Anna - It fascinated me your description of the hula-hoop experience. You said, "It opened up a hole in my belly through which I have been releasing what I can only describe as a mix of energy and unknown emotions for which I have no words other than that they sense very, very uncomfortable."
Anna that is a normal experience for one who is learning to allow what was unconscious to become known. But please realise that the unconscious, or as I prefer to call it 'the Life Process' or LifeStream, is all the time ready to respond if you leave yourself open to its influence. So if you do not understand what is emerging, without interfering with the process you gently ask your inner self what it means. You can say to IT, "Help me to understand what it is I am experiencing."
Then watch what happens. Perhaps reading
http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/questions-2/#Symbolism will help. The thing is there are levels of experience, and you can move on to the next one easily by understanding it.
Tony