This blog will teach us how to connect to emotions, thoughts, and body sensations. In the above grid, I have simplified the primary emotions to four for easy understanding, but they can be considered eight.
ANGER: This primary emotion, when mixed with other primary emotions, can lead to secondary emotions such as fury, outrage, irritability, hostility, resentment, and hate.
SADNESS: This primary emotion, when mixed with other primary emotions, can lead to secondary emotions such as grief, sorrow, gloom, melancholy, despair, loneliness and depression.
FEAR: This primary emotion, when mixed with other primary emotions, can lead to secondary emotions, which can lead to anxiety, worry, panic and dread.
JOY: This primary emotion, when mixed with other primary emotions, can lead to secondary emotions such as bliss, happiness, thrill, pride, and delight.
INTEREST: This primary emotion, when mixed with other primary emotions, can lead to secondary emotions such as kindness, love, affection, and friendship.
SURPRISE: This primary emotion, when mixed with other primary emotions, can lead to secondary emotions such as shock, astonishment, wonder and amazement.
DISGUST: This primary emotion, when mixed with other primary emotions, can lead to secondary emotions such as contempt, disdain, scorn and hatred.
SHAME: This primary emotion, when mixed with other primary emotions, can lead to secondary emotions such as guilt, embarrassment, remorse and regret.
To start getting in touch with emotions, start with the physical sensations. Sit in a quiet place to do this exercise. Close your eyes and take a few rounds of deep breaths. Now, think of a situation that makes you feel guilty. Visualise that scenario in your mind. Feel the sensations in all five senses of your body. Now, what do you think? And where do you think it is in your body? Make a connection with the guilt that you may feel. If it is not guilt, what else can it be? Then, we move on to the validation part of the exercise. You can repeat to yourself, “It is ok to feel this way”; “It’s ok to feel guilty”; “It’s ok to experience this feeling”. Acceptance is the next step, where you accept the emotion and how it is. Acknowledge and accept and allow yourself to feel this way. But also recognise that it is important to let it go.
A process of colour breathing can do this. Imagine guilt to be a colour of red. Imagine peace and calmness to be a colour of blue. You can process and send the guilt out of your body by breathing in a blue colour and saying calmness. With each out-breath, breathe out the red colour, which implies guilt. Imagine the emotion leaving your body with every breath. With every in-breath, peace enters the body as a blue colour and guilt, leaving the body as red. You can repeat to yourself, “I am peaceful and free of guilt.” You can visualise the emotion you wish to process; on this occasion, guilt leaves you as you are filled with peace.
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