Emotional Processing: It’s Not What You Think

Emotional processing is a learned skill, and one that was not widely taught until recent years. One of the most common misconceptions about emotions is that they can be processed using the mind—but this is not possible. The mind will automatically try to process emotions, but this is a misdirection where many people get stuck. One cannot use logic and reason to rationalize their way out of feeling an emotion or analyze the feeling enough times until it goes away. Emotions cannot be processed through the mind; they have to be fully felt.

To process any emotion, one first has to become aware of and acknowledge the emotion’s existence. Once there is awareness, acceptance of that feeling comes next, rather than denial or suppression. Only after acceptance of the emotion occurs can the processing of that emotion begin. 

Swiss psychologist Carl Jung coined the phrase, “What you resist persists.” When it comes to emotions, suppression actually increases one’s sensations of discomfort. This can lead to increased anxiety, restlessness, physical symptoms including pain, and, over the long-term, even disease and physical ailments. Many clinical studies show that if emotions are suppressed, eventually physical health problems occur. This is one reason why emotional processing is so important.

The cognitive behavioral therapy model of emotion, mind and behavior indicates that each of these internal parts of the self can influence one another either negatively or positively. Emotions can influence thoughts, thoughts can influence emotions, and both thoughts and emotions can, in turn, influence outward behavior. These three elements can influence one another to the extent that thoughts reinforce emotions, which can generate further thoughts, heightening emotions. This is called a feedback loop. 

When fear is activated during a heightened or stressful emotional state, thoughts can become negative, creating a negative feedback loop. Additionally, unpleasant feelings, when internally judged, can generate mental conclusions that are often untrue. Thoughts or judgments about emotions that are not rooted in objective truth become unhelpful and can further reinforce a negative feedback loop.

However, when feelings of joy and gratitude are experienced during a heightened emotional state, this can create a positive feedback loop. A positive feedback loop can build and generate positive emotions, which influence positive thoughts, creating more positive emotions and, therefore, a pleasant experience.

Gary Zukav’s approach focuses on identifying emotions as energy. He says in his book The Heart of the Soul that “Emotions are currents of energy that run through you… Your emotions tell you how energy is being processed, and at which locations.” In this way, then, how the body holds energy is how feelings are experienced and how they are processed—or not.

More nuanced is how we mentally perceive emotions, what meaning we give to them based on our interpretations of the emotions, and how we judge our interpretations. The interpretation of an emotion is highly subjective and can be complex. These nuanced layers can also become the basis for feedback loops as well. Feedback loops can feel like being on “autopilot” when unobserved or unacknowledged. When this happens, behaviors also tend to be on autopilot as well. 

Some experiences lead to emotions being “triggered,” meaning that an external sensory stimulus can suddenly bring on an intense emotional response. Fear, stress, negative memories, and even traumatic events from the past can be recalled and generate a physiological response, which is then interpreted by the conscious mind. Upon feeling these intense, uncomfortable sensations, many try to immediately process the emotion using the mind. Unfortunately, no amount of mental gymnastics can process an emotion. 

It’s incredibly courageous and beneficial to use self-inquiry and reflection to examine what thoughts are reinforcing which emotions. This is how the mind and emotions can be separated out from one another and the feedback loop broken. It is helpful to view emotions from the lens Zukav uses, as this allows for more detachment and less subjective interpretation or judgment. If feelings are just energy, then why not simply move that energy out of the body to completion as a means to process them? Depending on one’s personal history and disposition, there may be few or several steps to processing emotions, and walking that path is, of course, highly unique.

In addition to self-inquiry, here are some modalities that can help facilitate the processing of emotions:

Yoga: Opens up the body and muscles, making emotions (energy) easier to move through.

Breathwork: Processes emotional energy through and out of the body’s system.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Offers a focused opportunity to identify and observe emotions so they can be processed.

Somatic Therapies: Includes breathwork but also includes other types of physical movement to connect the mind and body and move stuck emotional energy through the body.

Massage: Releases emotions stuck in the body that manifest as physical discomfort and muscle tension.

Vagal Toning: This more specific technique focuses on the vagus nerve and the autonomic nervous system, which can be impacted by deeply stored emotions resulting from trauma.

Whichever processing method is chosen, it’s important to observe whether any feedback loops exist, where energy is moving, and where it’s being held back in the body. This “stuck” energy can appear in the body as tension, pressure or pain. When these places are identified, leaning in further to move the emotional energy through the body and out is more beneficial than avoidance or suppression. Making a conscious choice to process emotions can be brave and lead to great personal insights—and clear the way for greater self-awareness and expansive personal growth, which positively impacts all facets of life.