When you’re stuck in your head and can’t access emotions, Joe offers what he calls “the old crowbar”: pretend you’re an actor whose job is to give the most sincere, convincing performance of the emotion you’re trying to feel — but you’re playing the part of you, right now.
This technique works because it accomplishes two things simultaneously. First, it creates sincerity — you can’t give a good performance without it. Second, it removes identity from the equation — your identity is the observer watching the act, so you don’t believe any of the thoughts that arise because “it’s just a story.”
“Pretend you’re an actor and your job is to give the most convincing performance of sadness — but you’re just an actor.”
Brett adds that acting as yourself naturally drops you into the body: “How am I going to act like me? The first place I’d go is into my body — what does my body want to do?” This taps body wisdom without overthinking.
The subtlety is that this isn’t about forcing an emotion. It’s an invitation — creating the conditions where the body can follow if the emotion is actually there. You’re striking a chord and seeing if the body resonates.
Related Concepts
- Exercises need body, emotion, and voice
- Feeling an emotion fully requires letting your identity restructure
- Experiments make knowledge embodied
Source
- [[sources/qa-3-common-questions-uncommon-answers|Q&A #3 — Common Questions, Uncommon Answers]]