Emotional Freedom Part 7 of 17: Knowing Your Type, The Intellectual
July 23, 2009 by dr. lam · 3 Comments
In order to respond to the world’s problems and/or to live life to the fullest, we all must know how we see the world around us. Dr. Orloff breaks us down into four major types, which we will explore over the next few days. By knowing what type we are, we can then see where are strengths are but more importantly find out where our limited world view is cramping us and how to free ourselves from that limitation.
The first emotional type that she discusses is the intellecutal. This individual is very cerebral, as the name implies, usually using the functions from the neck up to answer problems. They cannot handle individuals who are overly emotional and cannot relate to others well emotionally. They are thinkers. They weigh an issue with pros and cons before making a decision. There is no gut decision about anything. They just figure out what they need to do by pure logic, which typically is a very well developed skill set.
For the intellectual, their true weakness is their emotional skills. They have a difficult time connecting the mind to the body. In order to overcome this weakness, Orloff suggests yoga and meditation. Yeah! That is what I suggest for myself and all too. Starting with breath exercises, the intellectual can move away from the purely intellectual habit of thinking and to focus on the sensation of breathing. By using meditation, the intellectual can begin to sense the world rather than think the world. This exercise is vital for me, who has intellectual tendencies but interestingly I am not this type or am not anymore (as I will mention in a moment). The second exercise is yoga. Since yoga requires deep mental concentration to perform, it can stimulate the center of the intellectual’s mind but also free himself/herself from the habit of thinking. As I perform yoga no matter what clouds my mind before entering the room, I can think of nothing else but my poses during the session. Yoga can link the mind and the body during the session and cultivate this linking that can hopefully translate into one’s daily world existence. Finally, the last thing and perhaps the most important is for the intellectual to empathize. Start with the heart and say the simple words, “I know how you are feeling.” With the intention set at the level of the heart, the intellectual can gradually free himself/herself from the shackles of one’s own intellectual qualities.
In the past, I used to adore Ayn Rand for her intellectual prose and world view. I thought emotions were a crippling element but today I realize that I am much more empathic than I would have otherwise believed a few years ago. These blogs are a method for me to express my emotions and thoughts in well, an intellectual way. I guess we all can share some commonalities of different emotional types. I know I certainly do.