Flourishing Life Society
  • Flourishing Life Society
    • Human Flourishing
    • Addiction Recovery
    • Mindfulness Archive
    • Personal Development >
      • Personal Development Archive
    • Non-Profit Donation Links
  • Psychology of Wellness
    • Basic Emotions >
      • Emotional Data Base
      • Emotional Fitness
    • Psychology Article Archive
  • Flourishing Relationships
    • Intimate Relationship Articles >
      • Repair Attempts
    • Society and Others Archive >
      • Politics Archive
  • Health and Fitness
  • About Us
Home  |  Human Flourishing  | Psychology of Wellness  | Past, Present, and Emotions

Past, Present, and Emotions

BY: T. Franklin Murphy | January 2013 (edited January 6, 2022)
A woman behind a foggy and wet window. She is holding her hands to her head and in obvious distress. A Flourishing Life Society article on traumatic pasts and their influence on present emotions.
Stock Adobe Royalty Free Images
Traumatic pasts incite strong emotions in the present, spoiling opportunities for recovery.
We are moldable—molded by the past to react to the present. Our adaptation to experience has great survival implications. We learn. Emotions intricately woven through out the body are programmed from the pains and joys of the past. Similarities in the present draw upon these memories and we feel pain, sorrow, excitement, and anger. There is utility in emotion; there’s also irrationality. We sometimes act against our best interest. Slipping through, impacting our learning, we integrate chaos.

The clandestine ties between the present and past ignites emotions. If we believe an event, person or place threatens security, acceptance, or survival, we react; the heart beats stronger, blood pressure rises and muscles tighten. If, conversely, we believe the event, person or place secures a need, we also respond. Biologically we are emotionally connected to experience. Life occurs in much more than just the firing of neurons in our head.
"There is utility in emotion; there’s also irrationality."

Motivating Force of Emotion

Our emotional reactions intricately guide us towards people, things and activities that appear nourishing and repel us from people, things and activities that appear destructive. The reactions have evolutionary value, not just for survival but also for flourishing.
 
Biological characteristics pass from generation to generation, not because they are flawless, but because of a survival value. The possessors of the trait survive better than those lacking. This attraction-repelling guide is an imperfect system. Its programming (learning) is susceptible to viruses that distort emotional reactions. We may be attracted to the dangerous or repelled by the healthy. Depending on the clarity of experience, we build predictable or chaotic emotions. Th associations we build through experiential learning aren’t perfectly aligned with reality.

An angry word from our partner doesn’t necessarily threaten the stability of the relationship; but our emotions may respond as if it does. A slight disagreement with a coworker doesn’t diminish personal worth; but we may respond as if it does. Our emotions jump to radical conclusions, demand answers, and ignite wars.
"Neurons that respond to the frightening environment send that information to the brain's fear center."
Columbia University Irving Medical Center  | Science Daily

Traumatic Childhoods and Emotions

A turbulent childhood of impoverished emotional support and unpredictable punishments creates an emotional glass house, signaling danger from every small pebble. As adults raised in chaos, we can combat the internalized mess through rigid structure, attempting to eliminate the anxiety of the unknown. But perfect structure fails, the broken soul suffers when the delicate balance is rattled from the slightest daily disruption.
 
If our pasts included physical and emotional violence, we adaptively recoil at any possibility of danger—no matter how miniscule the event. We adapt, avoiding similar situations where pain was administered. No matter what the nature of our childhood—healthy or not, we have emotional triggers. A mundane event may trigger unbearable streams of emotions. Once emotional centers are triggered, we succumb to a cascade of biological changes, chemicals release into the blood stream to prepare for battle.
"​It appears that emotionally charged situations can lead us to create longer lasting memories of the event."
​Psychologists World

Understanding Our Emotions

Understanding the biological processes of emotions and building awareness to the triggers provides a road map for living, guiding us through circumstances we find threatening. Once we identify beliefs that trigger emotions, we can examine and challenge the beliefs; a slow process that eventually diffuses power behind emotions disrupting our lives.

​As we become familiar with reactions, we engage self-soothing early in the process before an all-out emotional explosion. By doing this, we avoid damaging consequences of an irrational response. The skills to combat flaws in this imperfect system must be developed through patient practice.

We are human—our biological systems occasionally overreact. It’s the way we function. While our system will never be perfect, they serve us well. With a little fine tuning and patience, we can enjoy the waves of the sea as they crash on our shores and then recede without having our emotional house knocked off the foundation and busted into ruins.
Please support Flourishing Life Society with a social media share or by visiting a link:
Twitter Reddit LinkedIn Email
T. Franklin Murphy
T. Franklin Murphy
Wellness. Writer. Researcher.
​T. Franklin Murphy has a degree in psychology. He tirelessly researches scientific findings that contribute to wellness. In 2010, he began publishing his findings.

Index:

Flourishing in Life
  • Personal Development
  • Mindfulness
  • Addiction Recovery
  • Wellness 
Psychology of Wellness
  • Emotions​
  • Personality
  • Defense Mechanisms
Flourishing Relationships
  • Intimate
  • Parent/Child
  • Society
Health and Fitness
Key Word Archives
Research
About Flourishing Life
Wellness Links:
External Link: What anxiety does to our breathing
External Link: Which of These Four Attachment Styles Is Yours?
External Link:  Giving Yourself Permission
External Link: Consciousness Isn’t Self-Centered
External Link: Navigating Difficult Emotions

​Other Flourishing Life Society articles of interest on the topic of emotion:

The intimacy and trust of long relationships are built from dedicated mature partners, working together, giving respect, and compiling positive interactions.
Memories and Emotions. How Memories Impact Wellness. A Flourishing Life Society article link
Emotional Patterns. When Emotional Reactions Hurt. A Flourishing Life Society article link
Sensory Overload. A Flourishing Life Society article link
Eckart Tolle's Pain Body. A Flourishing Life Society article link
Trauma Hangover. The damaging fears after a bitter relationship. A Flourishing Life Society article link
Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria. A Flourishing Life Society article link
FLS Link: How to Calm Emotions. Emotional Triggers.
Emotional Validation. A Flourishing Life Society article link
Unrecognized Emotions. A Flourishing Life Society article link
Guilt may push for change or leave us debilitated and paralyzed. Loving kindness is the healthy response to debilitating guilt.
Our environment is instrumental to our mental health. When work or home constantly ignites stress, our systems bog down, and well-being suffers.
Alexithymia. A Psychology Definition. A Flourishing Life Society article link
Happy All the Time. Experiencing a Whole Spectrum of Emotion. A Flourishing Life Society article link
Our thoughts propel us into fruitful and prepared futures, but they also can haunt our peaceful moments with worry and guilt. By mindful attentiveness to the nature of our thoughts we can gain the benefits and limit the harm.
Small emotions, poking through from the past, can avalanche into full blown hatred. We must catch the mislabeling of experience, make corrections and work towards building a relationship with love an intimacy.

Flourishing Life Society Article Collections:

2021 article archive link
Mindfulness article archive link
health and Fitness article archive link
Psychology article archive link
Meaning article archive link
Abuse article archive link
Past, Present, and Emotion. A Flourishing Life Society article link
Picture
Flourishing Life Society
  • Human Flourishing
  • Psychology of Wellness
  • Flourishing Relationships
  • Psychology Definitions​
​Other Links
  • About US
  • Companion Site​
  • Most Popular Articles
  • Psychology Topics A-z
Articles:
  • New Articles​
  • Last year's Publications​
​Favorites:
  • Self-Actualization
  • Emotional Safety
  • Alexithymia
  • ​Emotional Detachment
  • Masochistic Personality
  • Reciprocal Deteminism ​
News Letter

    New Article Updates

Subscribe to Newsletter
  • Flourishing Life Society
    • Human Flourishing
    • Addiction Recovery
    • Mindfulness Archive
    • Personal Development >
      • Personal Development Archive
    • Non-Profit Donation Links
  • Psychology of Wellness
    • Basic Emotions >
      • Emotional Data Base
      • Emotional Fitness
    • Psychology Article Archive
  • Flourishing Relationships
    • Intimate Relationship Articles >
      • Repair Attempts
    • Society and Others Archive >
      • Politics Archive
  • Health and Fitness
  • About Us