"I don't like it, but I can't let it go, it cost too much money." I heard this from a woman who had a piece of art work on her wall that she didn't like. She had been very open in the clutter busting process until I asked her about the painting. Her body went rigid, her face went pale, and she looked away. She looked like she was in pain. It reminded me of movies where a person becomes possessed.
I waited a little. I said, "How do you feel right now?" She said, "What do you mean?" I said, "As we're talking about this painting, how do you feel?" She looked like she was fighting the spell to get clear enough to think. She said, "I'm not feeling very good. I feel all tense and nauseous."
I said, "So if this painting were a pharmaceutical commercial on TV, it would say in a lower tone voice, "This painting may cause you to feel tense, nauseous, and not very good." I said, "Do you want that, or can we let it go?" She opened a little, but was still fighting it. I said, "Sometimes the things in your home can make you sick. You might want to hang onto them, but that's because you're not feeling well and it's hard to think clearly...but when we step back and take a fuller look, you see what's really going on."
She breathed out completely and said, "Let it go!"