At times, emotions can seem to take on a life of their own, propelling us forward even when we wish to resist. In such moments, the ability to interrupt these emotions becomes a valuable tool for emotional management. This isn’t about denying emotions but rather about exercising control over when and how they are experienced.
This concept of interruption is a common occurrence in daily life, ranging from minor distractions to significant disruptions that can derail our thoughts and actions. Particularly in moments of heightened stress or intense emotions, individuals may find themselves constantly interrupting their own train of thought, struggling to maintain focus or coherence.
Utilizing State and Emotion Interruptions
A state interrupt or an emotion interrupt then becomes a tool or skill in your repertoire for managing your emotions. This is not to be confused with rejecting an emotion. In this instance, you are accepting the emotion, you are simply putting a time or place limit on it. Just not now, later. You may be suppressing the emotion, fully conscious of what you are feeling and simultaneously feeling that right now in this place and time, it is best to not feel it or express it. In NLP we call this a state or a pattern interrupt and it’s an extremely valuable tool when helping yourself or someone else maintain control of one’s responses.
In human experience, the psychological phenomena of an interruption are a common and regular everyday occurrence. From morning to night, all of us experience all sorts of interruptions. Usually, they are momentary and we quickly handle the interruption and then get back to what we were doing. Sometimes the interruptions are more problematic. If sometime dramatic occurs, something really out of the ordinary, something threatening or upsetting—then the interruption may be such that we are completely set off our course. If intense enough, we may later suffer amnesia. “Where was I?” “What were we talking about?”
Managing Self-Interruptions
Talking about interruptions, some people are especially skilled in constantly interrupting themselves. Because they are highly distractable, a stray thought can pop into their mind and take them complete off course. In stress it is common to experience thought intrusions to such an extent that a person cannot stay on the same subject to hardly complete a sentence.
Now typically it occurs for the person who tends to always associate into whatever they are talking about. When the conversation turns to a subject that triggers them, they go into the experiences that they have had as if they are there again. They see what they saw then, they hear what they heard then, they feel what they feel then. And because they are completely associated into the movie that’s playing in their mind, they are not present. They are not in the here-and-now with you in your office. They are back in the war zone. They are being raped. They are being beaten by a drunken parent.
Time for an interruption! “Hey! Is that a snake climbing up on your leg??” “Opps … I didn’/t mean to spill water all over you!” Anything outrageous will do. Slam a book down on the floor; stand up quickly, “I can’t wait; I have got to pee!” “Is that a burger in your nose?”
Diverse Approaches to Interruptions in Therapy
Interruptions can take various forms, from the abrupt and unexpected to the more subtle and gentle. In RET (Rational Emotive Therapy), for instance, individuals might employ physical cues like snapping a rubber band on their wrist to disrupt intrusive thoughts or behaviors. In contrast, approaches like Meta-Therapy utilize softer prompts and questions to gently pull individuals out of deeply emotional states, allowing them to regain perspective and control.
The goal of these interruptions is to empower individuals to navigate their emotions rather than being overwhelmed by them. By providing opportunities to step back and observe their emotions from a distance, individuals can develop a dual perspective, both experiencing their emotions internally and observing them externally. This duality fosters a sense of agency and control, enabling individuals to engage with their emotions in a more constructive and balanced manner.
In conclusion, the practice of interrupting emotions represents a nuanced and invaluable strategy in emotional management. By recognizing the significance of interruptions in daily life and understanding their therapeutic applications, individuals can harness the power of interruption to regain control over their emotional experiences. Whether through self-interruptions to break free from distracting thoughts or therapeutic interventions to guide individuals back to the present moment, interruptions offer a pathway to empowerment and resilience. Ultimately, by embracing interruptions as a tool for navigating emotions, individuals can cultivate a greater sense of agency and balance in their emotional lives, enabling them to engage with their emotions in a constructive and adaptive manner.
Curated by Danielle Tan.
Reference:
- [Neurons] 2024 Neurons #13 EMOTIONAL INTERRUPTIONS by L. Michael Hall, Ph.D. Executive Director, ISNS.
