1/29/2026

     Do you find yourself absolutely dreading the experience of certain feelings? Sometimes feelings like sadness, anxiety, or even just “the blahs” feel intolerable. We push these feelings and their physical sensations far away, trying to escape them. What can end up happening, though, is that our battle with these feelings and sensations just perpetuates a cycle of struggle that makes the entire experience worse! 

     One of my favorite things to teach clients is the concept of “Expansion.” Expansion is an exercise that’s taught within Acceptance and Commitment Therapy as a way to make space for uncomfortable feelings and sensations, without fighting them. What we end up finding is that when we accept the discomfort of the feelings as just existing alongside us for a while, as a fellow-traveler of sorts, the feelings and sensations actually move through us faster than if we try to wrestle them to the ground. 

     A common image provided is that of quicksand. If you find yourself in quicksand (which hopefully never happens!) your immediate impulse may be to thrash around and swim out as fast as you can. But quicksand will swallow you faster if you struggle. The key to getting out of quicksand is to spread yourself out as much as possible across the surface, surrendering a bit so that you stop sinking. This can be similar to our emotional experience and knowing this may change how we approach strong feelings. Check out a recorded expansion practice below:

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