Emotional Processing Technique

The Emotional Processing Technique is used to help you move through emotions more effectively. When you are feeling overwhelmed emotionally, this process helps the intensity of the emotions decrease and causes them to shift, as all emotions eventually do.

You might find this useful during a meditation if intense emotions come up or in your daily life if you are triggered in some way and find yourself feeling frustrated, angry, desperately sad or overcome with guilt or shame. This process has the power to allow your mental-emotional state to settle until the uncomfortable emotions have passed.

Transcript

Start by finding somewhere comfortable to sit or lie down,

A place where you won't be disturbed for the next five minutes,

A place where you feel comfortable either sitting upright or lying down.

Now go ahead and close down your eyes.

Firstly,

Ask yourself,

What is the specific emotion I'm feeling?

Is it fear?

Is it anger?

Is it sadness?

Guilt?

Frustration?

Embarrassment?

What is the emotion that you're feeling right now?

Now scan your body to find the physical sensation that's arisen along with this emotion.

Find it in your body and gently focus your awareness on that sensation.

Let's begin to explore the sensation.

Firstly,

Just describe it to yourself in your mind.

Describe it as best you can.

Take a few moments to do this with gentle awareness on the sensation.

Describe anything you can about it to yourself.

While resting your attention on the sensation,

Ask yourself,

Where in the body does this sensation exist?

Is it in your throat,

Your lower abdomen,

Inside your chest,

Near your diaphragm?

Where is it in your body?

Does it have a particular color?

Is it a bold version of that color,

A lighter version of that color?

If no color comes to mind,

That's okay.

And just know that as you rest your awareness,

The sensation has the ability to change or shift.

In ways you'll notice.

Roughly speaking,

What shape is the sensation right now and how big is it?

How wide is it?

How deep does it go?

Ask yourself,

If you were to put a rating of intensity on the sensation right now from 1 to 10,

What would you say?

How intense is the sensation at the moment?

On a scale from 1 to 10,

Does the sensation feel soft and malleable or hard and solid?

Remember to continue breathing gently and allowing your mind to gently rest.

Rest on the sensation.

Again,

Ask yourself,

Has the sensation moved in your body?

Has it gone from your chest to your stomach?

Has the color changed?

What color is it now?

What shape is the sensation now?

Is it something that's kind of moving in your body?

Is it a harder thing?

Is it like light emanating from your inside?

Is it something amorphous and sludgy in your belly?

What is it like now?

If you had to rate the intensity of the sensation right now,

From 1 to 10,

What would you say?

On a scale of 1 to 10,

Does the sensation feel soft or hard?

Let's take a few deep breaths together.

Inhale and exhale.

Last one.

Inhale and exhale.

You may want to repeat this emotional processing technique a few times,

Depending on how you feel.

You may want to repeat this emotional processing technique a few times,

Depending on how you feel that your uncomfortable emotions have shifted.