Self-Discovery for Teens, Parents and Adults

When we think about triggers, often times what comes to mind is what someone else is doing that brings out an emotional reaction in us. Sometimes therapists will work on thinking differently to address this emotional trigger (i.e. help make it logically understandable). At times this is enough, and it works really really well. Then there are times where the emotional trigger is so embedded in our development, experience, or patterns of interacting with others that it feels like no amount of understanding will change the reaction. From an Emotion Focused Therapy perspective, understanding emotional triggers is better done by going into the emotion and sitting with it like you would a friend. One activity that I will often share with clients is a youtube video called "The process of Self-Exploration." This is a video that can bring you towards an understanding with your emotional self and hopefully move towards some healing. Credit to Adele Lafrance who is the creator of this video. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN1r_Qnt0cw>