Emotions...product of the mind or body?

We often think the way to deal with our emotions is through the mind: mental processing, rationalizing, cognitive retraining, talk therapy, etc. This is because many of us believe emotions come from the mind, a psychological response, and because we come from a society that highly emphasizes the mind and the intellect.

Actually, the latest fascinating findings in neuroscience shows that our emotions are just another example of how we predict and construct our environment and perception based on our past experiences. Our emotions are not actually in response to what is happening in the present. Instead, our bodies take in bits of information from the environment and then we immediately make predictions on what will happen, good or bad, based on similar experiences in our past. As a part of our predictions, our bodies will recreate specific patterns of physiological sensations. Sensations like sweaty palms, knots in your stomach, clenched jaw, changes in breathing, heat rising up the back, etc. What we typically view as an emotion is our intellectual label/concept to describe this pattern of physiological sensations that we are predicting. But in reality, the emotion is the physiological sensations. 

Our innate physiological ability

Usually, our bodies have a natural way of regulating these physical sensations in the moment of an emotional response. Meaning, if left alone, if we do nothing, our bodies would generate these physiological responses and then once no longer needed, our bodies would then relax and return to a state of calm quickly. Like a wave that builds, reaches its crest and then quickly breaks. This also means that in the future, the prediction would be one of calmness as the result of this experience. If we did not possess this ability to self regulate our physiological response, we would be constantly in some sort of discomfort. 

When emotions become stuck

In instances where we repeatedly predict the same uncomfortable physiological sensations, and the uncomfortable sensations linger, there has been an interference or interruption of the body's natural way of returning to a place of calm. The emotion is blocked or stuck. This is often due to a trauma or intense or prolonged stress, situations where it was not safe or it was too overwhelming to experience the intense wave of physiological sensations. Thus, in future similar situations, the body will continue to predict and recreate this unresolved cascade of physiological responses. At this point we often will do things to control, repress, relieve, ignore, transfer, project our emotional difficulty. All of which continues to get in the way of our bodies’ natural process.

Updating the prediction

Emotional Resolution (EmRes) can help remove these emotional blockages by reconnecting to the physiological sensations, feeling the discomfort, thus allowing the body to take over and resolve the physiological sensations. Once the body returns to a state of calm, the body’s prediction in future similar situations will be updated to a state of calm, free from uncomfortable physiological sensations. 

So then just what is

Emotional Resolution??

Emotional Resolution (EmRes) does not claim to have any special knowledge or exclusive method or technique. Your body knows how to immediately, directly, and independently resolve physiological sensations and thus, emotional difficulties, in the moment. You, or more specifically, your intellectual cognitive mind, just needs to get out of the way of yourself, your body. And that is what EmRes does. EmRes simply guides you to reconnect to your body via the sensations, and then do nothing, in order to give yourself and your body the space, the time, the attention to fully feel the sensations, to allow the wave of sensations to crest and break and then return to calm. EmRes brings back your awareness of your innate ability to care for yourself and your emotions, ideally in the moment it happens. 

So what happens during a session?

EmRes sessions are performed with you seated safely and comfortably in a chair, does not involve any physical contact, and you remain fully aware and conscious the entire time. I will guide you to specifically re-live a recent event that represents your current emotional difficulty.  Or I will ask you general questions regarding the nature of your difficulty. By reliving the event or by the questions asked, you experience the emotion, the physiological sensations, right now, in the present moment. The sensations although uncomfortable, are never harmful and do not last long. Once the sensations come up, I guide you to connect with them, to feel them and do nothing, to allow your innate physiological ability to take over until the wave of sensations has completed and calmness is achieved. I am here to help guide you and hold space for you to feel safe and supported to feel the sensations.

For past traumatic events, I will never guide you to relive the traumatic event, because simply, if it was too traumatic back then, it would be too traumatic to relive now. Instead, I help you resolve the trauma by addressing how the trauma affects your life in the present, addressing the trauma in a more gentle, safe manner.

Watch the video below for a fun explanation of EmRes!

With EmRes as a guide, you can permanently resolve emotions, addictions, obsessive/compulsive behaviors, migraines and other physical complaints without any complicated techniques, breathing strategies, tapping, eye movements, or mental retraining/patterning. You do not even have to reveal personal details and definitely do not have to revisit any original traumatic events. You always remain safe and fully in the present.