Sometimes we hide things in our closets, or other storage spaces because there is something emotionally unresolved in us about the items. We feel too much when we think about them and this overwhelms us. It becomes easier to ignore the items. The thing is, the items are still affecting us even though we're not currently interacting with them. It's like we're a computer and the emotional attachment we feel for the things is still running on our heart's hard drive.
This weekend I worked with a client who had a black case hidden away on the top shelf in his closet. I asked him what was inside of it. He paused for a second and I could see a flood of emotions on his face. He said it was a saxophone. He played it in his high school marching band. He hadn't played it in over ten years. I could feel that he was stuck. He didn't want to take it down and look inside. He didn't say he could let it go. He was lost in the past.
I took it down and opened it up. I asked him questions about the pieces. I got him talking about the instrument. He reminisced. I asked him if he wanted to play music again. He thought about it and he said he did. He was back in the present moment. He said that wanted to get a better sax. I said he could donate the instrument to a school. He agreed. The part of him that was lost in an unresolved part of his life was back. He seemed whole again.