Our emotions often provide us with helpful information and serve our ability to function. Sometimes, they persist long past their usefulness and we get stuck reliving the past.
This episode discusses the function of emotions and their three basic components: physiological, cognitive, and behavioral. When we can understand the function of our feelings, it can help us to accept our emotional experience.
I review strategies to accept and experience our emotions as they arise. I also describe a tool to help process and let go of stuck emotions from past events including abuse and trauma.
I strongly encourage anyone who has experienced significant abuse, neglect, or trauma to consider seeking the support and guidance of a licensed clinician who is experienced in cognitive behavioral therapy.
Take Action: Tell your story. Choose an event involving unresolved anxiety or grief (Note: repeating something that you are angry about typically fuels your fire). Repeat the story allowing yourself to fully experience the emotions that are evoked in the process. Continue until the intensity of the emotions subsides.
