Accumulation is the cause of much suffering. Suffering is caused by the "holding" onto. Events happened. The accumulation of personal history. Our emotional, mental and physical being reflect all events, regardless of good or bad, happy or sad. We squish and squash our emotions, "stuff" hurt and quell happiness, for survival, to get through the days. There's a "pay-off" to this, regardless of how it affects our lives in the now. Some of us re-live events on a daily or momentary basis whether it occurred today or years ago, by over dramatizing, embellishing what actually happened, adding drama. The "What Happened" is no longer what is important. Whether it's the morning traffic, abuse we suffered at the hands of some bad person, the pain of loss of a loved one, an in-completion of a love affair, it all builds up and has an effect. To be free of it, It takes mindfulness. How are we making ourselves miserable? Who is contributing to this? Re-directing our intention, being willing to "Let Go" is key to moving forward. We are not history. We are also not our Stuff.
Unless a person has done a mental, emotional and physical purging of personal belongings, i.e. their "Stuff", and has come to terms that he or she is absolutely not not IT..."Stuff", most of us are caught up in the history, or the emotional satisfaction, dysfunction or not, that "Stuff" can bring.
Like the woman who frantically rifled through a trash bag of junk (my definition) that I had filled with her permission ( she had hired me to do this, ) while cleaning her office, exclaiming how "this plastic beer cup was from a rock concert in 1978", ( broken, faded, illegible, to me,) WAS the event...many items in her home had become the event in her life that made her "whole" again!
Compulsive behavior is like filling emotional holes and "Stuff," for some, is a way of finding self worth, fulfillment, feelings of satisfaction, and for some is a compulsive habit. Memory can be a powerful addiction.
I work with all people, regardless of how much stuff they have, to help them move out of the realm of "Stuff" into the reality of their lives-to go forward.
The clients who really need the help, again says I ( the packrats), if they call me on their own accord, are the ones who have seen a glimpse of the dysfunction. They are brave. Most clients are ready to move forward to their next home and stage in life and are looking forward to leaving the "stuff" behind.
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