The Language of Emotions: What Your Feelings Are Trying to Tell You

Featuring significant updates, the new edition of this beloved book takes readers to the heart of each emotion’s powerful gifts and messages.

Every emotion—even shame, anger, and anxiety—brings us vital information and wisdom. Emotions—especially the unwanted and dishonored ones—hold a tremendous amount of energy. “Too often, we either repress our feelings or let them run wild,” says researcher and educator Karla McLaren. “What many of us were never taught are the fundamental skills for honoring and understanding our profound, powerful emotions.” In this new edition of The Language of Emotions, McLaren takes us much deeper than naming or managing our feelings—she teaches us to listen to the messages within each emotion, reflect on their questions, and incorporate their wisdom into our lives.

Enhanced through more than a decade of research and teaching, this edition offers a time-tested emotional guidebook, including:

• How to safely feel and identify emotions—especially the most intense ones
• Practices for working with feelings—including setting boundaries, grounding, and the healing power of complaining consciously
• Building your empathy—five key skills for awakening your emotional genius
• The role of emotions in the resolution of trauma
• Decoding the unique messages, gifts, and insights carried by each emotion
• New to this edition: insights and practices on anxiety, an exploration of loneliness, and much more

Learning the language of our emotions can deepen our self-understanding, improve our intuition, and enhance our relationships. “Emotions aren’t problems to be solved,” teaches McLaren. “If you learn their language, your emotions can become an indispensable source of vitality, personal growth, and profound healing.”