Principles of Emotion Change

This theoretical and practical book explores the nature of emotion and emotion change in therapy. Written for mental health providers and psychotherapy researchers, this book is a comprehensive look at the nature of emotion and emotion change, from the philosophical to the practical. Dr. Pascual-Leone integrates findings from psychotherapy research and the neuroscientific literature to illustrate how emotional processes can be harnessed to create lasting psychological change. Chapters describe broad theories of emotional processing and change, as well as concrete depictions of how emotion regulation and dysregulation operate in therapy and in daily life. The processes of labeling and engaging with emotion are examined in detail, along with deepening engagement, heightening arousal, handling embodied emotion, enactment and active expressions of the self. Detailed demonstrations of emotion change in practice helps therapists understand the mechanisms that enable success in emotion focused therapy.