THE CHOICE: Act, Accept, or Run Away 31/30 How to Process Emotions- Course Summary 🎉

Get the course: How to Process Your Emotions

But the goal of this course isn’t just to feel better, it’s also to get better at feeling. To get good at having emotions, working through them and then making choices that lead to a rich and fulfilling life.

When we take a step back and look at the process of resolving emotions, we start with identifying the emotion, then move into slowing it down, accepting the emotion and exploring it, all of these steps are important. But the whole purpose of emotional regulation is to help us take helpful action. Action often helps us free up that stored ‘movement’ inside us. Look at the word “emotion” e-motion, the “mot” comes from Latin and means “to move”, the same root that is in words like motivation and motor, it is something that inspires movement. Our emotions, even the ones that can be considered “negative” (or uncomfortable) can be powerful motivating forces to help us move and change.

Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.
In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction.

Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC
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[AlineAM]

The old me wasn't post this because of the fear of being judged by my broken English. But the new me is willing to face my fears and just say what I want.
Thank you so much for this course, it changed my life.
I had no idea how much I hated myself, so yesterday I spent hours crying and writing everything that I should apologize for to my inner child. I am not completely healed (and I'll probably do this course again in the future), but now I know it's a processs, and you helped me to take the first steps on this journey.
You are amazing and I'm happy to know that we are sisters in Zion. Sending love from Brazil💙💚💛

[Melted_Butter]

“Between stimulus and response lies a space. In that space lie our freedom and power to choose a response. In our response lies our growth and our happiness.”

[brucekristy]

Emma, you are really a blessing to our family!!! My husband is struggling with severe anxiety and depression, and I am fighting depression. We have found so much help from your videos. Things are starting to change, and your videos have helped more than medicine or counseling at this point. Thank you for going down this path and helping so many people like us who have never heard of any of these things before. It is eye opening, refreshing and gives so much hope. God bless!

[wishfulthinking]

"When your emotions aren't jerking you around, you can CHOOSE to live a life that you value." I ADORE THAT LINE! It's so true and incredibly helpful.

[TheAlbinoZebra]

I lost my mom September 28th of this year and I’ve been watching your videos ever since. You have been such a huge help to me as I struggle with a variety of mental illnesses aswell. I am learning to feel my emotions, even though they are very painful since losing my mom and whenever fear arrises (usually fear of uncertainty) I remind myself that I have to accept uncertainty- the things I cannot change. It’s a process, especially with grief, but you have helped me in more ways than I can express. Thank you so much for all that you do.

[allison]

I’m so looking forward to this! Your videos are so comforting and give me hope and always make me feel better, you are my secret best friend and you don’t even know haha!

[Z_bra]

Sometimes it seems like what you say falls more in line with philosophy than psychology. I think finding your videos was exactly what I need. Thanks for all your hard work

[timonaszukauskas]

Not emotions, it's my heart! My hearth is burning!

[harveysmith]

"Positive change is increasing the length of recovery and decreasing the length of relapse, proactively, improving and maturing and graduating as a discipline, over time. So you have longer and longer times living how you want to live and shorter and shorter times where you’re being reactive." Thank you for this course and your generous and inspiring service.

[jar-mingpang]

I am 77 now. I have picked up all the skills you mentioned through community mental health center starting 1980.
What I needed was someone to listen to me. Thanks for your work.

[RobinHerzig]

I like that replacement instead for ‘the things I cannot change’ to the ‘people’ I cannot change. Wow helped with my perspective right there. Bingo!

[kiaram]

Not feeling my feelings has been a life long problem for me. Supressed anger led me to pick my skin, clench my teeth, stress my stomach etc. But i was seen as the reasonable child, compared to my patronizing condescending bully narcissistic sister.. i left the house to work after college. She stayed unemployed for 5 years now. Responsibility has been her monster since childhood.
Because of some uncontrollable events i had to live at my parents' house for 7 months. I was going there on vacations as well but it has never been this much.
My therapist used to say "when you are angry, you have to live your anger" i would say "but then there would be a big fight" he would say "let there be a fight then, if your sister cant handle any kind of resentment or anger feelings from other people, that is her problem, not yours"
After all these years of tolerating her problems her difficult life. I snapped. I cried myself to sleep two days prior to this event. I was telling myself "dont take it seriously, she is in a bad place" but then i realized we were being taken advantage from. Not just me, my parents too.
When someone realizes whatever he says or does people will tolerate them, they become unstoppable bullies. People need to know that they are hurting, that other people have real flesh hearts too. And every one is living their own hell in this planet.
I didnt lose control or anything. I just got angry out loud. And when she saw me angry she couldnt believe that i was having feelings and called our parents (they were out of town) to inform them i need to be hospitalised :D because i was crazy and i was hitting my head to walls or something, she told my mom a story she created in order to increase the reaction she gets from them, in order to find herself a supporter. This feels so sad. Because she did this before to my mother as well, she knew this side of her. My mother was surpised too, she thought maybe she is hallucinating. It is so difficult for a mother to witness this ugliness in her child, so i understand her effort to find good hearted excuses for these behaviours of my sister.
After i snapped, my sister stopped talking to me completely. Since i have no solution for her problems, this is probably the best for my own mental health. God may help her journey..

[samuelegiuseppelongo]

You radiate beauty & integrity from the inside out, Miss. Competent and compassionate, a kind and giving heart. Much love, may God bless you abundantly. 💜⚜

[exethanter]

I went to therapy for 4 years. I was taken off of medication as I learned some of these skills, but eventually I started to relapse.

This course helped me realize that I had been deceiving myself a little throughout therapy. With your videos I was able to get to the real core of my problems and see the iceberg under the water. You have changed my life!

[PatriceBankshscounselor]

I am a therapist and I feel like I am on grad school again when I watch your videos. Thank you for helping me be a better therapist for my clients!! ♥️💙💜

[chiafairy]

One of the biggest realizations I had in my ED recovery with emotional processing is that I don't actually feel comfortable with any strong emotion. My sister sent me a care packet during that time and I was so touched/happy that it made me severly uncomfortable and I needed to use coping mechanism to handle it. 😅

[hailulma]

The way you talk is as important as what you say 🙏

[awakening]

THANK YOU on behalf of the thousands of lives you improve by providing your videos on youtube.

[aminughani]

We need continuity of the series, lets target a hundred. Many thx Emma for all you do.

[rashaabushaban]

This course has been truly transformative for me, particularly as I reside in a conflict-stricken region where discussing mental health is considered a luxury and carries a stigma. Growing up, we were taught to suppress our emotions and never process them. The words 'thank you' barely express the immense gratitude I feel for having watched the entire course and the invaluable lessons I've gained from it