WHAT IS DEFLECTION?

In essence, deflection is the mind's way of avoiding difficult emotions, or simply put; the mind’s aversion from feeling.

It's a reflexive and habitual response stemming from a misunderstanding of the truth & true nature of identity & experience.

When discordant thoughts arise that bring discomfort or suffering, deflection occurs when emotions & feeling are pushed aside & ignored, in favor of mental activity.

Suppression is perpetuated by believing concepts, as well as arising justifications & rationalizations for continuing to do so. As the justifications & rationalizations are believed, the discord, or, suffering, as well as unwanted & regretful actions & behaviors persist.

Deflection, or, aversion from feeling, manifests in various behavioral ways, such as shutting down emotionally, mentally and or bodily, blaming, guilting, shaming, resenting, using humor as a defense mechanism, intellectualizing, conceptualizing, philosophizing, changing the topic, sarcasm, denial, resorting to religious concepts like blaming a devil, procrastination of acknowledging & addressing deflection & projection, refusing to engage in conversation which confronts discordant beliefs, overreacting, twisting what someone said, denying responsibility for words, action & behaviors, excessive self criticism, spiritual bypassing, applying academic or psychological logic, engaging in distractions, unwillingness for vulnerability, or even resorting to identifying with thoughts believed such as via assumed roles like victim and or abuser.

Rather than allowing difficult emotions to be fully felt, and interpretation to change, deflection is a focusing on maintaining and defending beliefs, being right, how one is seen, self image, reputation, and all manors of seeking validation - all at the expense of, how one feels as it were.

Rather than acknowledging the emotions already experienced & felt, deflection is a projecting of the discord of emotional suppression, of the very emotions suppressed, onto others or “mental self” of a past or future. Assuming & accusing, blaming, guilting, shaming, etc.

In accordance with the experience of deflection & projection of emotion, it indeed does very much seem emotion is not how thoughts & interpretations feel, but that how one feels so to speak, is caused by someone else’s actions or behaviors, or certain circumstances or situations.

Deflection acts as a mental barrier, preventing the release of cultural conditioning & emotional discord, and also therein preventing the insight & clarity (feeling) which would otherwise by unfettered, or unobscured.

So, what can one do to be without deflection?

First and foremost, shift focus from thoughts, beliefs & interpretations - to how you feel. Reprioritize in the name of self-love. Liberation from deflection and the suffering & isolation therein begins with noticing and acknowledging deflective behaviors - even if it's initially in hindsight.

In noticing the deflective behaviors, begin to embrace the emotions which are being projected. Empty expression in any healthy manor such as therapy, journaling, or any virtually endless creative outlets.

Via expressing & emptying discordant interpretations, focus, or, the lens, is unfettered. Cleared. Relieved of the ‘carried weight’ of beliefs, misinterpretations, misunderstanding & misidentification.

Awareness, presence, naturally shines through as was already the case, only not, more unfettered.

Prior to thoughts, emotions, actions & behaviors - as awareness - much clarity and a great many resonating & resounding insights arise. ‘Making sense’ changes from ‘being right’, to alignment of thoughts with feeling. Stubbornness, animosity and resentments naturally begin to fade away as much compassion is realized & much synchronicity is experienced.

Consciously creating, honesty, sincerity & authenticity in words, actions and being naturally ensues. All communication & relationships are de-contextualized of previously held discordant beliefs and the discord of holding them.

The release of conditioning can be difficult & challenging and this is where foundation shines. Fundamental practices for the body mind like daily meditation & or yoga, aligned diet, exercise and breath-work, just to name a few, greatly reduce the challenging aspects, as the tendency to habitually belief arising thoughts is greatly dismissed by the feeling of alignment in the orientation of well-being.

(Next, ‘What Is Projection’)