Dr. Julia DiGangi on harnessing your emotional power
Nov 27, 2023
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Dr. Julia DiGangi, a neuropsychologist specializing in using neuroscience to help people lead more emotionally intelligent lives, discusses harnessing emotional power with Jessi Hempel. They explore understanding the three engines that drive our lives, healing through emotional experiences, navigating uncertainty, and rewriting our source code. Join the office hours on LinkedIn to share thoughts on winding down the year and future learnings in 2024.
Emotions are like Google Maps for our lives, guiding our behavior and helping us make better choices.
Aligning our feeling, thinking, and acting engines allows us to make intentional choices and improve our overall well-being.
Deep dives
Understanding the Power of Emotions and How to Harness Them
Dr. Julia DiGangi, a neuropsychologist and clinical psychologist, introduces a framework for leveraging emotions to become a better leader and lead a more powerful life. She explains that emotions are neuroelectrical impulses that guide our behavior and compares them to Google Maps for our lives. Rather than ignoring or suppressing emotions, she emphasizes the importance of paying attention to them and using them as a guidance system. By acknowledging and understanding our emotional lives, we can make better choices and prevent burnout. Dr. DiGangi also highlights the significance of choosing more powerful pain and facing discomfort to create change and tap into our emotional power.
The Three Engines that Drive Our Life
Dr. DiGangi describes the three engines that propel us through life: feeling, thinking, and acting. She explains that these engines require neuro-cognitive and neuro-biological energy, and when they are not aligned, it results in inefficiency and challenges. For example, when we have the impulse to speak up but choose to remain silent, or when we feel exhausted but continue to overwork. By understanding and aligning these engines, we can make more intentional choices and improve our overall well-being.
Embracing Uncertainty and Choosing the Most Powerful Pain
Dr. DiGangi delves into the discomfort of uncertainty and how our brains are wired to avoid it. However, she highlights the importance of embracing uncertainty and choosing the most powerful pain rather than avoiding it. She provides examples of how this applies to various situations, such as speaking up when we feel the need to or making difficult decisions that may have unpleasant consequences. By reframing our relationship with uncertainty and making choices that align with our values, we can develop a sense of self-trust and empowerment.
Examining Emotional Patterns and Rewriting Our Source Code
Dr. DiGangi explores the concept of emotional patterns and how they shape our behavior. She highlights the impact of early experiences and the patterns that form in childhood, such as beliefs about rejection or not being listened to. She emphasizes the importance of recognizing these patterns and reframing our relationship with them. By examining our emotional patterns and taking responsibility for our self-advocacy, we can move towards a healthier and more empowered way of living. Additionally, she emphasizes the significance of processing and releasing emotional residue to avoid emotional constipation and improve our ability to respond effectively to life's challenges.
When we feel tired, we sleep. When we are hungry, we eat. But what do we do when we are emotionally depleted? Today’s guest is a neuropsychologist who specializes in using neuroscience to help people lead more emotionally intelligent lives. Dr. Julia DiGangi is the author of Energy Rising: The Neuroscience of Leading with Emotional Power. She has treated stress and trauma in communities around the world, including combat veterans and civilians. In this episode, she sits down with Jessi to discuss how we can harness our emotional power to build stronger relationships with ourselves and others.
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