Energy Blockages, Suppressed Emotions & the Healing Path of Inner Journey Therapy

Have you ever felt stuck, like you’ve talked about something a thousand times, yet it still feels lodged deep inside you? Or noticed patterns that keep repeating, even when logically you “know better”? Many of us carry more than stories; we hold energetic imprints of our emotional experiences that can shape how we feel, think, and move through life.

At the core of inner journey therapy is the understanding that our inner world, our energy, emotions, subconscious beliefs and life experiences, are deeply interconnected. When our body energy isn’t flowing freely, parts of our inner life easily become constricted or suppressed, showing up as emotional heaviness, repetition of old patterns, disconnection from our purpose an even physical tension and illness.

What Are Energy Blockages?

In shamanic and holistic traditions, energy blockages are places within our subtle energy field where emotion, experience, or old reactions become stuck instead of naturally moving through us. Rather than circling around and dissolving, this energy becomes denser, creating a kind of “traffic jam” in our internal world. You may experience this as;

1. Emotional Effects

• Feeling stuck, heavy, or tense without knowing why

• Mood swings or sudden bursts of anger or sadness that feel out of proportion

• Difficulty connecting with yourself or others

• Repeating the same unhealthy patterns in relationships, work, or life choices

2. Physical Effects

• Muscle tension, tightness, or pain that doesn’t go away

• Chronic fatigue or low energy

• Headaches, digestive issues, or general discomfort/pain with no obvious cause

3. Mental Effects

• Foggy or unfocused mind

• Struggling with decision making or creativity

• Feeling overwhelmed by small challenges

4. Spiritual or Energetic Effects

• A sense of disconnection from your true self or purpose

• Feeling blocked or stuck in life, like you’re carrying an invisible weight

• Difficulty moving forward even when you consciously want change

These blockages often form when intense emotions, such as fear, grief, anger, shame, guilt, or hurt, aren’t fully expressed or resolved in the moment they arise. Over time, emotions that are unable to be expressed can build up and create habits or patterns that make it harder for us to move forward or make progress in life.

When we carry suppressed emotions for too long, they can become energetic knots in our system.

Suppressed Emotions

Emotions become blocked when they don’t flow through the body and psyche in a healthy way. Some of the most common emotional energies that get trapped include;

·        Fear & Anxiety: often from past experiences that felt unsafe

·        Grief & Loss: especially when there was no space to mourn fully

·        Anger & Resentment: particularly when expressing anger felt unsafe

·        Shame & Guilt: from self judgment or unmet expectations

·        Sadness & Depression: when sadness isn’t acknowledged

·        Shock or Trauma: events that overwhelmed your nervous system.

These emotional imprints don’t disappear on their own; they remain in your subconscious and in your body until they are gently acknowledged, felt and released. What’s actually “blocked” is not you, it’s the unfinished emotional energy that needs space to complete its journey.

How Inner Journey Therapy Helps

Inner journey therapy is a deep, experiential form of Celtic shamanic therapy that combines intuitive approaches with psychological insight to help you access, witness and transform energy that feels stuck or unresolved. Unlike traditional talk therapies, my inner journey sessions help my clients work directly with their subconscious mind and inner self, where these emotional blockages live.

My sessions are a gentle, embodied process to support your healing:

Through rhythmic drumming and guided imagery, you enter a relaxed, inward-focused state where deep emotional material can emerge safely.

Working with your energy field, inner journeying allows suppressed or unexpressed emotions to be felt and released rather than ignored or buried.

Sometimes, the emotional energy hiding beneath a pattern hasn’t been seen before. Shamanic work can bring that to light so it can be transformed, not just understood.

After opening up emotional spaces during a shamanic session, the work continues as these energies unfold and integrate, often in the days and weeks afterwards, bringing in lasting clarity, compassion and insight.

This isn’t just about talking about what happened; it’s about experiencing differently what has lingered for so long.

Why Emotional Flow Matters

Our emotional energy is meant to flow. It’s natural for emotions to move through us like water. But when emotions are suppressed due to fear, shame, cultural beliefs, or survival responses, they can become a stagnant energy that limits our vitality and joy in life. Shamanic counselling doesn’t ignore the emotional story, it invites it into a safe, grounded space where it can finally be felt, witnessed and integrated.

And once this blocked energy begins to move, something remarkable can happen, you feel lighter, clearer, more connected to yourself, and more capable of stepping into your life with greater freedom and presence.

If you’re curious to explore how this work might support you, I invite you to read more about Inner Journey Therapy here, and consider whether a shamanic counselling session might be the next step in your healing journey.