The Emotionary No.4 - Incensed. A CBT Perspective

Incensed

[in-senst] adjective

Incensed is like a glass paperweight. Clear and innocent on a windowsill. Mid-day sun reveals bubbles, formed in the red-hot furnace. The paper weight refuses its given names. It is not delicate. It is not decorative. It is not transparent. It will not allow the solar violet to pass through untouched, but holds and harnesses the sun’s primordial universe-forming energy. It can wait. An observer sees only a shimmer, whilst it calculates where it will place its pinpoint glare - staring its beam of light until something begins to smoulder. It will not waver or change its gaze, and nobody thought that something so pretty would set the whole house ablaze.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) does not ‘shy away’ from strong emotions. Life is complex and challenging and the emotions that we experience reflect this. CBT can help us to understand the thoughts that activate strong emotions and the behaviours that often follow, helping us gain deeper insight into ourselves. A variety of strategies can then be learnt to help us emotionally regulate ourselves and change any thinking patterns or behaviours that may be causing us distress. Ultimately, learning to recognise and articulate the emotions that we are experiencing, even if they are strong, is helpful. An ability to say to other people how we are feeling can help them to recognise when they have crossed boundaries. Recognising and naming our emotions also helps us to develop a growing awareness of the issues and events that we feel strongly about and which result in high emotional activation. This knowledge can help us to prepare for events where we are likely to encounter emotion or for it to be activated within us.

If you would like to experience CBT to help with this, please get in touch. Avon CBT & Psychotherapy provides Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Couples Counselling and ADHD Support face to face in Bristol and online across the UK.