As a young girl, I used to take hot dogs and put them on my father’s fishing hooks and take them down to catch the catfish at our city’s river walk area. As children we gleefully reeled in 5 inch common pond fish, and readily set them free again. We had no intention of keeping them. In fact, the idea to hold onto something that had little benefit never occurred to us. We just appreciated the activity.

Wouldn’t be wonderful if we approached life in this way? We are all fishing for life’s experiences, and some memories are worth holding onto. However, some experiences aren’t worth the strength it takes to tote around. Have you noticed that maybe you hold onto those little “fish” anyway?

Some “fish” can be very damaging and cause a lot of physical and emotional pain. But upon close examination, we learn that holding onto such experiences can almost do more damage than the actual event that created them. Releasing such fish simply allows us to appreciate our life experiences, without having the added cargo towing behind us as we make our journey through life.

In working with one client, I released an inherited trapped emotion that went back several generations. This client wept as she reported, “I always felt like I was carrying something that wasn’t mine!” Another client reported he is now feeling physically lighter—even buoyant. These people are releasing the fish that don’t benefit them any longer.

Another woman shares about how she is better able to let go of the pain of the past: “I have been doing Heart Wall sessions with the amazing Lisa Magnusson for the past few months. Anxiety and depression have hit me at times in my life due to traumatic events such as losing a child. I have noticed an emotional awareness of myself through the therapy and feel it’s healing me from the inside out. I’m able to recognize and let things go of the negative emotions that have held me captive.” – Jen V.

Use the Right Kind of Bait

Any fisherman will tell you that certain types of bait attract certain types of fish. In the world of healing, we need to go fishing for abundance, resolution, and compassion. Our personalities are often skewed by the imbalances that have resulted from trauma in our lives. Realizing that imbalances are creating this pain for you is the first step in identifying what kind of bait you want to use.

Do you wish the fish in your pond consisted of healthier relationships? Maybe greater financial abundance? In what ways do we use the wrong bait, and thereby attract the wrong types of fish?

The bait I find the most alluring to the fish of a good life is through personal development and love of learning. I also try not to live in the past, even as I am trying to release the imbalances from the past. We attract what we are. If we hang onto our history’s pains instead of seeking for that perfect catch, our fishing lines will be too occupied for when “the big one” comes along.

Training the Mind to “Catch and Release”

It is difficult to be able to really keep perspective on life’s trials when we are busy managing the pain of the past. Releasing Trapped Emotions, rebalancing the body’s systems, and getting proper nutrition and exercise are among the first steps. And these steps can take years! Digging oneself out of an emotional hole is hard to face. But if you are busy wrestling one fish, can you then catch another one at the same time?

A few questions to muscle test for:

  • Do I have any Memory Field Mental Energy imbalances blocking my view of the future?
  • What Images are blocking my view of the future?
  • Are there any Broadcast Messages, Despair Anchors or Post Hypnotic Suggestions sabotaging my desires for a healthy life?
  • What is the number one thing my subconscious is pursuing at this time? Abundance, Failure, Victimhood, Love…? What imbalances are contributing to or sabotaging my efforts?
  • Does my subconscious need outside assistance to teach it to seek for what I want to pursue? Again, abundance, failure, grief, joy, etc… What kind of assistance? Prayer, Meditation, Pastoral counseling, psychological assistance, vacation, etc.

Once these sabotaging imbalances are released, the responsibility then becomes the individual’s. We must decide which fish we want to catch, or what kind of life we want to design. Because those imbalances no longer sabotage us, it makes it easier to desire, seek, and fulfill our heart’s desire in life. The healthy friendships we desire become effortless. Our relationships to our loved ones sweeten over time. And our connection to God becomes deeply rooted into every fiber of our being. The rest of the pain simply isn’t part of our experience anymore.

Sometimes despite all our efforts, a spindly, spikey fish finds its way onto our line. When we see it, we can quickly release it, because we now know the difference between a great big fish and one that isn’t worth keeping.

Lisa Magnusson is a certified Body Code and Emotion Code practitioner. She specializes in helping others with their chronic pain and emotional trauma. She lives with her family in the Eastern United States