As students/participants, in all training delivered, the emotional elements of our experience need to be attended to.
The reason for this is that we will gain in confidence and competence in dealing with the emotional dimension that is, and will be, a central element of the day-to-day practice in the field.
One of the most important changes aimed for in our work is, after all, the emotional atmosphere in the family and home in general – and in particular individuals taking age appropriate responsibility for their emotions.
There are a number of elements that I consider to be of importance in the area of emotional education, and they will be present to some extent in all the others listed in the following posts. (That is, posts 5.4.4.4 to 5.4.4.10 inclusive).
It will be necessary to explore fear, how to recognise fear, and the link between fear and anger. Anger is very common in people who have suffered trauma (as we already identified in different parts of the website). It is helpful to identify the role of anger, how it manifests and how it can be used constructively and proactively. Because so many myths surround anger, the difference between anger and resentment, between anger (our emotion) and violence (our behaviour) all need to be explored.
Uncertainty can lead to anxiety which can also cause anger – so the implications of uncertainty will always be interesting! The rhythm and flow of training courses will have some built in flexibility so that we will experience the challenge of uncertainty – though always, of course, in a safe way.
I mentioned previously how time (or lack of it, or pressure to do something within a particular time) can lead to stress and then anger so time will be worthy of exploration also. Remember also, time is one of the root foundations of growth.
Shame is probably the most debilitating emotion that we experience. This will manifest in training in many different ways and is the reason why trainers need to be very skilled and experienced – particularly in the field of imprisonment and addiction. It is the principal reason why we do not favour the A – B – C assessment beloved of academic training.
Getting away from all the negative type emotions above, we also need to focus on joy, the role of joy, the experience of joy, and the importance of joy in healing and maintenance of good mental, physical and emotional health. Joy is an antidote to depression – so the difference between feeling good that brings joy and instant gratification that gives a short-lived high would be important.
And there is a spiritual dimension to joy. As participants we will derive great benefit from exploring the role of inspiration in our work. All training will benefit from the inclusion of play, playfulness and humour. And as we are encouraging hope and generosity, their emotional origins will be important.
There is an emotional dimension in being true to myself – sometimes it brings fear and a little defensiveness. Being authentic, or real, is usually a risk. The Johari Window is a very beneficial tool in our self-awareness – it assists us finding in out what we know about ourselves, and how others perceive us.
Self-Care helps us to stay fresh and enthusiastic.
The emotional impact of our work on ourselves as practitioners is important. There is a balance between do I need the job or does the job need me as well as proper use of supervision. There is a boundary between personal (including family) and work life including balance necessary between distance and immersion in the job (that is, bringing work to home and bringing home to work. The effects of working with people in deep distress include compassion fatigue, as well as secondary and/or vicarious trauma.
I discussed earlier how trauma seeps into teams. Sometimes this manifests in power struggles and conflict that is difficult to resolve. Very often, resolution involves logical, legal processes that are generally head-based and result in a I-win-you-lose result. Even the winners can be hurt in such processes.
Imagine if you had a bruise on your arm and rather than let it heal you hit it, every day, off a hard object. It would never heal! Sometimes I think that this is how we deal with trauma. Instead of offering compassion, hope, understanding and empathy by listening and encouragement, and allowing time to heal, we prod and prod and prod, raising anxiety and perpetuating the hurt from the trauma.
Garnering the emotional skills of dealing with trauma is probably the most important aspect of training of practitioners who work with very hurt and distressed people.
Finally, it is very important to include the nature and the role of crisis in people’s lives. There is always an element of choice in crisis situations – but people are not usually aware of this as thought processes in crisis situations are usually driven by unconscious forces. People can initiate, stimulate and perpetuate crises. Our aim is to encourage people to dream of a world beyond crisis.
Note:
All the above are included organically – that is, as they naturally arise over many sessions, facilitated by course leaders, rather than having a module on anger, a module on fear, a module on trauma etc. etc. This will model the nature of emotional learning.
And anyone reading the above might ask ‘how do we ensure that they are all included?’
Actually, all we need do is allow time and space for the root foundations to work away at their own pace and, with skilled facilitation, propagation will occur naturally as we described in Systems Theory.