Phenomenological Descriptions

An alternative explanation for the functioning of EMDR therapy based on phenomenological insights EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a psychotherapeutic approach created by Francine Shapiro, widely used in the treatment of trauma, especially PTSD, but also applied to anxiety, phobias, grief, and disturbing emotional experiences. Basically, the patient is asked to evoke a disturbing memory ( image, thought, emotion, and bodily sensation ) while receiving alternating bilateral stimulation, mainly through guided eye movements (right–left), although alternating taps on the hands or alternating sounds in the ears can also be used. A possible alternative explanation, grounded in phenomenological insights, for the effects observed in EMDR can be formulated based on the somatodynamic organization of emotional experience. Here, I start from the hypothesis, supported by phenomenological observations, that emotions generally seem to have bodily pathways of tension organizatio...

'Sixth Sense' Intuition Intuition is a form of “knowing” (or a feeling of knowing ) that arises instantly, without relying on deliberate logical reasoning. It manifests as a sensation or emotion based on unconscious experiences and information, which may take shape as some kind of mental image and guide our decisions and actions. It can emerge as a hunch that something will go well and be positive (accompanied by emotions such as surprise  and excitement ) or, conversely, that something will go wrong and turn out badly (manifesting as sudden fear/anxiety or anguish ). At other times, it appears as a subtle feeling, which I call a ‘sense of conformity,’ when it has a more cognitive character. Intuition may or may not be confirmed. However, the focus here is to describe the experience of intuiting regardless of its truth — it is the experience of instantly receiving an answer or sensing an event, along with the feeling that it is, in some way, in accordance with the reality ...

Surprise , in my view, is also an experience that is difficult to capture phenomenologically — as is, for example, the state of flow or joy as plenitude — but for different reasons. Flow and joy as plenitude are difficult to access because they are rare states, and flow , in particular, tends to dissolve the moment we try to observe it. Surprise , in turn, is not necessarily rare, but depends on a stimulus that is difficult to evoke voluntarily, making its occurrence unpredictable and hard to isolate for an investigative self-observation. The startle reflex — which can be seen as a reaction similar to surprise , though not identical — also depends on something unexpected, but it is easier to elicit, as it can be triggered by sudden, simple sensory stimuli, such as a loud sound or a quick movement. Even when we know a sound is about to occur, if we don't know exactly when it will happen, we can still experience the startle . Thus, surprise is different from other emotions that I ...

 Envy, Jealousy, Guilt, Pride and Admiration How do you feel emotions such as envy, jealousy, guilt, pride, and admiration? Before moving on to my phenomenological description of these experiences, I invite you to investigate for yourself: how do these emotions manifest in you? 〰 Description In general, my perception of so-called complex emotions is that many of them do not exhibit expressive characteristics or bodily sensations as clearly defined as those found in the so-called “ basic emotions .” However, some exceptions stand out. Shame , for example — considered by some theories to be a complex emotion — has a very clear and recognizable expressive configuration and bodily sensations ( see here ). Envy and Jealousy In my experience, envy and jealousy do not have phenomenological features distinct enough to differentiate them from basic emotions based solely on bodily sensation or expression. What seems to distinguish them are the cognitive appraisals involved and the contexts ...

Description In a kind of fear , similar to the startle response, I perceive a movement in the throat area that shifts towards the solar plexus, transmitting a feeling of tension to that area, where I experience an unpleasant sensation of a ‘cold shock’.  This initially causes me to raise my body, as if in a state of alert .  As the sensation persists, I tend to adopt a hunched posture, bending over my abdomen, often placing my hands or arms, as if trying to relieve the discomfort.  The rhythm of my breathing changes, becoming more labored, and I notice that my nostrils feel colder, as do my hands and feet.  Depending on the intensity of the fear , I also notice accelerated heartbeats and sweating, especially in my hands.  The immediate impulse is to flee and hide. The fear , in some aspects, resembles the sensation of intense cold. Anxiety The sensations experienced in anxiety are very similar to those described above, following almost the same pattern.  Th...

Investigating the Emotional Process Emotions are a complex process that involve a series of components: Contextual:  stimulus, situation, culture; Neurophysiological:  activation of brain areas and structures, such as the amygdala, for example; Physiological:  changes in various bodily systems—respiratory, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, digestive, etc.; Expressive:  facial, vocal, and postural expressions; Motivational:  goals and action tendency; Functional:  preparing the organism for protection, overcoming obstacles, etc.; Behavioral:  approach, avoidance, fight, flight etc.; Cognitive:  evaluations, interpretations, conceptualizations; Experiential:  perceptions of internal sensations, desires, and impulses to act.  Each theory of emotion highlights one or more components as the most central elements of what emotions are, combining them in different ways. For Damasio (1994), for example, physiological changes are the central compo...