Emotional processing course How to understand and handle your emotions Professor Roger Baker, Consultant Clinical Psychologist Mrs Sandra May, Primary Care Counsellor Mrs Ann Henderson, Primary Care Counsellor © Roger Baker 2006

Sessions Session 1 Understanding emotions Session 2 Are emotions our friends or enemies? Session 3 What does our emotion rule book say? Session 4 Bottling up emotions or facing them Session 5 Looking emotions in the eye Session 6 Tying it all together Session 7 Follow up session

Letting it rip … or not Bottling up feelings – effect on health Too little or too much Jane: Husband unfaithful, leaves her when pregnant. Doesn’t talk to husband, own family, husband’s family, friends. Doesn’t cry, doesn’t seek aid, doesn’t seek reparation Billy: Fails driving test, swears at instructor. Accuses him of picking on him. Kicks car, shouts at mother for not buying him enough lessons

Getting the right balance Difference between suppressing the experience of emotions suppressing the expression of emotions EXPERIENCE EXPRESSION Feel unhappy  Share/talk about feelings  Feel sad  Crying by self  to others ? Feel anger  Shout, accuse, hit out x The vicious circle Assert self 

Talk to an appropriate person Homework session 5 Write it down OR Talk to an appropriate person

INPUT EVENT

appraisal of meaning of event INPUT EVENT memory of input past memories emotion schemas

appraisal of meaning of event EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE appraisal of meaning of event experienced as gestalt INPUT EVENT awareness labelling linking memory of input past memories emotion schemas

appraisal of meaning of event EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE experienced as gestalt awareness labelling linking appraisal of meaning of event INPUT EVENT EMOTIONAL EXPRESSION memory of input past memories emotion schemas

appraisal of meaning of event C O N T R O L O F E M O T I O N S input experience expression EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE experienced as gestalt awareness labelling linking appraisal of meaning of event INPUT EVENT EMOTIONAL EXPRESSION memory of input past memories emotion schemas

2 problem ideas (schemas) Experience Expression The victim Accepts hurt Doesn’t directly express them to others Entitlement “I know my rights” When hurt Feels entitled to hit out Where does forgiveness fit in? May express feelings. Ultimately decides to drop the right to punish offender “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover the prisoner was you” Anon

Sessions Session 1 Understanding emotions Session 2 Are emotions our friends or enemies? Session 3 What does our emotion rule book say? Session 4 Bottling up emotions or facing them Session 5 Looking emotions in the eye Session 6 Tying it all together Session 7 Follow up session

How has the emotional processing course affected me? Evaluation sheet How has the emotional processing course affected me? Please write a paragraph

“Emotional processing; healing through feeling” Dr Roger Baker, Lion-Hudson Publishers, 2007

Thank you for attending

Emotional Processing Course Thank you for attending

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