Before I started my healing journey, I was an emotional mess. I didn’t know how to handle my strong emotions. They would arise within me and take me over like a tidal wave. I felt like a rudderless and sail-less boat being tossed in the middle of a vast stormy ocean.

It was overwhelming.

It wasn’t until a friend sent me a podcast episode (linked below) featuring an interview with the venerable meditation teacher Jack Kornfield that I started to finally see a way forward out of my emotional turmoil.

In this interview, Jack Kornfield talks at length about the power of emotions and about training our mind to observe them instead of letting them take us over. He mentions how the power of awareness allows us to simply be present with everything that rises and falls within us, granting us stability and steadiness when we experiencing rough emotional seas.

He also talked about naming our emotions over and over again until they release their grip on us and move through and out of us. However, at the time, I had no real understanding of the nuances of my emotions or even what they were.

Enter the Wheel of Emotion.

When my therapist shared this tool with me, suddenly I felt like I had a roadmap to understand my emotional states. It was a real game changer!

What is the Wheel of Emotion?

The Wheel of Emotion is a visual tool that represents the interconnectedness of our emotions. It is a circular diagram with different emotions arranged in a specific order, indicating how one emotion can lead to another.

The Wheel of Emotion is based on the theory that emotions are not isolated experiences but are interconnected and can trigger a chain reaction. For example, anger can lead to frustration, which can then lead to sadness. Understanding this dynamic can help us understand and manage our emotions more effectively.

How can you use the Wheel of Emotion in your own life?

The Wheel of Emotion can be used in therapy and personal development to identify patterns in our emotional responses and learn how to regulate our emotions. By understanding the connections between emotions, we can better recognize and understand our own emotional responses, allowing us to intervene and manage them more effectively.

In conclusion, the Wheel of Emotion is a powerful tool that can help us understand the complexities of our emotions and support us in managing them more effectively. Whether you're looking to improve your emotional intelligence or just better understand your own emotional responses, the Wheel of Emotion is a useful resource to have in your toolkit.