The Taproot Podcast - Guided Meditation for Releasing Anger & Obligation: A Journey of Paradox and Peace

Episode Date: April 17, 2025

  This deeply transformative meditation, based on the groundbreaking approaches of psychiatrist Milton Erickson and psychotherapist Bill O'Hanlon, guides you on a gentle inner journey to release anger and the weight of obligation. Through artful storytelling, naturalistic trance, and the strategic use of paradox, it bypasses conscious resistance to facilitate profound emotional shifts. You'll be immersed in soothing imagery as you trek through a lush forest with a metaphorical backpack full of anger. As the meditation progresses, that anger is "composted" and released in the serene waters of a woodland pond. Grounded in Erickson's pioneering utilization techniques and O'Hanlon's "inclusive therapy," the narrative deftly weaves in therapeutic double binds - like discovering how to be both responsible and free, happy and mature, important yet unnoticed. These paradoxical suggestions allow the unconscious to find its own creative solutions and expand the sense of self. Layered with permissive language, embedded commands, and sensory-rich details, the meditation leverages the latest insights from neuroscience and psychotherapy to reprogram limiting beliefs and habitual tensions. Listeners can experience a felt sense of wholeness and integration. Use this meditation regularly to cultivate inner peace, resolve contradictions, and develop self-acceptance. Embrace the full spectrum of your experience and reconnect with your innate okayness. Tune in to find your path to authentic freedom and ease. With an evidence-based foundation and a soothing, poetic delivery, this powerful meditation is a reliable ally on your healing journey. Drift into serenity now and let nature's wisdom restore your deepest essence.

Hi guys, this is Joel with the Taproot Therapy Collective Podcast and today we're going to do a guided meditation that is for anger and letting go of anger and resentment. So before we start, I want to make sure that you're in a safe place that is good and is comfortable. And make sure you're not driving or doing something that requires concentration before you begin a meditation like this It doesn't really matter the posture as long as it's comfortable and it lets you pay attention to The sensations that are around you So I want you to take a deep breath in and out In and out And make sure that you're breathing all the way to the very bottom

of your lungs so you're breathing air in and then you're breathing it out but when you do that you're feeling your chest fill all the way up until it's almost slightly uncomfortable and then breathing all the way out in a deep belly breath. And I want you to imagine that you're standing at the foot of a lush green forest and there are tall evergreen trees that sway gently before you in a warm breeze and still living needles glisten in dappled sunlight filtering the light and the clouds as they move and interlace and interweave across your vision and the dead needles from the pines are on the ground at your feet. And you notice a well-worn path that leads into these woods.

And you hear the birds and you feel the wind on your face, drying the sweat because you're so tired and you have a backpack that is very heavy that you have to carry and no one will carry it for you and you can't put it down. And all of this has fallen to you to do. And the straps of the backpack are padded but it's so heavy that the padding is pulling into your shoulders and you feel how much sweat is underneath the backpack between your shirt and your skin where the skin can't breathe and this pack contains a lot of responsibility for anger and resentment. It's an obligation and it's fallen to you and it's heavy and you have to step forward and you feel the pine needles crunch under the rubber of your boot but

you feel extra weight with every step because you're carrying such a heavy pack. And it doesn't bother you because you're the one that has to carry it. And you breathe in that fresh piney air, Breathe in that fresh, piney air. The sap from the living green needles mixing with the crunch of the dead needles under your feet. And they're kind of tannic scent, both of those things in the air. And there's a slight breeze. And you hear nut hatches and different bird calls. And you see birds moving through

the forest, other things crunching the pine needles too. And you continue on this well worn trail into the forest. And you keep walking and feeling the weight of this thing. And the canvas rubs against your shoulders and you feel the pain radiating out. That's kind of a tight heat in the center of your chest, maybe under your ribcage a little bit. There's kind of a clammy sweat in the center of your chest under your t-shirt and you feel that same pain kind of going through your torso up underneath your shoulder blade from the way that you have to lean forward and brace against the weight of the pack and you feel that pain under your shoulder blade radiating down your back in a tight tension that is hot and also running all the

way up from your shoulder blade up the two tendons on the side of your neck on either side of your skull and you have to pull your head forward with your nose up because your spine is bending down to brace against the weight as you walk. And you feel this heat rise up your neck and pull under your hairline where the air can't make contact with your skin. And as you go along this trail, your pace slows and you feel the gravel and the clay where there are no pine needles under the path and your foot can skitter through the sandy gravel and the rocks

And it's slightly wet and you have to make sure that your footing is make sure that your footing is sure with every footstep because you have to carry this pack and your thigh muscles quiver with this effort of this weight that is yours and no one else's and you feel your kneecaps lock when there's twinges of pain that shoot through your ankles and your knees. Your whole body feels rigid and strained and each joint hurts and it's hurt for a long time. It's hurt for a long time. And that anger sort of radiates through you, pulsing with the pounding of your heart. It's not just in the backpack. It's in your body.

And part of you resents this burden even though you know you have to do it and that it's yours to do. And there's a longing to take it off and to run away into the woods, but another part of you whispers that you have no choice and it's your obligation to carry these festering emotions and responsibilities and no one else can do it for you and it's your job to be the beast of burden and your mind wrestles with this conflict as you trudge onward down the path and it's darker under the trees, it's cooler, the sun isn't on your face and the wind can whistle underneath the tall branches of the pines above you. You can see the

tall trunks going on forever in a field of dark green and brown and the majority of the branches are tall, far above your head making a ceiling. It doesn't let through very much sunlight and you can hear squirrels. And you can hear birds on the bark of the trees and the branches. And then you walk onward. And it's so dark under the trees that you don't realize that after you crest a hill, You're coming up on a glittering pool of water that is clear and undisturbed. There's small ripples from the wind and you see this shimmering pool of clear water and it's in a small glade and there's mossy boulders encircling the pond like

they're guarding it and there's a shaft of golden light that pours down through the canopy around the opening of the pool in the forest and there's reflections dancing on the mirror-like surface of the water reflecting the golden shaft of light up against the underside of the canopy of pine needles in places and the sight makes your heart feel heavy but calm and the cool wind coming off the water starts to give you a chill in your skin as the temperature changes. You walk to the edge of the pool and you pull the pack off one strap at a time and unbuckle the strap that runs around your belly and take the strap off of your left shoulder and off of your right shoulder And it feels odd to stand straight It feels odd to breathe deeper now

And you feel the cool air across your face and your nose And you feel it rush into your lungs with every breath and you feel your heart pumping as your blood pressure is up and you feel your heart become cooler and you feel the sensation coming back into your shoulders and the tendons that run up the back of your neck as they can relax and feel their sensation all of a sudden they don't have to strain and you can feel the wet sweat that the straps were pushing into the shirt and all of a sudden as that water starts to cool off and dry out in the wind so much heat is wicked away from your body in these places that were painful. And all the way down the straps, down the shoulder to across the lumbar where the weight of the pack was resting against your back.

And you feel these kind of stagnant aches start to relax and you realize that you've forgotten what it feels like to inhabit your body without the clamp of straps and buckles and the pack sits on a rock waiting for you. It's not gone but you're free of it. You can have the pack and you can also be free from time to time. And you take what feels like your first full breath filling your lungs with air and cool temperature and life and you kick off dip one toe into the water and its coolness laps at your skin inviting you in and you peel off your socks and you feel the water in a ring circling your foot as it goes deeper and deeper of your ankle now And then up to your knee and you hop off the rock with a splash and you feel the silt Going up in between your toes washing away sweat and grime.

Cool silt at the bottom of this pool. And the water is blue and gem-like. And the water envelops your calves now. Making them shake and then be still in your thighs and your hips and it seems to dissolve these miles of tension from walking and you sigh deeply and relax into the silky embrace of the water and you feel that ring of water move up your waist around your belly button and then up your midsection and you allow yourself to float and surrender to the gentle support of the water and you feel weightless and unbound as it wets your

hair and you feel your hair floating as the water is all the way around your ears in the middle of your skull and the top of your hairline is still your forehead hot and sweaty but the base of your skull is so cool as you float and it cradles you like a child in the arms of the earth and that anger and obligation melt off of your body as you are transmuted swirling away into the sacred pond and there's some old wise part of you that knows And there's some old wise part of you that knows that you can be responsible and you can still relish freedom and you can have bad things happen to you but that you can still be good, that life can still be good and that you can lose things and that you can gain things and that things can change and things can grow like little shoots coming up through the grass that look

like brushes or koosh balls that are bright green of tiny pine trees that one day grow into the big pine trees that make the canopy all around the pool and the golden shaft of light shines down on your face on the top of your forehead are the only things that have not gone under the water yet. And you take a deep breath and you go all the way under the water. And you are more than what you are thinking about. And you are the parts of yourself that are seen by others and that are unseen by others. And immersed in the stillness know that you can be responsible and joyful.

You can be happy and mature. You can be purposeful and also playful. And these qualities can go exist and overlap. They don't contradict. And they complement and enrich one another. And your multiplicity enriches you. And you feel your capacity for lighthearted, uncomplicated joy expanding and cradled by the water you realize that you can be independent and vulnerable, self-reliant and also softly open. And the more you embrace your own tender humanity, the more resourced you are to stand tall in your singular strength. And there is a power in yielding and a stability in letting go and dissolving and there is strength in surrender and as you absorb these insights you begin to understand that at your core you are the space that holds

all opposites without tension and the awareness in which all experiences arise and dissolve anger, peace, connection, solitude are all you. You are partially known and partially unknown. And they all come and go like ripples on the surface of the pond water above you but underneath the movement you are the water itself vast and clear and unchanging and here you can welcome all the colors of your life with a wide open heart. You can allow anger to flow through you without damning your aliveness. You can be responsible adult and spontaneous child, a solitary voyager, and stand in the web of belonging.

And there's room for all of it in the generous space of your true nature. And carry this spaciousness with you. You always carry this spaciousness with you. You always carry this spaciousness with you and remember what you were not always aware of but you always know. And all of a sudden in the depths of the water you feel a depth to yourself. There is more to you than you can see at any moment. There is parts of you that are known and parts of you that are unknown. Even if you're feeling something strongly in one moment it is not all of you because there is so much more now that you know and you know that there are parts that you

cannot know like the depths of the water like the deep black and the bottom of the water you cannot all be seen and you cannot all be seen even by yourself in any one moment cannot be yourself in any one moment. Cannot be known even by yourself in any one moment. What you are, the depth of what you are, and the things that you connect to, and the things that cradle and hold you even when you do not notice them. And for a few moments you soak in this peace and remember this feeling of being cleansed and renewed and reborn and the water is so cold all around you and you feel it wash away the sweat and the dust and the flecks of the red clay on your bare legs. You carry it back with you this awareness as you return along the forest path, moving with lightness

and ease in your refreshed body. You will take it back with you a bit of this place this hidden depth because you know now that you can be responsible and you can also be free you can have obligation and you can also have freedom. You can be important and you can also have freedom. You can feel trapped but there are parts of you that can always be free and you breathe in and you allow these realizations to settle not just into your muscles or your tired skin but all the way down into your bones so you will always know them and for a few moments more soak in the peace and remember this feeling of being cleansed and renewed and reborn and carry it back with you as you return along the forest path moving with a new lightness now and a new ease and a

refreshed ability to carry this pack because the journey is not over but you now understand that you can pick up your duties without losing yourself. The people can do things to you that do not have to control or change all of who you are. And you've learned a precious secret now that anger can be released back into the earth, that it is only a moment but not ever real, it grows too heavy and you can re-emerge restored into your true essence and you can be part of the world and you can have feelings and you can have events happen to you but you can still be whole outside of these moments

that take things away, that make a part of you feel you can still be resilient and you can be free. And I want you to gradually let your awareness return to the present moment, to the surface beneath you and the gentle movement of your breath and know that you can return to the forest pool in your imagination whenever you feel unburdened and experience this release again and again and it is always there beneath you in the deep waters of a well that live inside of you and under you and your connection to the web of all of the things that make you up and make you part of the world and the unbounded wisdom of your heart is always there, waiting to welcome you home.

And when you're ready, I want you to begin to wiggle your fingers and toes, and your renewed connection to your body and take a deep breath in and out. And when you're ready, gently open your eyes if they're closed. Return to normal breathing if you're still carrying the meditative breathing with you and then try and carry this sense of spaciousness and possibility into your next project and to your next moment in time. if if if if if if if So So So I'm going to go back to sleep. We will never sleep