The best advice I ever received was from a mentor who told me, "don't take yourself so seriously, because no one else does". I used to constantly battle my emotions and feel restrained by them, as it sounds like you might, until I learned to make peace with myself and compartmentalize. Control over your mind, for most people, is the only consistent control you have, so take measures in your everyday life to master/reconcile your emotions.
I also think this could be contributing to why you aren't getting what you want out of your journeys. When I try to force it or do it when I have a lot of emotional baggage I have a similar experience or am even shut out entirely.
You say it seems like you learn so little and everything passes you by. Don't look for anything in particular, be a sponge that absorbs as much as possible. You might find you come out with slightly greater understanding (and more questions) as well as sudden realizations of what something meant later on.
Hope this wasn't to much of a ramble and helped a bit.
All my best,
Doog