The Simple Trick for Heavy Emotions That’s So Easy We Miss ItThe Simple Trick for Heavy Emotions That’s So Easy We Miss It
Path to Peace with Todd Perelmuter
Todd Perelmuter talks about how heavy emotions and addictive coping habits are tied to avoidance of feeling, and suggests a simple body-focused way to relate to pain differently. He emphasises that inner happiness creates a good life, rather than the other way around.
24:30•11 Oct 2026
The Simple Trick Todd Perelmuter Uses to Soften Heavy Emotions
Episode Overview
- The quality of life is shaped by how you feel, not by your external circumstances.
- Comparing your worst moments to someone else’s best intensifies suffering and feelings of inadequacy.
- Avoiding emotions through substances, distractions or numbing only strengthens and prolongs those feelings.
- Shifting attention from thoughts to physical sensations in the body helps heavy emotions release instead of build up.
- Cultivating happiness, gratitude and compassion within creates a genuinely good and peaceful life, regardless of changing circumstances.
“We cannot think our way out of a feeling. We can only feel our way out.”
What can we learn from those who have battled addiction? In this episode of Path to Peace with Todd Perelmuter, the focus lands squarely on heavy emotions and the simple, often overlooked way to handle them. Todd speaks directly to anyone who feels stuck in stress, anxiety, grief or addictive patterns, showing how much of our suffering comes from running away from feelings with a drink, a snack or a doom-scroll.
As he puts it, "We cannot think our way out of a feeling. We can only feel our way out." Instead of getting lost in the story, the past, or the people who "wronged" us, he guides you towards the raw sensations in the body as the true doorway to relief. You’ll hear him challenge the common idea that a "good life" automatically creates happiness.
He argues the reverse: happiness and inner peace create a good life, and without that inner foundation, even perfect circumstances can feel empty. Using gentle analogies, like building your own inner house instead of just tidying the neighbourhood, Todd explains why chasing external fixes leaves you exhausted, resentful and still unhappy. The core skill he highlights is surprisingly simple: staying present with the feeling itself.
He describes how, when you stop avoiding and start noticing changes in breath, heartbeat, tension and trembling with curiosity, those "monsters" of anger, jealousy, fear or grief become manageable. Bit by bit, the emotional charge dissolves instead of building up until it explodes. Todd also touches on gratitude, compassion and generosity as natural states that emerge once the layers of resistance and numbing fall away.
The style is calm, conversational and practical, aimed at anyone wanting a more peaceful relationship with their emotions, including those using alcohol or other habits to cope. If you’re tired of running from your feelings, could it be time to try simply feeling them instead?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.