As to (1), I was following The Mind Illuminated, for what it’s worth. And I am a big fan of emotional integration. Spiritual practices can help with that, but I think they can also get in the way, and it’s really hard to know in advance which direction you’re going.
I think we are basically on the same page with (2).
As for (3) I think it’s a matter of degree, requiring the kind of nuance that doesn’t fit on a bumper sticker. If you feel so much persistent guilt that it’s causing daily suffering, then that’s probably something you need to sort out. I was intentional in adding the phrase “for a bit” in “It’s okay to feel bad for a bit,” because I don’t actually think it’s okay to feel persistently bad forever! Those are definitely two different situations. If you have ongoing intrusive negative emotions, that sounds adjacent to trauma, and that can be sorted out with some work.
I think we still misunderstood each other on (3) - I was pushing back only on the part saying “some amount of negative feelings create a positive feedback loop making you more agentic”. I’m saying, less negative feelings, more intrinsic motivation, by any amount, is, up to sacrificing impact for personal happiness, always better.
As to (1), I was following The Mind Illuminated, for what it’s worth. And I am a big fan of emotional integration. Spiritual practices can help with that, but I think they can also get in the way, and it’s really hard to know in advance which direction you’re going.
I think we are basically on the same page with (2).
As for (3) I think it’s a matter of degree, requiring the kind of nuance that doesn’t fit on a bumper sticker. If you feel so much persistent guilt that it’s causing daily suffering, then that’s probably something you need to sort out. I was intentional in adding the phrase “for a bit” in “It’s okay to feel bad for a bit,” because I don’t actually think it’s okay to feel persistently bad forever! Those are definitely two different situations. If you have ongoing intrusive negative emotions, that sounds adjacent to trauma, and that can be sorted out with some work.
I think we still misunderstood each other on (3) - I was pushing back only on the part saying “some amount of negative feelings create a positive feedback loop making you more agentic”. I’m saying, less negative feelings, more intrinsic motivation, by any amount, is, up to sacrificing impact for personal happiness, always better.