Some conversations energise you, others drain you and worse

I was chatting to my osteopath Anthony Weller about Richer Conversations, the subject of my next book. It really hit a nerve with him. He became very animated as he told me about a woman he knows who completely dominates conversation. He thought there was a connection between that and her husband's high blood pressure - the poor guy is continually having to contain his thoughts. He said that after a couple of hours with the woman he himself feels exhausted. He contrasted it with a friend he sees once a month or so, with whom he regularly has a whole evening of free-wheeling conversation that leaves him feeling energised.


Having benefited from Bioenergetic Analysis in the 80s and early 90s (built on the work of William Reich) I'm particularly interested in how body energy ebbs and flows in relation to what we're doing or thinking.


Conversations aren't just about the words and the subject matter.  They're also about what happens on an energetic level.  Energy can flow freely between and within people, or it can get blocked and thwarted.  You know what it feels like when the other party just goes off on a monologue, or when the other party hijacks ever turn of a conversation to make a point on their pet subject, such as politics.


I suspect Anthony's thought about blood pressure is close to the mark. When people regularly have frustrating conversations with other, that thwarted energy can end up causing health problems.