Brené, Ashley, and Barrett on Atlas of the Heart, Audience Q&A, Part 1 of 2
May 18, 2022
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In this engaging discussion, therapist Ashley Lundgren and co-CEO Barrett Brown quiz their sister, Brené Brown, about her book, Atlas of the Heart. They explore childhood superpowers, mixed emotions, and the importance of emotional language in therapy. The trio tackles the challenges of translating the book into other languages, while highlighting the impact of disenfranchised grief, especially during the pandemic. The conversation also covers the necessity of setting emotional boundaries amidst empathy fatigue, making for a powerful exchange about human connection.
Understanding mixed emotions and disenfranchised grief enhances our recognition of emotional complexity in personal and societal contexts.
Promoting emotional expression by validating feelings fosters deeper connections and supports mental well-being in communities.
Deep dives
Understanding Mixed Emotions
Experiencing mixed emotions can complicate emotional precision, making it challenging to identify and label feelings accurately. Some emotions, like bittersweetness, may involve a rapid switching between distinct emotions, rather than being a single, unified feeling. Therapy offers a space to sort out these layered feelings, allowing individuals to delve deeper into their emotional experiences. This sorting process enables a greater understanding of one’s emotional landscape, highlighting the importance of language and categorization in resolving emotional complexity.
The Importance of Cultural Context in Grief
Disenfranchised grief refers to grief not acknowledged or supported by societal mourning practices, which can arise from significant emotional losses that are often overlooked. Current societal issues, like the COVID-19 pandemic, have amplified feelings of disenfranchised grief as many struggle to find validation for their emotional experiences. The pandemic has not only eroded trust and security but has also created a collective emotional imbalance that reflects a wider societal anger and discontent. Understanding disenfranchised grief can help contextualize the emotional turmoil many are experiencing today.
Navigating Compassion Fatigue
Compassion fatigue, often experienced by caregivers, is characterized by emotional exhaustion from responding to the suffering of others. It differs from empathy, as the latter should leave individuals feeling connected, while compassion fatigue results from a focus on personal emotional distress, leading to burnout. This distinction highlights the need for caregivers to maintain boundaries, engaging with empathy without becoming overwhelmed by the trauma of others. Recognizing the signs of compassion fatigue can help in finding balance and maintaining effective caregiving.
The Need for Emotional Space
Acknowledging and validating emotions are crucial for fostering healthy interpersonal and societal relationships. Creating a space where individuals can express their feelings allows for meaningful connections and authentic communication. By emphasizing the importance of naming and sharing emotions, individuals can transform relationships and promote understanding among each other. This shift toward emotional expression ultimately enhances the quality of interactions and supports mental well-being, facilitating a more compassionate society.
In this first episode of a three-part Sisters Book Club series, Ashley and Barrett turn the tables and interview me about Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience. They ask all the questions everyone wants to know, and they pull no punches — starting with stories about childhood superpowers, to matters of biology, biography, behavior, and backstory in the context of emotions and the book itself. We also talk about how Atlas is broken up into three sections, how the data was collected and analyzed to present the 87 emotions covered, and how powerful it is to have vocabulary that’s as expansive as our experiences.