Mindfulness for Emotions

Somatic Localization of Emotion

Emotions are not just mental concepts; they are physiological experiences. To manage intense emotions (anger, fear, sadness), the first step in Mindfulness is to localize the emotion in the body.

The patient is invited to close his eyes and scan his body: "Where do you feel this anxiety? Is it a pressure in the chest? A knot in the stomach? Heat in the face?".

By transforming the emotion into a series of concrete physical sensations (pressure, temperature, tension), it becomes more manageable and less abstract or frightening.

Radical Acceptance and Non-Control

The natural tendency in the face of a negative emotion is to try to eliminate or control it, which paradoxically intensifies it (rebound effect).

The Mindfulness approach proposes radical acceptance: allowing the emotion to be there without interfering. The metaphor of being an "observer" or a "scientist" is used.

The patient observes the physical sensation of the emotion as it is, without judging it as "bad" or wishing it away.

The instruction is: "Let the emotion do what it has to do; if it goes up, let it go up; if it goes down, let it go down. Your job is only to observe, not to direct traffic."

Observation of Transience (The Wave)

By observing the emotion without feeding it with catastrophic thoughts or fighting it, the patient discovers its transitory nature. Emotions are like waves: they have a beginning, a peak and a natural decline.

Through practice (e.g., "sit with your anger and observe it"), the patient learns that he or she is able to tolerate the discomfort.

It discovers that emotion, no matter how intense, is not dangerous and that, if allowed to flow without resistance, it eventually dissipates or transforms on its own. This increases the window of tolerance to emotional stress.

Summary

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