Dimorphous Emotions

Have you ever laughed at a funeral? Or been so happy you started crying?

When we get flooded with emotions, our brain will often throw the switch on an opposite feeling to counter it, to help us avoid overload. The end result is that we are feeling two contradicting emotions at once.

It’s confusing to see from the outside, often because the incongruous one is more visible.

The danger is assuming that just because you can see that one (counter-)emotion, you make the assumption that the person isn’t feeling the expected emotion.

The invitation is to recognize that the person is emotionally flooded, and to be willing to stay with them as their body clears through the turmoil inside.

This week is a good time to think about how we deal with (or avoid) our strong, overwhelming emotions. What’s easiest to express is not often the truest (and scariest) thing that we’re feeling. We all need to expand our capacities to feel the fullness of our emotions, and to stay in connection with others as they are feeling theirs.