Welcoming Your Emotions Home

Identifying and Accepting Your Emotions

Many of us have received and embodied the message that “being emotional” is not a good thing — that it is counter to our interests and the interests of those around us, and that it doesn’t help us resolve problems or live the life we want to live.

When this message is active inside us, any display or acknowledgment of emotion can be misconstrued as weakness or as a shameful loss of composure.

As a result, many of us have tried to create distance between ourselves and our emotions. We’ve estranged ourselves from our emotions, especially the so-called “negative” ones. We’ve tried to bundle up for living on the frozen tundra of reason, and in the process we’ve exiled ourselves to an inner Siberia of isolation from the flow of our own life force and the source of our deepest wisdom — the native language of our hearts.

But the heart is always speaking to us and calling us home (if only in the softest whisper), inviting us in from the cold to the warm light of the soul. The emotions — all 17 of them — are the beacons calling out to guide us, communicating in their own unique ways with their vital messages, insights, and motivating energies.

Learn How to Recognize and Work With Your Emotions

In this course, you can join licensed Dynamic Emotional Integration^® Trainers Gregg Rozeboom and Randall Buskirk for a 10-week online exploration where you’ll begin to trace the path back to yourself by learning what the emotions have to tell you, in a language you can understand because it is — and always has been — your own.

The first 4 weeks of this course will help you learn to recognize and work with the emotions at a soft or flowing level of intensity, where they are easier to work with and name because you’re already using them in your daily life. The only question is how skillful you are at doing that, and this course will give you more skills and the time to practice in a safe and supportive environment.

After a 2-week break, the second 4 weeks of this course will build upon these foundational skills and understandings, and help you navigate the more challenging terrain of the higher intensity emotions, as you journey into the land of healing and growth. (You will also receive a survival trail mix of bad jokes, puns, and mixed metaphors.)

What You’ll Learn:

• The Four Keys to Emotional Genius, which are essential to working well with all your emotions
• The Four Emotion Families and the gifts of all 17 of your emotions
• Real-time practices to work with all of your emotions in healthy, grounded, and effective ways
• Self-care practices to help you learn what stress is actually telling you, and how to work with it rather than repress it or pour it onto others
• How to focus, become more present, set boundaries, plan effectively, tap into your intuition, and relax and rejuvenate yourself

Course Details

Length of Course: 10 Weeks

Dates:

Part 1: Monday, June 19 to Friday, July 14, 2023. ~2 week break~

Part 2: Monday, July 31 to Friday, August 25, 2023.

Price: $245

Learning & Interaction Structure: Reading curriculum, Forum discussions, and one-hour weekly webinars using the Zoom video conferencing program.

Live Zoom Webinar Discussions: These weekly one-hour sessions will be held every course week (these sessions will be recorded if you cannot attend).

Zoom Webinar Dates and Times: Wednesdays from 4 to 5pm Pacific Time. Zoom dates: June 21, 28, July 5, 12, and August 2, 9, 16, 23.

Time Commitment: Approximately 2-3 hours per week. Each week consists of a one-hour Zoom meeting with Randall, Gregg, and classmates, and time to devote to the short curriculum readings and Forum interactions. We also suggest planning for as many minutes per day as you want to practice working with your emotions. For example, making a short to-do list or taking a conscious breath and letting go.

This Course is Suitable For: Everyone interested in returning to the ground of their innate emotional awareness, communication skills, and the language of their soul.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why is it important to recognize your emotions?

A: Recognizing emotions will help you connect to your true self and live a more authentic life. In addition, recognizing emotions will strengthen your ability to understand the causes of stress and give you better awareness and more options to choose from in response to stress (which is actually an emotional response!).

Q: I have trouble identifying emotions. Will I learn how to identify emotions in this course?

A: Identifying emotions is a key to better understanding yourself and acting skillfully in the world. This course provides a strong foundation if you are in the process of learning how to identify emotions. In addition, if you have read Karla McLaren’s books or taken other Empathy Academy courses, this course will continue building upon your foundation of identifying emotions.

Q: Will this course teach me how to accept negative emotions?

A: Empathy Academy’s approach to emotional acceptance distinguishes itself from many standard models of accepting your emotions. For example, accepting your emotions as neither positive nor negative is a key to your emotional genius. In this course, you will learn to accept emotions of every type and intensity. Emotional acceptance means no longer asking, “How do I accept negative emotions?” But instead, “How can I accept and embrace all of my emotions?”

Q: I’d like to sign up for your course. What can I expect next?

A: Once you sign up, you will receive an email from your instructors to welcome you into the course. The email will include course information and steps for joining the Empathy Academy online learning system. You will also receive an email before the course begins with details about joining the Zoom meetings, the first week’s materials, and how to post comments and questions in the Forum.

Q: Do I need anything special for this course?

A: All the materials you need will be included in the course. Reading Karla McLaren’s books is recommended, as they will help you prepare for identifying emotions and give you additional background as we proceed through the course.