How to apply ANY Emotional Regulation Tool for processing emotions? 4 Steps1. What emotion/body sensation am I feeling? (be specific)
Name it to tame it improves emotional intelligence
Where do I feel it in my body?
sensations – location, warmth, pressure, intensity etc.?
2. Take a measurement from 0-10Subjective Units of Distress (SUDs) - 10 is that this is the most intense, 0 is that there is no charge
3. Apply the METHOD or techniqueAnything that changes your body-mind state/meanings/associations - see the list of methods below
4. Re-take the measurement 0-10 to assess the changeMemory re-consolidation dictates that when the memory gets laid down again, it will be stored in the new way with less and less distress associated with it
Below is a list of Emotional Regulation Tools you can use to bring down the emotional charge on 'distressing emotions'.Systematically and steadily bringing down the emotional charge on all aspects of an issue (as a practice over time) will eventually lead to the resolution or transformation of that issue. In addition, it's often worth working on bringing down the emotional charge on how you feel
about having that primary feeling can be as effective, or more effective, than working on the primary emotion.
- Deep breathing with long (double-length) out breath, while attending to your body sensations
- Grounding: get into a stable posture / straight spine/ feet flat on floor / connect to earth
- Peripheral vision (move back & forth between body sensations & your attention to the outside opposite corner of the room)
- Psycho-sensory methods e.g. Havening (stroking down outside of arms / place hands on body and breathe) Video: What is Havening and how does it work?
- Bi-lateral Stimulation (throwing a bottle from hand to hand across body midline)
- TAT pose (Tapas Flemming Videos) www.tatlife.com
- EFT Tapping originated by Gary Craig: Brad Yates on EFT
- Moving eyes side to side while keeping head still (we don’t recommend doing EMDR by yourself - i.e. do NOT guide the eyes externally) - seek a trained therapist at www.emdr.com
- Wayne Cook Posture Wayne Cook Posture