The emotional mind evolved from the brainstem, the most primitive part of the human brain. The brainstem itself does not think or learn, it is an instinctive program regulating the body and organs. From this system the emotions and the thinking mind were added to its performance, enabling feeling and conscious decision making. The growth of the developing embryo in the mother’s womb retraces these same evolutionary steps.

Working together in harmony, the emotions and thinking mind maintain the conscious operations of our day to day lives, passing information between each other through an extensive web of neural networks. Without the emotions, the thinking mind would not know if something felt good or bad, equally, the thinking mind is essential for telling the heart what it thinks about it.

There is a natural order present in the relationship between the head and the heart, with emotion having a deeper conviction. There is a marked distinction between feeling and thinking about the same thing. Feeling has an additional potency, certainty, coming from the heart.

An emotion can be seen as an impulse to act, a feeling that is usually directed towards something, a person, behaviour, event, or thing. Whilst there are many emotions, some of the more intense blends of emotion we experience include:

• Anger – Fury, outrage, resentment, hostility, jealousy, in its extreme hatred and violence.

• Sadness – Grief, sorrow, loneliness, rejection, in its extreme severe or acute depression.

• Fear – Anxiety, apprehension, nervousness, dread, in its extreme phobia and panic.

• Happiness - contentment, relief, bliss, in its extreme ecstasy and mania.

• Love – Acceptance, trust, kindness, affinity, devotion, in its extreme infatuation.

• Surprise – Shock, astonishment, amazement, and wonder.

• Disgust – Contempt, disdain, scorn, aversion, and loathing.

• Shame – Guilt, embarrassment, remorse, and regret.

Surging Emotions

When strong feelings are activated, they initiate a host of physical and psychological changes in preparation for action. The emotional mind is in such a powerful position it can capture and control most of the brain and its functions. When intense emotions like those of anger or fear are activated, hormones are released sending a message of crisis to all parts of the body.

The alarm stage - During this first surge adrenalin is released in one quick burst. Lasting only minutes it prepares the body for action; to fight or flee.

The resistant stage - A second arousal is then generated which lasts for much longer. It is this secondary excitation that has damaging effects on the immune system and the mind.

The exhaustion stage - This third stage is characterised by the return of normal functioning, whilst there is still excess adrenalin in the blood stream. After this third phase we will generally feel exhausted but still irritable and unable to rest.

Automatic Responses

Emotions can sweep over us without our understanding, relying only on first impressions and the most dramatic aspects of a situation, or memory. When strong emotions are triggered, they will eclipse, dominate and deprive us of common sense. For a few minutes we are completely at the mercy of our automatic responses, and often, the consequences they create as we come to terms with what our emotions initiated.

Escalating Emotions

Escalating emotions, like those of rage, are built up by a sequence of frustrations over time; each provocation sending a surge of adrenalin on top of those before them which have not had time to subside. Anger is built on anger until eventually reason is completely lost in the ascendent emotion of rage. When negative emotions dominate and overwhelm all other thoughts and motivations they will disrupt daily life, concentration, and memory. Persistent activation of intense emotions will finally galvanise depression, rouse mood changes and incite anxiety states, all of which can make life impossible to manage.

Women's Emotions

Not all women are emotional, but emotions are often high ranking in the hierarchy of understanding. Women are more likely to analyse how something feels and place a higher feeling value to it. Women are particularly vulnerable to the changes during their menstrual cycle, during pregnancy, after giving birth, and with the arrival of the menopause. At their most unpleasant these bodily and psychological changes can undermine the stability of the emotions and the capacity to stay in control. As with all emotional issues, when there is a sense of helplessness to how we feel, it is a clear sign that something needs to be done to restore balance.

“I survived because the fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me.”