What are emotions and how do they affect us and our lives?

Emotions are energies of complex mental and physical processes. They are a fundamental part of being human and are an important system for helping us to avoid danger and achieve rewards.

Emotions are a reaction to consciously or unconsciously perceived internal or external stimuli. They include:

• a subjective 'feeling' (subjective physical sensation)
  
• cognitive processes (evaluation as pleasant or dangerous, aso.)
  
• visible immediate physical reactions (e.g. laughing, crying, blushing)
  
• behavior (e.g. attention, distance, flight).
  

Visual impressions, sounds or even touches are transmitted in the thalamus via fast pathways to the amygdala on the one hand and via slow pathways to the sensory cortex on the other. In the amygdala, the information is immediately evaluated and the result is passed on to the hypothalamus and the motoric cortex. The release of hormones and changes in the activity of the autonomic nervous system then trigger physical reactions such as rapid pulse and muscle tension. These lead, for example, to the cognitive evaluation of danger - and thus to the conscious experience of fear. At the same time, behavior is triggered via the motoric cortex, e.g. freezing or running away.

Processing in the sensory cortex is slower than this reaction. This is where the information is pre-processed for comparison with previous experiences and for conscious assessment. If this analysis shows that there is no danger at all, the amygdala is calmed via the prefrontal cortex. This opens up the possibility that emotions can also be consciously regulated.

Primary emotions

Primary emotions are innate and the facial expressions that accompany them are considered to be the same across cultures. They signal our emotional state and, conversely, they allow us to draw conclusions about the state of our fellow human beings. The main ones are:

• joy (positive)
  
• sadness (negative)
  
• anger (negative)
  
• anxiety (negative)
  
• surprise (positive or negative)
  
• disgust (negative)
  

Secondary emotions

Secondary emotions are also referred to as social emotions. They are based on a deeper understanding of the world, the self and social relationships based on one's own experiences and the social environment. They can be positive or negative (the main ones are listed):

• admiration (positive)
  
• compassion (positive)
  
• pride (positive or negative)
  
• guilt (negative)
  
• shame (negative)
  
• embarrassment (negative)
  
• contempt (negative)
  
• jealousy (negative)
  
• envy (negative)

Thoughts and emotions

Emotions are the end product of our experiences, which determine our behavior - this insight shows the possibility of controlling our emotions and thus our behavior and state of mind through our thoughts with the help of mental hygiene. Emotions cause the brain to produce neurotransmitters that allow us to “cancel out” the experiences we have had. This gives us the opportunity to cope with the emotion - this coping is of essential importance for our behavior and well-being.

Kept emotions

As a rule, everyday emotions subside within a short period of time due to the thoughts we think about them. However, if the emotion is strong enough, the following can happen:

• The emotion accompanies us for a short time (a few days) - that's what we call mood
  
• The emotion accompanies us for several weeks to months - this is what we call a temperament
  
• The emotion accompanies us for years - that's what we call character
  

In any case, emotions do not “disappear” by themselves without working through them (emotions are energy - and energy cannot dissolve, it can only be transformed - with thought energy).

Trapped emotions

If our conscious mind cannot process the emotion (e.g. because it is too painful or too overwhelming), it protects itself by “hiding” it in deeper layers of our subconscious and the body as well - this is what we call “embedded emotions” or "trapped emotions". These lie dormant in our subconscious as long as they are not resolved and can be reactivated at any time by external triggers. However, the thoughts, feelings, sensitivities and behaviors triggered in this way are not usually associated with the triggering emotion by the person affected, as they are hidden. These are our blockages.

Over time, these embedded emotions trigger energetic imbalances in the body (distortions of our body's energy field), which mean that life energy can no longer flow as it should.

We are in the process of learning what effects this energy field of our body has:

• It affects metabolic processes at an atomic and molecular level - energy medicine in the broadest sense
  
• On a genetic level, it causes the activation or deactivation of genes - epigenetics
  
• On a cerebral level, it affects our thoughts and feelings - mental health
  

The interaction of these effects determines our overall health. In future, these findings will allow us to focus much more on:

• Prevention - avoiding illness right from the start
  
• Self-healing - activating the innate repair processes and powers of self-healing available in our body
  

instead of the previous “repair mentality”.

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