The
Val
ue o
f N
egat
ive
Emo
tions
an
d H
ow
to
Add
ress
The
m
Tech
niqu
es f
or
Get
ting
to t
he
Hea
rt o
f C
hang
e
Pres
ente
d by
Eri
c L.
Jo
hnso
n, P
h.D
.A
t Eu
rope
an L
eade
rshi
p Fo
rum
May
, 201
7
A C
hrist
ian
Rat
iona
le f
or
V
alui
ng E
mo
tion
Go
d re
veal
s hi
mse
lf as
hav
ing
emo
tions
Go
d cr
eate
d hu
man
em
otio
ns,
so t
hey
belo
ng t
o hi
m
Emo
tions
co
mm
unic
ate
signi
fican
ce;
they
are
impo
rtan
t to
pro
per
hum
an f
unct
ioni
ng
Chr
istia
nity
is a
rel
igio
n o
f th
e he
art,
so
em
otio
ns a
re c
entr
al t
o t
he s
alva
tion
(o
r so
ul-h
ealin
g) p
roce
ss
Wha
t is
the
hear
t?
Acc
ord
ing
to t
he B
ible
and
la
y ps
ycho
logy
: the
hea
rt is
de
epes
t pa
rt o
f a p
erso
n
It is
the
fo
cus
of
Chr
istia
nsa
lvat
ion
It in
clud
es o
ur e
mo
tions
and
mo
tivat
ions
Wha
t ar
e em
otio
ns?
An
emo
tion
is a
sign
But
wha
t is
a sig
n?
A s
ign
is an
ythi
ng
that
poi
nts
to
som
ethi
ng e
lse.
Emo
tions
co
nvey
info
rmat
ion
Abo
ut…
•Go
od
and
bad
(the
y ar
e bi
vale
nt)
•One
’s p
erce
ptio
nsab
out
go
od
and
bad
•Wel
l-bei
ng a
nd il
l-bei
ng
Emo
tions
are
mo
tivat
iona
l
Emo
tions
can
dir
ect
or
hind
er a
ctio
n
Emo
tions
are
usu
ally
rel
ated
to
go
als,
perc
eive
d ne
eds,
and
co
ncer
ns in
life
Emo
tions
can
be
sto
red
in m
emo
ry…
in t
he b
rain
.
Co
nclu
sion:
Emo
tions
are
alw
ays
mea
ning
ful
A R
edem
ptiv
e-H
isto
rica
l Mo
del o
f th
e Em
otio
ns
Cre
atio
n•E
mot
ions
are
goo
d
Fall•T
he e
mot
ion-
syst
em d
evel
ops
Red
empt
ion
•Em
otio
ns a
re a
utoc
entr
ic
•The
em
otio
n-sy
stem
can
be
dam
aged
•Em
otio
ns c
an b
e th
eoce
ntri
c
•The
em
otio
n-sy
stem
can
be
heal
ed b
y C
hrist
The
Red
empt
ion
of
Emo
tions
Chr
ist’s
life
, dea
th, a
nd r
esur
rect
ion
is th
e ba
sis o
f hu
man
re
dem
ptio
n.
Thro
ugh
Chr
ist, G
od’
s em
otio
ns t
ow
ards
hum
anity
cha
nged
. O
n th
e cr
oss
, div
ine
reje
ctio
n, a
liena
tion,
unc
lean
ness
, an
xiet
y, a
nd d
espa
ir a
re m
yste
rio
usly
mix
ed t
oge
ther
with
di
vine
love
, co
mpa
ssio
n, m
ercy
, and
forg
iven
ess.
A p
rim
ary
goal
of
Chr
istia
n sa
lvat
ion
is ha
ving
pro
perl
y fu
nctio
ning
em
otio
ns.
On
the
cro
ss, C
hrist
abs
orb
ed a
nd a
nnul
led
our
obj
ectiv
e sh
ame
and
guilt
Stra
tegi
c Pr
inci
ples
in
Chr
istia
n C
ardi
tive
Ther
apy
Ho
w t
o A
ddre
ss N
egat
ive
Emo
tions
We
may
nee
d to
tea
ch t
hat
emo
tions
are
cr
eate
d go
od
and
mea
ning
ful.
1. C
ons
ider
the
bo
ok
of
Job
2. C
ons
ider
the
bo
ok
of
Psal
ms
3. C
ons
ider
Go
d’s
emo
tions
in t
he B
ible
4. C
ons
ider
Chr
ist (
befo
re L
azar
us w
as r
aise
d, a
t G
eths
emen
e, o
n th
e cr
oss
)
5. G
od
priz
es h
one
sty
and
tran
spar
ency
(“B
ewar
e o
f th
e le
aven
of
the
Phar
isees
,” M
t 16
:6)
The
goal
is t
o re
org
aniz
e on
e’s
emot
ions
in r
edem
ptiv
e w
ays.
Thi
s in
volv
es…
1. R
e-ex
peri
enci
ng/e
ngag
ing
an e
mo
tion
now
2. O
bjec
tifyi
ng t
he e
mo
tion,
whi
le f
eelin
g it
3. B
ring
ing
in o
ther
hea
ling
cons
ider
atio
ns t
o t
he e
mo
tion
Ho
w t
o A
ddre
ss N
egat
ive
Emo
tions
Pro
mo
te a
uthe
ntic
em
otio
nal e
xpre
ssio
n
1. E
very
thin
g ca
n/sh
oul
d be
exp
ress
ed t
o G
od.
2. S
ome
emot
ions
nee
d to
be
shar
ed w
ith o
ther
hu
man
s. T
his
mus
t be
wei
ghed
car
eful
ly.
a. C
lose
tru
sted
fri
ends
b. R
egar
ding
tho
se w
ho h
ave
wro
nged
the
co
unse
lee:
* If
it is
bes
t fo
r th
e o
ther
, and
the
y ca
n be
nefit
fro
m it
. W
e ha
ve n
o li
cens
e to
sha
re o
ur e
mo
tions
with
peo
ple
who
ca
nno
t ha
ndle
it.
It o
ught
no
t be
mo
tivat
ed b
y re
veng
e.*
Som
e th
ings
oug
ht t
o b
e sh
ared
with
per
petr
ato
rs, w
heth
er
or
not
they
can
ben
efit
fro
m it
at
the
time.
But
the
co
unse
lee
need
s to
be
read
y fo
r th
is.
Ho
w t
o A
ddre
ss N
egat
ive
Emo
tions
Pro
mo
te e
mo
tion
regu
latio
n
2. E
mo
tion
regu
latio
n al
low
s th
e pe
rso
n to
pro
cess
th
e em
otio
n in
a h
ealth
y, m
atur
e w
ay t
hat
mak
es it
pr
odu
ctiv
e: le
adin
g to
sel
f-aw
aren
ess,
act
ion,
Go
d,
psyc
hosp
iritu
al g
row
th, r
epen
tanc
e, a
nd s
o o
n.
1. B
y do
ing
emo
tion
wo
rk w
ith t
he p
erso
n, y
ou
are
trai
ning
ho
w t
o k
eep
emo
tions
eng
aged
, with
out
be
com
ing
ove
rwhe
lmed
(se
ek t
o pr
omot
e a
“saf
e em
erge
ncy”
)
Ho
w t
o A
ddre
ss N
egat
ive
Emo
tions
Emot
ion
Diff
eren
tiatio
nH
elp
coun
sele
e di
stin
guish
bet
wee
n th
e go
od
of
emo
tions
an
d th
e sin
ful o
r da
mag
ed s
ide
of
emo
tions
.
For
exam
ple…
Ho
w t
o A
ddre
ss N
egat
ive
Emo
tions
Emo
tion
Inte
grat
ion
Co
mbi
ne h
ealin
g em
otio
ns w
ith t
oxi
c em
otio
ns
1. T
ie it
into
the
glo
ry o
f G
od:
“M
y lif
e is
cont
ribu
ting
to
the
glo
ry o
f G
od.
”2.
Tie
it in
to G
od’
s st
ory
: “M
y st
ory
is b
eco
min
g pa
rt o
f G
od’
s st
ory
of
heal
ing
and
glo
ry.”
3. T
ake
it to
the
cro
ss:
“My
anxi
ety
was
nai
led
to t
he c
ross
by
Go
d. N
ow
Ina
il it
ther
e by
fai
th a
nd le
t it
go.”
4. D
iscus
s ho
w C
hrist
was
aff
ecte
d em
otio
nally
by
the
suff
erin
gs o
f o
ther
s. E
nco
urag
e th
e re
cogn
itio
n th
at
Chr
ist w
as a
ffec
ted
“in
your
cas
e.”
Ho
w t
o A
ddre
ss N
egat
ive
Emo
tions
Sum
mar
y o
f C
hrist
ian
Emo
tion-
Focu
sed
Ther
apy
LOV
ERS
1. L
ift u
p yo
ur h
eart
2. O
pen
up y
our
hear
t to
the
Lor
d
3. V
erba
lize
the
nega
tive
emo
tion
6. S
erve
oth
ers
fro
m a
new
cre
atio
n em
otio
n
4. E
mpt
y O
ut t
he n
egat
ive
emot
ion
5. R
epla
ceth
e ne
gativ
e em
otio
n w
ith a
mo
difie
d em
otio
n o
r a
new
em
otio
n
Chr
istia
n Th
erap
y R
eso
urce
s
ww
w.C
hrist
ianp
sych
.org
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