Positive Energy Guide

This post supplies context to put Parts 3 to 9 of this Vampire Series to the best use:

Vampire dramas are gripping for many of us. Vampire dramas touch upon many important and basic needs and feelings, as listed in Part 1.

If we are gripped by a drama, something inside us resonates with it: We see ourselves in the mirror of drama. If we do not reflect on what we see on screen the impressions we take in can become scripts we act out unconsciously in our daily lives.

Drama is based on conflict. The conflict is what makes drama gripping. Drama can foster the impression that conflict has value. Conflict does have value. It helps us to differentiate ourselves from others, to hone boundary and communication, and to develop a strong and clear sense of self. As such, conflict is a learning tool.

Conflict is a fact of life. We all have internal conflict. Internally conflict stimulates growth and awareness. Using our vampire topic, you may be in conflict about whether to allow a vampire to bite or to master your desires and take a stronger more self-preserving route. This type of conflict builds character, internally, and on the screen or stage.

Let’s make a distinction between necessary and unnecessary conflict. Necessary conflict is important to personal and social development and has value. It can be conducted with respect, intention, and follow-through, and need not surface in harsh words. Almost all conflict can be managed with good boundaries—once we have developed the skills to do so. Conscious conflict has great value.

Unnecessary conflict is conflict we are not putting to constructive use. To turn conflict to a definite positive we need to be aware of it–to use it. Suppressing conflict causes problems that surface as relationship drama or physical symptoms. Staying aware of internal conflict allows for constructive expression and good boundaries. Unnecessary conflict is distress and friction that exist because we are not attending to and taking responsibility for our feelings and needs. Instead, we act them out in dramas with others.

Drama shows the results of different choices. It can model for us the end results of indulging or acting out, and show us various ways to manage challenging situations. Watching drama on a screen or stage can mirror to us our desires, tendencies, needs, and inclinations, assisting us to see ourselves.

The value of drama lies not in becoming what we see but in seeing what we can become. We can chose to act out some of the things we feel through destructive drama, or to model after characters who model the kind of behavior we want to practice. Considering potential results of different kinds of behavior can help us avoid unnecessary suffering.

What do you do inside yourself to keep conflict from becoming destructive and turn it into a positive?