days and I still drank welsh's fruit juice during the day (100&#37; pure juice? how could I go wrong?). I do like the green smoothies a lot and pretty much drink them and apples all day, with a salad and an avocado for lunch.

[Stina]

There are some biological explantions sometimes for these emotional detoxes too. Such as the liver spilling toxins into the blood steam stressing the brain and nervous system. Or putrid layers of the intestines loosening up without moving out and just contaminating the whole system. Interestingly, getting colon hydrotherapy helps along any emotional detoxing I occasionally deal with. At the age of 35, apparently I managed to turn into a toxic waste dump.

[mikeshafer]

I'm actually looking forward to an emotional detox! This sounds like fun. :)

[ladypeace82]

I'm always emotional...........I'm scared.

:)

[Eva]

I've definitely been going through some emotional detox... but now... I'm done with it (for now), and I'm feeling quite literally better than ever. I am so clear. I even sent a positive email to someone who had hurt my feelings...

I've also known for some time now that my mom needs to be near me to help her get through some things, but when she hears stress and depression in my voice, I'm not quite what she needs. Finally, finally... just since I've gone back to 100% raw and been sticking with it, even when I've had a lot to do and a lot on my mind in the last couple days, she can hear in my voice that I will be emotionally capable of helping her! She posted her furniture on Craigslist for sale this morning, and she has a ferry ticket to come onto the island on Monday (She's moving from FL to MA even though she hates cold weather!).

I guess my point is that all of the emotions I have been holding deep down have been preventing me from being my best self, and now it is coming out with force! I remember when I was sort of like this... before I was prescribed ritalin and got addicted to coffee and became an adult... when I was innocent... I'm feeling that way again! (Not immature, just young in heart and soul!)...

Wow, didn't mean to ramble so much, but this is how coming off of emotional detox has affected me! And it is amazing, that's for sure. :)

[justinesmith]

Emotional detox is brutal. Anytime it came bubbling up before, I just drank till the hurt went away. Except it didn't really go away and now I have to deal with it raw and sober. YIKES! I won't give up though.... just keep on keepin' on. :D

[whatchadurian]

GREAT question! Interesting thread.

I was raw for 3 months about 2 years ago and my "emotional detox" took a little different twist. I wasn't having problems with the old issues...though I was certainly having them come up and out. Only realized recently why I left raw. What threw me off the raw wagon is best expressed by Marianne Williamson's quote (and I paraphrase)...

"Our greatest fear is not that we're inadequate. It is that we are powerful beyond measure..."
Can't deny that when you go raw and you heal yourself body, mind, and soul. Who's left to blame then? Yikes!!! Couldn't handle that then...looking forward to it now. Terror, or no terror! ;)