The

Val

ue o

f N

egat

ive

Emo

tions

an

d H

ow

to

Add

ress

The

m

Tech

niqu

es f

or

Get

ting

to t

he

Hea

rt o

f C

hang

e

Pres

ente

d by

Eri

c L.

Jo

hnso

n, P

h.D

.A

t Eu

rope

an L

eade

rshi

p Fo

rum

May

, 201

7

A C

hrist

ian

Rat

iona

le f

or

V

alui

ng E

mo

tion

Go

d re

veal

s hi

mse

lf as

hav

ing

emo

tions

Go

d cr

eate

d hu

man

em

otio

ns,

so t

hey

belo

ng t

o hi

m

Emo

tions

co

mm

unic

ate

signi

fican

ce;

they

are

impo

rtan

t to

pro

per

hum

an f

unct

ioni

ng

Chr

istia

nity

is a

rel

igio

n o

f th

e he

art,

so

em

otio

ns a

re c

entr

al t

o t

he s

alva

tion

(o

r so

ul-h

ealin

g) p

roce

ss

Wha

t is

the

hear

t?

Acc

ord

ing

to t

he B

ible

and

la

y ps

ycho

logy

: the

hea

rt is

de

epes

t pa

rt o

f a p

erso

n

It is

the

fo

cus

of

Chr

istia

nsa

lvat

ion

It in

clud

es o

ur e

mo

tions

and

mo

tivat

ions

Wha

t ar

e em

otio

ns?

An

emo

tion

is a

sign

But

wha

t is

a sig

n?

A s

ign

is an

ythi

ng

that

poi

nts

to

som

ethi

ng e

lse.

Emo

tions

co

nvey

info

rmat

ion

Abo

ut…

•Go

od

and

bad

(the

y ar

e bi

vale

nt)

•One

’s p

erce

ptio

nsab

out

go

od

and

bad

•Wel

l-bei

ng a

nd il

l-bei

ng

Emo

tions

are

mo

tivat

iona

l

Emo

tions

can

dir

ect

or

hind

er a

ctio

n

Emo

tions

are

usu

ally

rel

ated

to

go

als,

perc

eive

d ne

eds,

and

co

ncer

ns in

life

Emo

tions

can

be

sto

red

in m

emo

ry…

in t

he b

rain

.

Co

nclu

sion:

Emo

tions

are

alw

ays

mea

ning

ful

A R

edem

ptiv

e-H

isto

rica

l Mo

del o

f th

e Em

otio

ns

Cre

atio

n•E

mot

ions

are

goo

d

Fall•T

he e

mot

ion-

syst

em d

evel

ops

Red

empt

ion

•Em

otio

ns a

re a

utoc

entr

ic

•The

em

otio

n-sy

stem

can

be

dam

aged

•Em

otio

ns c

an b

e th

eoce

ntri

c

•The

em

otio

n-sy

stem

can

be

heal

ed b

y C

hrist

The

Red

empt

ion

of

Emo

tions

Chr

ist’s

life

, dea

th, a

nd r

esur

rect

ion

is th

e ba

sis o

f hu

man

re

dem

ptio

n.

Thro

ugh

Chr

ist, G

od’

s em

otio

ns t

ow

ards

hum

anity

cha

nged

. O

n th

e cr

oss

, div

ine

reje

ctio

n, a

liena

tion,

unc

lean

ness

, an

xiet

y, a

nd d

espa

ir a

re m

yste

rio

usly

mix

ed t

oge

ther

with

di

vine

love

, co

mpa

ssio

n, m

ercy

, and

forg

iven

ess.

A p

rim

ary

goal

of

Chr

istia

n sa

lvat

ion

is ha

ving

pro

perl

y fu

nctio

ning

em

otio

ns.

On

the

cro

ss, C

hrist

abs

orb

ed a

nd a

nnul

led

our

obj

ectiv

e sh

ame

and

guilt

Stra

tegi

c Pr

inci

ples

in

Chr

istia

n C

ardi

tive

Ther

apy

Ho

w t

o A

ddre

ss N

egat

ive

Emo

tions

We

may

nee

d to

tea

ch t

hat

emo

tions

are

cr

eate

d go

od

and

mea

ning

ful.

1. C

ons

ider

the

bo

ok

of

Job

2. C

ons

ider

the

bo

ok

of

Psal

ms

3. C

ons

ider

Go

d’s

emo

tions

in t

he B

ible

4. C

ons

ider

Chr

ist (

befo

re L

azar

us w

as r

aise

d, a

t G

eths

emen

e, o

n th

e cr

oss

)

5. G

od

priz

es h

one

sty

and

tran

spar

ency

(“B

ewar

e o

f th

e le

aven

of

the

Phar

isees

,” M

t 16

:6)

The

goal

is t

o re

org

aniz

e on

e’s

emot

ions

in r

edem

ptiv

e w

ays.

Thi

s in

volv

es…

1. R

e-ex

peri

enci

ng/e

ngag

ing

an e

mo

tion

now

2. O

bjec

tifyi

ng t

he e

mo

tion,

whi

le f

eelin

g it

3. B

ring

ing

in o

ther

hea

ling

cons

ider

atio

ns t

o t

he e

mo

tion

Ho

w t

o A

ddre

ss N

egat

ive

Emo

tions

Pro

mo

te a

uthe

ntic

em

otio

nal e

xpre

ssio

n

1. E

very

thin

g ca

n/sh

oul

d be

exp

ress

ed t

o G

od.

2. S

ome

emot

ions

nee

d to

be

shar

ed w

ith o

ther

hu

man

s. T

his

mus

t be

wei

ghed

car

eful

ly.

a. C

lose

tru

sted

fri

ends

b. R

egar

ding

tho

se w

ho h

ave

wro

nged

the

co

unse

lee:

* If

it is

bes

t fo

r th

e o

ther

, and

the

y ca

n be

nefit

fro

m it

. W

e ha

ve n

o li

cens

e to

sha

re o

ur e

mo

tions

with

peo

ple

who

ca

nno

t ha

ndle

it.

It o

ught

no

t be

mo

tivat

ed b

y re

veng

e.*

Som

e th

ings

oug

ht t

o b

e sh

ared

with

per

petr

ato

rs, w

heth

er

or

not

they

can

ben

efit

fro

m it

at

the

time.

But

the

co

unse

lee

need

s to

be

read

y fo

r th

is.

Ho

w t

o A

ddre

ss N

egat

ive

Emo

tions

Pro

mo

te e

mo

tion

regu

latio

n

2. E

mo

tion

regu

latio

n al

low

s th

e pe

rso

n to

pro

cess

th

e em

otio

n in

a h

ealth

y, m

atur

e w

ay t

hat

mak

es it

pr

odu

ctiv

e: le

adin

g to

sel

f-aw

aren

ess,

act

ion,

Go

d,

psyc

hosp

iritu

al g

row

th, r

epen

tanc

e, a

nd s

o o

n.

1. B

y do

ing

emo

tion

wo

rk w

ith t

he p

erso

n, y

ou

are

trai

ning

ho

w t

o k

eep

emo

tions

eng

aged

, with

out

be

com

ing

ove

rwhe

lmed

(se

ek t

o pr

omot

e a

“saf

e em

erge

ncy”

)

Ho

w t

o A

ddre

ss N

egat

ive

Emo

tions

Emot

ion

Diff

eren

tiatio

nH

elp

coun

sele

e di

stin

guish

bet

wee

n th

e go

od

of

emo

tions

an

d th

e sin

ful o

r da

mag

ed s

ide

of

emo

tions

.

For

exam

ple…

Ho

w t

o A

ddre

ss N

egat

ive

Emo

tions

Emo

tion

Inte

grat

ion

Co

mbi

ne h

ealin

g em

otio

ns w

ith t

oxi

c em

otio

ns

1. T

ie it

into

the

glo

ry o

f G

od:

“M

y lif

e is

cont

ribu

ting

to

the

glo

ry o

f G

od.

”2.

Tie

it in

to G

od’

s st

ory

: “M

y st

ory

is b

eco

min

g pa

rt o

f G

od’

s st

ory

of

heal

ing

and

glo

ry.”

3. T

ake

it to

the

cro

ss:

“My

anxi

ety

was

nai

led

to t

he c

ross

by

Go

d. N

ow

Ina

il it

ther

e by

fai

th a

nd le

t it

go.”

4. D

iscus

s ho

w C

hrist

was

aff

ecte

d em

otio

nally

by

the

suff

erin

gs o

f o

ther

s. E

nco

urag

e th

e re

cogn

itio

n th

at

Chr

ist w

as a

ffec

ted

“in

your

cas

e.”

Ho

w t

o A

ddre

ss N

egat

ive

Emo

tions

Sum

mar

y o

f C

hrist

ian

Emo

tion-

Focu

sed

Ther

apy

LOV

ERS

1. L

ift u

p yo

ur h

eart

2. O

pen

up y

our

hear

t to

the

Lor

d

3. V

erba

lize

the

nega

tive

emo

tion

6. S

erve

oth

ers

fro

m a

new

cre

atio

n em

otio

n

4. E

mpt

y O

ut t

he n

egat

ive

emot

ion

5. R

epla

ceth

e ne

gativ

e em

otio

n w

ith a

mo

difie

d em

otio

n o

r a

new

em

otio

n

Chr

istia

n Th

erap

y R

eso

urce

s

ww

w.C

hrist

ianp

sych

.org