Before considering what happens when emotions “break,” a “bigger picture” perspective may be important. Many people can relate to human existence as similar to a spiritual being traveling in a physical body. In this image the spirit exerts psychological “steering” control over the physical flesh-machine with the mind and will, while the body provides feedback to the mind/brain by way of emotions and internal sensations (like pain). To arrive successfully and safely at one’s goal, it is important to know where to go (choice) and how to get there (thought). It is also important to know how the body is functioning on the way. The point of this post is that emotions can help forward movement, rather than prevent it, by functioning as a “dashboard” for how the body is operating in the moment.
When working with clients this is about the time that I remind them, even though the discussion is on “structured processes,” that in the counseling setting they must be free to choose their own outcomes. The destination they choose and the method they choose to achieve those goals remain totally up to them. However, no matter the destination or what is encountered along the way, there are basic tools and concepts that are important for anyone to keep in mind. If a person is not aware of how these systems were designed, or taught that these tools and systems indicate something other than design, the feedback and indications provided by their bodies will not “make sense.” Without this knowledge it becomes impossible to tell the difference between “broken” and “normal,” operations, and most importantly achieving their desired goal becomes impossible.
General Outline: five inputs, two outputs…
From this schematic conceptualization of the “psychological control process” there are five environmental inputs (five senses). Observational input from these senses is continuously fed directly into the brain for processing. These external inputs are combined with the body’s internal awareness information (e.g. pain, balance, digestion) and compared with pre-processed (pre-conceived) expectations of what our current environment “should” be (Is our experience expected or unexpected, threatening or desirable, etc.). The expectations are pre-processed in that their meanings were cognitively (thoughtfully) considered prior to the current situation.
Biologic Structures
Sensory input data of the environment is constantly fed to a part of the brain called the amygdala for threat assessment. Without the sensory input data of sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing we would have no way to experience our external environment. However if a person were consciously aware of all this information all of the time, they would be exhausted. To compensate the brain is designed as a highly executive organ, meaning that higher cognitive functions in the pre-frontal cortex (PFC) are only triggered when new or unexpected input is perceived. Once a problem has been solved repeatedly, or expected via training, the anticipated process is delegated to lower automatic responses or reflex circuits (Rudy, 2008).
Once sensory input data is processed for immediate threat, or the thought-out response from the PFC is sent to adjust the amygdala’s initial evaluation, internal regulation commands are sent via the Hypothalamus to the autonomic nervous systems which regulates the body’s internal systems (heart rate, breathing, eye dilation, sexual response, etc.) in preparation for what is anticipated to happen next (Cozolino, 2006, 54). Output signals are sent to the motor cortex for distribution to muscle and speech systems. What the person says or does influences their environment. The person watches the environment for change (or may perceive “no change”), and the cycle repeats.
Emotions appear to have an interactive and direct relationship with the autonomic nervous system control signals (Pinel, 2011; Thompson, 2010; Siegel, 2007; Kalat & Shiota, 2007). In other words, what we call “emotion” may be the name we give to the sensations of our bodies preparing for what we expect will happen next. Research results also indicate these “automatic responses” can bypass conscious awareness; meaning that it is possible for a person to experience an emotion before they know they are having it or why.
So What…
Emotion may be a better initial indicator as to where to look for problem sources and strength based linkages in therapy. Conscious thought may not have been party to the environmental stimulus that caused the emotion to be triggered, e.g. “I don’t know why I felt panic.” It is for this reason that emotions serve as an important “dashboard” of indicators into how the body/machine is operating, and springboard from which to launch treatment.
The problem is that while emotions can indicate what is happening, they are not good sources for information on “why” an experience is happening – emotions indicate status not purpose (or reason). Are emotions always accurate indicators of what is happening in the world around us? No. If anger, fear or sadness paths are traveled often enough they may become habitual. If there is trauma during circuit development, or the circuits do not develop per the design, they may be triggered or indicate a status that is not accurate. However, the fact that the emotional response is triggered remains an accurate indicator regarding treatment focus and direction.
Path to Freedom
The final aspect of this process, the spiritual dynamic, is a controversial one because there are some who would doubt the existence of true freewill choice, a great topic for a future post… (Lewin, et al., 2007; Naqvi, Shiv, &Bechara, 2006).
It is choice that selects the destination, and it is choice that governs how the input/output process will be applied to the environment. Choice is the steering wheel of the car with which the owner directs the vehicle. Once the client knows where they want to go (choice), how they want to get there (thought), and how to gauge how their vehicle operating, choices can be made to adjust the method, destination, and expectations, and needed repairs become much more clearly focused.
As a therapist, I see my job as an effort to help each person read the gauges and use the tools that free them not only to achieve his or her destination, but flourish in their life’s journey on the way and after.
Something to Consider - Other problems occur when a person tries to establish or experience one emotion over others over the long term (years). These efforts requires to person to deny some part of their environment as a survival method. These and more topics on “what happens when the system breaks down” will be discussed in future posts.
If you want more information on this topic, or want help in applying it to your relationship, you can reach us at:
www.SpiritCounselingTx.com
References
Cozolino, Louis. (2006). The Neuroscience of Human Relationships. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
Kalat, James W., and Michelle N. Shiota. (2007). Emotion. 2nd ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Lee, Deborah, and Rachel Harman. (2010). The Role of Shame and Self-Critical Thinking in the Development and Maintenance of Current Threat in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy 17, 13.
Levin, Irwin P., Baba Shiv, Antoine Bechara, and Joshua A. Weller. (2007). Neural Correlates of Adaptive Decision Making for Risky Gain and Losses. Psychological Science 18(11), 959.
Nasir Naqvi, Baba Shiv, and Antoine Bechara. (2006). The Role of Emotion in Decision Making: A Cognitive Neuroscience Perspective. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 15(5), 261.
Pinel, John P. J. (2011). Biopsychology. 8th ed. Edited by Jessica Mosher. Boston: Pearson Education.
Price, David M. (2004). Re-Building Shattered Families: Disclosure, Clarification and Reunification of Sexual Abusers, Victims, and Their Families. Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity 11, 187-221.
Rudebeck, Peter H., Mark E. Walton, Angharad N. Smyth, David M. Bannerman, and Matthew F. S. Rushworth. (September 2006). Separate Neural Pathways Process Different Decision Costs. Nature Neuroscience 9(9), 1161-68.
Rudy, Jerry W. (2008). The Neurobiology of Learning and Memory. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates.
Sanfey, Alan G. (2007). Decision Neuroscience: New Directions in Studies of Judgment and Decision. Current Directions in Psychological Science 16(3), 151.
Siegel, Daniel J. (2009). Emotion as Integration: A Possible Answer to the Question, What Is Emotion? In The Healing Power of Emotion: Affective Neuroscience, Development & Clinical Practice, ed. Diana Fosha, Daniel J. Siegel, and Marion F. Solomon, 145-71. New York: W. W. Norton & Co.
Steffens, Barbara A., and Robyn L. Rennie. (2006). Traumatic Nature of Disclosure for Wives of Sexual Addicts. Addiction & Compulsivity 13, 247-67.
Thompson, Curt. (2010). Anatomy of the Soul: Surprising Connections Between Neuroscience and Spirtual Practices that Can Transform Your Life and Relationships. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
Westen, Drew, Pavel S. Blagov, Keith Harenski, Clint Kilts, and Stephan Hamann. (2006). Neural Bases of Motivated Reasoning: An MRI Study of Emotional Constraints on Partisan Political Judgment in the 2004 U.S. Presidential Election. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience 18(11), 1947-58.
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