Updated: Aug 31
How Emotions Influence Our Bodies and Our Ability to Stay Focused
Let’s continue our exploration of Denslow Brown’s Processing Modalities. If you need a refresher on this concept, read my previous post Discover Your Unique Modalities and How They Shape Your Perception. Today we look at the Emotional Modality which Brown describes as “Operating under the influence of feelings and connections to relationships, things, values, and causes.”
EMOTIONAL:
You could cut the tension with a knife.
The feeling in the air was electric.
The silence was deafening.
Can you relate to these examples of picking up on others' emotions? Maybe you walk into a room and immediately sense the mood, or others seem to find your demeanor calming, or you always find yourself moved to tears at a certain song. If so, you may be considered gifted on Brown’s Processing Modality Strength Continuum.
Emotionally gifted people may use their gifts as writers, actors, public speakers, or therapists. They keenly sense others' emotions and can connect to their audience. But as Brown says “These examples indicate gifted emotional understanding, and expression, but don’t necessarily reflect individual emotional maturity or health.”
I think this is an important point. For those of us who can pick up on other's emotions, it's important to find healthy ways to process our own emotions and not take on the emotions of others as a way of supporting them. This has taken me a lifetime to learn! Being out of sync with our emotions can greatly affect our bodies. Whether it shows up as tension, restlessness, or fatigue, when we ignore how our mental state is impacting our physical body, we don't show up at our best and our performance and relationships suffer.
Someone for whom the emotional modality is weak may be unable to detect the emotional state of others or this ability may be impaired. Those on the Autism spectrum or with conditions such as mood disorders may have a challenging time detecting their own or others' emotions.
Brown explains that in addition to our modality preferences, we have varying strengths with each modality, ranging from weak to competent to gifted.
The emotional modality also has variations in sensitivity. Some individuals may be extremely emotionally reactive and thrown into chaos by seemingly small events. This can lead to a cycle of overstimulation and exhaustion. For other individuals, they are unaware of - or unmoved by - the emotions of others, which may impact the level of connection they experience. Brown’s concept of the Processing Modality Sensitivity Continuum provides a framework for understanding these variations in sensitivity which range from hyposensitive (unaware) to competent to hypersensitive (very aware).
We have varying sensitivities across different modalities ranging from hyposensitive (unaware) to tolerant to hypersensitive (very aware).
How do you relate to emotions? Do you fully feel your feelings when they come up, or do you shut them down? Do you love a good cry with a friend or run at the first tear? We can learn so much about our emotional state by paying attention to the sensations in our bodies, which is often the first clue that something is going on. When that tension shows up in your neck, or you feel the familiar urge to start scrolling through Instagram, take a moment to tap into the sensations in your body. Feel them fully for a few breaths then ask "What is needed in this moment to support my body and mind?"
Comments