The Three Basic Phases of Emotion

In the Mindfulness Meditation Technique, someone who is suffering greatly from emotional problems can shepherd her thoughts through three phases of emotion. As she learns to identify and guide her own thoughts, she gains power in her life that previously may have been controlled by emotions.

Three R's that Guide You Through

• The three basic phases of emotion allow people to process difficult emotions, such as anger. Through recognition, relationship and resolution, they can be processed and released rather than fought or repressed -- held in.

Begin with Recognition

• As part of mindfulness, recognizing the emotion is the key to diverting it into the mindfulness process. When you can say "I feel angry" rather than "I am angry," then you can do something about it besides react. Sometimes "reframing" is added after "recognition" to put the emotion in a new perspective.

Create Relationship

• Recognizing your relationship with an emotion means becoming objective about it. Sitting and observing anger, for example, as something you are experiencing, helps guide your emotion toward awareness. Reaction is not necessary.

Achieve Resolution

• Just like speaking patiently to an emotional child, your objective attention to the emotion will cause it to start to dissolve and dissipate. Resolution is when the emotion changes from an intense experience to something simpler and less stressful.