Release and Transmute Energy: From Constriction to Flow

We’ve all experienced the toll of holding onto something long past its usefulness. Whether it’s an unresolved frustration, a looping worry, or a moment that keeps replaying in our minds, the weight of that stagnant energy can quietly accumulate, coloring how we see the world and how we show up in it. The truth is, when we cling to what no longer serves us, we anchor ourselves in the very patterns we’re trying to shift.

Energy is always moving—either expanding or contracting. And while we can’t control everything that enters our awareness, we do get to decide what we carry forward. The choice to release and transmute energy—to consciously shift our inner state rather than spiral deeper into it—is one of the most powerful acts of sovereignty we can make.

What Does It Mean to Release?

It’s worth noting that energy is never truly destroyed—it only changes form. So when we talk about release, we’re not always referring to energy itself. Sometimes we’re releasing a thought pattern or a story we tell ourselves, a limiting belief, a stored emotion, or an outdated sense of identity. In any case, we’re not discarding something so much as choosing to shift how it expresses.

In this sense, release becomes the first step in transmutation: a conscious loosening of the constricted pattern so that something more aligned can emerge.

What Does It Mean to Transmute?

To transmute something means to change its nature or form. In the context of personal growth, transmutation is the intentional process of shifting heavy, constricting energy into something lighter and more expansive. It’s not bypassing or pretending something doesn’t matter—it’s choosing to meet it with presence and elevate it from within.

Think of it as emotional or energetic alchemy. You take the raw material—fear, anger, judgment, or overwhelm—and, through awareness and intention, transform it into trust, clarity, compassion, or direction. This process is at the heart of emotional alchemy and shadow work, both of which allow us to integrate suppressed or reactive patterns and reclaim our energy from them.

Shadow work and emotional alchemy invite us to stop fearing our feelings and start seeing them as catalysts for growth.

Energy Follows Attention

Where we place our attention affects our energy (what we focus on we make room for). When we dwell on a perceived slight or worst-case scenario, we expand that energy within us—and it begins to color how we interpret everything else. Our focus doesn’t just influence our mood; it influences what shows up in our reality (we see this play out in the pygmalion effect—self-fulfilling prophecy).

In that sense, your reality reflects your alignment—what you’re tuned to energetically becomes the filter through which you perceive and attract your experiences. This deeper look at energetic alignment explores how subtle shifts in focus can redirect your entire flow.

Releasing Doesn’t Mean Resignation

Sometimes we resist releasing something because we think it means “giving up” or “admitting defeat.” But releasing control isn’t the same as being powerless—it’s about recognizing what’s within your sphere of influence—and letting go of the rest.

When you transmute rather than suppress, you take an active role in your healing. You choose presence over reaction. You bring light into the places you once avoided, and allow that light to dispel any darkness. 

Clearing the Static in Connection

This inner work doesn’t just affect how we feel—it shapes how we relate. Our ability to communicate clearly and compassionately depends on the energy we’re bringing into each moment. That’s why learning to release and transmute is such a foundational part of Empowered Communications: it clears the static that would otherwise distort our words, reactions, and understanding.

When we carry unresolved or stagnant energy into our interactions, it distorts our perception and disrupts our ability to respond from a grounded place. We may project old stories onto new conversations, assume negative intent, or react from wounds that haven’t been given space to heal. Releasing and transmuting energy helps us return to center, so we can listen more clearly, speak more honestly, and engage from a state of alignment rather than reactivity. It’s a vital part of communicating with clarity, compassion, and sovereignty.

Actionable Insights

• Release before you react. When a situation triggers you, pause to ask: What am I actually holding here? Is this energy that needs to be released rather than fed?
• Tune into your energetic state. Are you operating from constriction, hindered flow, or ease? What needs to shift in order for your energy to flow again?
• Choose transmutation over suppression. Instead of ignoring the feeling, ask how you can meet it consciously. What clarity or healing is it inviting you toward?
• Let go to realign. What thought, expectation, or story are you gripping right now? What becomes possible if you choose to loosen your hold?

Release and Transmute Energy is the 6th of the 13 Keys for Empowered Communication.