The Art of Allowing: How to Unhook from Painful Thoughts, Emotions, and Body Sensations

A Mind-Body Practice for Healing Through Presence and Awareness

For years, I believed healing meant fixing something.
Fixing my anxiety. Fixing my pain. Fixing the loud thoughts that told me I was behind, broken, or not doing enough.

But over time—and especially through the raw, humbling experience of medication withdrawal—I discovered a truth I now live and teach:

Healing doesn’t come from fixing. It comes from allowing.

A Moment That Changed Everything

One morning, deep in withdrawal and overwhelmed by sensations, fears, and exhaustion, I found myself mentally spiraling. My chest was tight. My thoughts were racing. I wanted to escape it all.

But instead of trying to fix it, I imagined something different:

The Train Station of the Mind

I saw myself standing on a train platform. Every train that pulled in was a thought, a body sensation, an emotion.
One train whispered, "You’re not healing fast enough."
Another screamed, "You’ll always feel like this."

Normally, I would’ve jumped on.
This time, I stayed on the platform. I watched. I breathed. I let the trains pass.

That image became my anchor. And it changed how I related to pain, emotions, and the healing process itself.

What Is “The Art of Allowing”?

The Art of Allowing is a gentle practice of creating space between you and your internal experiences—thoughts, emotions, and sensations—so you can respond with presence instead of reacting from fear.

It’s based on the neuroscience of mindful awareness and nervous system regulation.
Research shows that practicing non-reactivity and inner observation reduces stress, calms overactive neural circuits, and helps the brain rewire through neuroplasticity.

 Source:Hölzel et al., 2011.; Tang, Hölzel & Posner, 2015

The Simple Practice: Returning to Presence

Here’s how I practice allowing—especially during moments of inner chaos:

Step-by-Step:

1. Find stillness. Sit or lie down in a quiet space. Let your body settle.

2. Anchor in your body. Feel your breath rise and fall. Notice contact points with the floor or chair.

3. Observe, don’t engage. When thoughts or emotions arise, imagine them as trains arriving at the station.

4. Stay on the platform. Acknowledge what shows up—fear, anger, sadness—but don’t follow it. Just breathe.

5. Return with kindness. If you get “onboard” a thought or feeling, no judgment. Gently bring yourself back to your breath, back to the platform.

Why Allowing Heals

This is not about avoiding or numbing.
It’s about changing your relationship with what you’re feeling.

Instead of fighting what shows up, you witness it.
Instead of drowning in emotion, you float in presence.
Instead of resisting your body, you learn to trust its wisdom.

Over time, this practice brings:

• 💫 Emotional resilience

• 🫁 Nervous system regulation

• 🧠 Greater clarity and inner peace

• 🌿 The ability to self-soothe in moments of distress

If You’re Struggling Now

If you're overwhelmed by thoughts, stuck in intense emotion, or afraid of what your body is doing...
Breathe.
Come back to the platform.
You are the witness—not the pain. Not the thought. Not the fear.

Let it pass.
Let it move.
Let yourself stay grounded in the only place that is ever truly safe: the present moment.

Allow what is.
Observe.
Return to yourself.
This is the art of allowing.