:: The Emotional Root Canal ::

Perhaps some of us have experienced prolonged tooth pain followed by a dental procedure called Root Canal. The typical procedure includes - Isolating the tooth, Opening the crown using a dental drill, Removing infected tissue, Irrigation, Filling the root, and Crowning for mitigating tooth fracture. Sounds scary? Indeed it is! A recent survey claims that more people are afraid of getting a root canal than spiders, snakes, and even sharks. Thankfully, not all of us have to experience this procedure.

"A recent survey claims that more people are afraid of getting a root canal than spiders, snakes, and even sharks."

But we all have gone through the scariest jolts in our lives emanating acute Emotional Pain, i.e. intangible in nature and lies at the deepest bottom of ourselves, and because of that, its access is often denied to everyone around us, including ourselves. 

When we experience tooth pain, generally we keep on ignoring its cure, and the day it aggravates to the extent that makes us crazy, we rush to the Dentist probably for a Root Canal. Similarly, the emotional pain keeps on simmering within us, but when it blows out of proportion causing emotional suffering, we oftentimes do not know how to deal with it. 

So, either we choose the easier path, i.e. ignoring it by distracting ourselves, or else we surrender to it, and let ourselves slip into the abyss of melancholy. Either of the approaches does not cure the Emotional Pain, rather ignoring or suppressing the same starts infecting other aspects of our life (family, career, relationship, etc.), exactly the same way an uncured tooth infects other teeth.  

The emotional pain keeps on simmering within us, but when it blows out of proportion causing emotional suffering, we oftentimes do not know how to deal with it. 

The ability to deal with Emotional Pain is one of the most important prerequisites for experiencing inner peace. Thankfully, dealing with Emotional Pain does not require a visit to the dentist. However, it requires a similar procedure followed in a typical root canal. Let’s call it ‘The Emotional Root Canal’, a process that includes specific steps to deal with Emotional Pain.

"The ability to deal with Emotional Pain is one of the most important prerequisites for experiencing inner peace."

1. Isolating the pain: 

Isolate yourself from the daily chaos for some time, and try to observe yourself objectively. Do not resist or ignore any feeling, rather let the feelings run through you, be the channel but remain observant. Then try to identify the specific feeling of Emotional Pain and just focus on that, isolate this feeling from others, as a dentist does with the infected tooth.

Example: Emotional Pain due to breaking up with one’s beloved

2. Opening the crown using ‘Mental Drill’:

Emotional Pain is an outcome of some deeper hurt. It resides on the outer layer of an inner wound. Use your ‘Mental Drill’ for getting access to the deep roots of Emotional Pain, in a similar way a dentist uses a dental drill. Ask questions (Whats & Whys) and keep on chasing the trail of each answer and reach the deepest level possible. 

Example: In the situation of a break-up with a beloved, one can realize that idealizing one’s mate, and then feeling hurt by the natural behavior of the other person had actually led to unfulfilled expectation causing Emotional Pain. 

3. Removal of infected issue: 

The insight one gets after drilling deep into the roots empowers one to look at the core reason, and uproot the same with the power of objectivity. Once the objective witnessing occurs, the deeper wound that was causing Emotional Pain stops festering. This prevents further damage by causing more pain, similar to the dentist who removes infected tissues to stop further infection.

Example: in the situation of a break-up with beloved, if someone realizes (objectively) that the cause of hurt and expectation unfulfillment was self-fueled by idealizing the other person, the futility of blaming someone else (for behaving as per their individual nature) gets clear.

4. Irrigation:

As a dentist uses the fluid for root irrigation, at this stage we clear up the root cause of Emotional Pain and wash it from the fluid called ‘uncertainty’, the very nature of life. This develops a greater understanding of life as a whole, and we learn the temporariness of anything that is external, including bonds and relations. This gives a refreshed approach for life i.e. to live in the present and remains grateful to what we receive.

Example: in the situation of a break-up with beloved, after a deeper realization of the cause of Emotional Pain, and the uncertain nature of life, one starts appreciating the time that relationship could last, without hoping things to be turned out differently. This is seeing the reality ‘as it is.’  

5. Filling the root:

After clearing the deep roots of Emotional Pain, we might feel a void within. Actually, this void always existed deep down within but was seldom acknowledged and addressed. We generally seek to fill this inner-void with outer-fillers (family, beloved, friends, etc.), but the truth is, no matter how many loved ones are there in one’s life, the inner-void can only be filled with Self-Love.

Example: In the situation of a break-up with beloved, after realization of the temporariness of external bonds, and our own false approach of building relationships, one begins to learn to accept and loving oneself.

6. Crowning:

The dentist crowns the cured tooth to mitigate future fractures. Similarly, at this final stage, we extract the insightful learning out of the Emotional Pain, and convert our Pain into Power. This power is not to dominate others, rather a deeper understanding that strengthens us from within. Our point of reference changes from outward to inward, and we feel emotionally contended.

Example: In the situation of a break-up with beloved, after learning Self Acceptance and Self Love, one does not remain dependent on another person for emotional fulfillment. In this state, one respects the love and care received from others, but does not depend on external validation. This develops immunity from future Emotional Pain that could have fractures one’s core.

“In some ways suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment, it finds a meaning” ~ Viktor Frankl

This might sound unlikely, but experiencing Emotional Pain can be a life-transforming opportunity, provided we learn to deal with it and convert our Pain into Power. As Viktor Frankl has perfectly mentioned in his book Man’s Search for Meaning: “In some ways suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning, such as the meaning of a sacrifice.”

Keep Shining!

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