Passion part 3: Passion as Raw emotion: In Touch Counseling Services: Psychological Counseling

Better late than never… due to illness, here is the final installment of the three part series.

3 Ways more Passion can change your life

With Valentine’s day dropped square into the middle of it, February is unofficially Passion month. In honor of Passion month I thought I would share 3 ways More Passion can change your life for the better (and no this is not the ploy of a husband trying to get more hanky panky from his wife. Of course we always think of Passion as Romantic Love. But This is 3 distinct and useful ways of looking at Passion that will each make you more successful be it in your personal, professional, or love life.

The 3 ways of looking at Passion are…

Passion as the secret ingredient

Passion as Suffering (no for real, it helps)

Passion as Raw Emotion

And in honor of Valentine’s Day, I endeavor to explain all 3 using examples from my own Valentine’s favorite things (Baby girl, you know who you are). So today we will be looking at…

Passion as Raw Emotion visible Emotion expression.
My Valentine used to be a big fan of the Show Stargate SG1. If you are unfamiliar with the show the basic premise is the US Air Force uses top secret Ancient wormholes to explore the Galaxy. In these explorations they find 2 naturally occurring elements Naquadah and vs Naquadria. Naquadah is a stable mineral that is very strong, nearly indestructible. However it does have some explosive chemical properties that can be used to create energy. But generally it is stable. Naquadria on the other hand is a radioactive isotope and very unstable. It has far more potential for generating energy, but has to be handled with care. I bring up these elements because they remind me of our human capacity for raw emotion. Like Naquadah, being the “Strong Silent type” has its advantages. It produces stability , predictability, and limits the potential of harm due to an over reaction. Being a passionate emotional person is much like Naquadria, it can make one volatile and unpredictable but also enhances their power and capacity to do things beyond their typical bounds.

In a recent post at idealistcareer.org, Maggie Graham argues that Raw Emotion, both positive and negative, can be used as fuel or motivation. She speaks of “the magic spot where passion and purpose intersect can offer you motivation and energy to propel you forward, so revel in it and find ways to express that passion.”

You can find the article here at

https://idealistcareers.org/emotional-career-choice/

Graham is a career counselor so the focus of her article is on finding passion to propel your career forward. But the same principle of passion as Raw Emotion is applicable to your personal or love life.

People have emotions for a reason. Our emotions are attempting to tell us something. They are useful information. However, it’s not always in our best interest to follow what our emotions tell us. For example we all can recall moments of anger or frustration when we feel compelled to hurl insults at others or have the impulse to take violent action. But displaying emotions is not the same as giving up our self control. Often an equally damaging choice is to deny our emotions and pretend, both to the world and to ourselves, that we don’t feel the way we do, that nothing is wrong, that nothing is bothering us. Such a course of action not only is an act of emotional suppression, but also robs us of the motivation and fuel of Raw Emotion as described by Graham.

Passion is the raw expression of emotion. It is wearing your heart on your sleeve. It is being genuine and congruent. It is being vulnerable and honest.

And so there you have it! The 3 Ways More Passion can Change your life for the better.

Passion as the secret ingredient, meaning pour yourself into what you do to do it as no one else can.

Passion as Suffering, meaning recognize what you are willing to suffer for as you can then find meaning I that suffering.

Passion as Raw Emotion, meaning emotions are powerful sources of fuel and motivation if they can be embraced as such and used appropriately.

Author

Janelle Adams, MA, LMFT, ATR Janelle Adams, MA, LMFT, ATR, offers her extensive expertise to help people of all ages from all walks of life to lead happy, balanced lives. Through her work at In Touch Counseling Services in Vancouver, Washington, she delivers care and treatment designed to address mental health disorders, relationship challenges, physical health problems, and more. Janelle takes a holistic, integrative approach with each person she sees at In Touch Counseling Services. She knows that each individual’s experiences and difficulties are unique. She blends a variety of treatments — including ancient treatments like acupuncture and leading-edge approaches like Alpha-Stim® cranial electrotherapy stimulation — based on the individual’s specific needs and preferences. As a registered art therapist (ATR) and licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT), Janelle can draw on her extensive experience to help each patient.