Thinking anaesthetizes the emotional body. This is an important point that is often overlooked in mindfulness teachings. There is a reason why incessant thinking is so addictive—it shifts awareness from the emotional body to the mental body.
The emotional body is often in immense discomfort from buried traumas and suppressed emotions, and although not all thinking is an act of avoidance, mental loops can often keep the emotional pain at bay. This is especially true if the narrative is rooted in blame.
For instance, it is easier to ruminate on some injustice than it is to feel the sting of betrayal in your heart. This is also why it is possible to ruminate on vengeance and injustice for months, years, even decades. There is a belief that vengeance will bring relief from the emotional turmoil.
But it never does.
To dissolve the dysfunction that drives destructive behaviour one needs to dissolve the emotional charge. This requires us to let go of the story first. Next, we need to come to stillness and feel what’s there.