In my DBT class, one series of classes was over Emotions. OMG... I had a horrible time with this class. There were pages and pages of emotions written down with definitions and all I could see was white paper, I went paper blind. I went to each class but I was soo numbed out of it, I didn't benefit from the 8 sessions. I was overwhelmed, too many emotions to deal with at one time.
I can't cry, if I cry then I identify that something catastrophic is occurring and that is frightening. So, I don't cry, I live in the land of numb.
Your suggestion to take one emotion with one memory is a good idea CSC. Since I only meet with my T every other month for 45 minutes, I have to do this on my own.... scary
Here is a worksheet that I wanted to share from DBT called:
Observing and Describing Emotions
1. Write down the emotion name and intensity (1-10)
2. Identify the Prompting Event (who, what, when, where) what started the emotion.
3. Interpretations (beliefs, assumptions, appraisals) of the situation
4. Body changes and sensing. What am I feeling in my body.
5. Body language. What is my facial expression, posture, gestures
6. Action urges. What do I feel like doing? What do I want to say?
7. What I said or did in the situation (be specific)
8. What after affect does the emotion have on me (my state of mind, other emotions, behavior, thoughts, memory, body, etc).
Then I go to my magazines and tear out pictures that resemble the emotion and paste them on a sheet of paper or whatever is available. I make a story or theme with that emotion as shown in the pictures to help identify it.
Some facts I learned:
1. Emotions are not facts, unless validated as an event to move you to safety.
2. Do not act upon the emotion, divert attention to something pleasant
3. Just observe the emotion, remember you are not the emotion
4. Emotions love emotions and will grow to secondary emotions
5. Do not judge the emotion or yourself for having emotion(s)
6. Do something opposite to the emotion
7. Remember you can think of only one thing at a time, so if you divert your attention to something opposite to the emotion you are feeling, you will be able to break the emotion you are stuck in.
I see, I need to go back to my drawing board and do this exercise.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Can't Stop Crying
I have been there! One step at a time is all I can say. I started with a list of feelings I found in a book and read pages and pages of dictionary's to try to find what I was "supposed" to feel, all I knew was bad. Every time a feeling came up, it was just bad. I was scared too - that I would unleash a monster, that it would never stop, that it would make things worse. Identifying and feeling the feelings in therapy DOES make things worse temporarily, but eventually it starts to calm down. I don't know how it will be forever, right now I usually try to make one day, one memory, one feeling at a time. I am finding the things that I really have felt down to the core and done all the re-experiencing and painful processing are starting to lose their thunder. It's not easy and sometimes I am ready to throw in the towel, but every baby step I take gives me a tiny bit of hope that some day I will be free.
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