February - Anger
While we often experience anger as unpleasant, it is a really important protective emotion. We will explore what stories we have been told about anger, how it shows up for us and how we can welcome it and pay attention to the cues that help us to make effective decisions.
March - Fear
Fear is another emotion we often experience as unpleasant, but it is also really protective. It helps us to stay safe, though sometimes it gets in the way of living the life we want.
April – Jealousy
Jealousy can tell us a lot about what we value, and what we're afraid of losing. This month we will talk about how jealousy shows up for us, our judgements about it (which are often significant!) and how we can be more compassionate with ourselves when we feel jealousy.
May – Happiness and Love
While happiness and love are often experienced as pleasant emotions, they can also show up in difficult ways in our lives. From troublesome turn ons to experiencing love for people who are not really safe for us or who simply hold incompatible values - love can be tricky. Similarly, happiness and the pressure to be happy can lead to lots of other emotions and can be a toxic force in our lives. Some of us might even have a really complicated relationship with anticipatory happiness/joy. We will explore our relationship with these emotions and how we can untangle some of our historic views. June – Shame
Most people find shame really excruciating (except perhaps when they are playing with the edges of it in consensual kink!). This session will explore what brings up shame, what emotions it comes along with and how we can recognise when feelings of shame are misplaced. We will explore what shame is for, and how we can welcome it (even when its uncomfortable).
July – Guilt
While shame is about feeling bad about who you are, guilt is feeling bad about something you've done. This emotion can help us to stay in line with our values and to maintain healthy relationships with our closest people. But it can also get in the way when we feel misplaced guilt. This month we will find words to describe the experience of guilt, notice the ways it is different from shame, and figure out how we can reduce its impact on our lives.
August – Disgust
Many of us experience disgust really viscerally. We often feel aversion for unwanted experiences and sensory input. Disgust can also guide us. It helps us to notice injustice and dangerous situations. This month we will explore how disgust shows up, what kinds of disgust are easiest for us to tolerate, and what kinds bring up other emotions and how we can respond effectively to disgust.
September – Envy
Envy is all about wanting something that someone else has, as well as them rather than wanting to have it instead of them which is jealousy. Envy can give us information about desire and longing, and also about areas in which we are oppressed or disenfranchised. We will talk about the links with jealousy and how envy shows up.
October – Sadness
Sadness can be a really difficult emotion to experience. A lot of the time it can be really emotionally exhausting. But it can also reveal longings, losses and our values. We will be talking about what cues we notice when we are feeling sad, how we can cope with really intense experiences of sadness and what other emotions come up for us when we feel sad.
