Over the following month we will be posting a series of blogs. Throughout which we will explore four emotions – Fear, Anger, Sadness, and Disgust. We will explore what exactly these emotions are. Why they happen, how they happen and finally, how we can best manage them to live a life that is not obstructed by an inability to tolerate them. Very often we become so overwhelmed by these emotions that we shut down. Or we internalise them and end up causing ourselves psychological and even physiological harm. The purpose of this exploration, then, is to provide education and greater awareness on the internal psychological and physiological happenings that come about as a result of these emotions.
Why is it important to understand these emotions?
We are all currently dealing with a collective trauma in the current pandemic. In such times of confusion, fear, and uncertainty, we would like to provide some information on common emotions that are often difficult to deal with. Staying at home, isolated from the outside world, means that many of us are spending an awful lot more time sitting with ourselves than we were anticipating, The presence of this reality can significantly heighten people’s underlying conditions and cause them to explode. This can be the catalyst for some to unlock blocked trauma. So it’s vitally important that resources and information are easily available to help and provide guidance on managing difficult emotions.
What can you expect to take away from these blogs?
Perhaps the most important thing to take away from these blogs is there needn’t be any judgment for the emotions we feel. Emotions are a natural, integral part of being human and serve to keep us connected with others. We are relational mammals, so emotions are absolutely required within any relationship. Judgment of emotions serves no purpose, it merely puts you at a disadvantage in dealing with them. We must let go of the idea that a given emotion is good or bad. They are, however, useful. Emotions serve our relational psychological imperatives to keep the herd functioning and put things straight around the dynamic of what’s happening between people.
Why should we express emotions?
All emotions come down to the relationship between someone or something. They become about ‘myself’, or internalised, when they are not experienced and expressed within relational contact. If I can experience an emotion through my body, then I can communicate it through my facial expression, through my posture, through the way I relate to others. They then get it, and they respond to me, and then we can mediate and understand each other from this point. When emotions are experienced and expressed healthily and in connection with another, it can make you feel better and more calm almost immediately.
If we are not able to express our emotions then we must hold them in. And how do we hold them in? By holding our breath; by blocking the diaphragm and other auxiliary respiratory muscles and tensing muscles in the upper back, neck face and jaw, we stop the impulse for the emotion to be expressed through the body. For this reason, these blogs will provide an understanding of the internal processes that are going on when an emotion like fear, anger, sadness, or disgust is present. As well as looking at their role in our biology and guidance on how to accept and manage them.
Get in touch
If you have a client, or know of someone who is struggling with emotions and how to manage them. Or equally can’t find the right help for any form of mental health issue. Reach out to us at Khiron Clinics. We believe that we can improve therapeutic outcomes and avoid misdiagnosis by providing an effective residential program and out-patient therapies addressing underlying psychological trauma. Allow us to help you find the path to realistic, long lasting recovery. For information, call us today. UK: 020 3811 2575 (24 hours). USA: (866) 801 6184 (24 hours)