COGNITIVE & SPIRITUAL INTEGRATION APPROACH
BY DOCTOR KUSNADI
Creating A Space
I am in my room, which is a very comfortable one. The light is excellent. It is a bright morning, and I feel fresh. I have been preparing for this moment to do the best that I can to write down my personal reflection.
I take some time to be silent and work myself slowly since I do not want to be in a hurry or feel rushed. At the end of my writing, I am energized and comfortable.
I strongly believe that although emotions are amorphous and uncontrollable, they can still be managed and experienced consciously. My experiences practicing an hour-long meditation each day help me be more aware of the movements within myself. My body posture and silence enable me to experience my capacity to be alone. It is a valuable resource for understanding the “self.” It is the stage where I create a mirror to see and listen to the deepest reality of myself. The relaxed body, the quiet heart, and the space within help me observe and experience the dynamic of my inner self.
What is Emotion?
Cornelius (1996), in summarizing the central beliefs of James and his followers, states, “The body is central to the generation and experience of emotions (p.59).” According to him, James believed that each emotion must be accompanied by a unique pattern of bodily response. There are thousands of physiological responses, such as palpitations or sweating, that can equally accompany positive emotions, such as love, or negative emotions, such as fear, or they can take place without any emotional tinge at all. He also believed that “the feedback we receive from our bodies is such a major determinant of our experiences of an emotion that it could… (p. 64).” The important point for James and certainly for the generation of his followers was to emphasize the idea that each emotion must be accompanied by a unique pattern of bodily response.
These ideas have led me to the central concept of the cognitive perspective, which believes that thought and emotion are inseparable and that every emotion is associated with a particular pattern of appraisal. If this appraisal is changed, the emotion does so as well. The statements stated above were enriched for me by my own personal experiences. I have experienced, in solitude, through every minute of the day and night, the thousands of sensations that trigger positive emotions such as happiness, negative ones such as sadness, or just no emotion. I have listened clearly to the voice within me and observed the movement within too. A trace of perfume, a light touch, a fleeting shadow, a strain of music, the voice of the wind, all of these give me the strong stimulus to get to my past or to be in the present, including my dreams, hopes, and wishes. The capacity to be in solitude is a valuable resource that facilitates learning, thinking, innovating, coming to terms with change, and maintaining contact with the inner world of one’s imagination.
Probably the most famous description of sensation triggering emotional memories is that of Arnold and quoted by Cornelius (1996) “A person’s past experience and his or her goals are important aspects of the way that person appraises a situation (p. 166).” In light of his perspective, I believe the same sensory input can trigger a negative or positive one, depending on the perception or associated memories. The voice of the wind triggered the warm and peaceful childhood feeling of when my father and mother took me for holidays to Puncak, one of the mountains near Jakarta, and has also led me to the aching sadness of feeling alone after losing my father and also my youngest brother.
From a different point of view, Cornelius (1996) explains how Averill and other social constructionists believe that “part of what we learn by our being socialized into a particular culture is sets of rules that implicitly govern our emotional performance (p. 154).” It also explains how a social role is a characteristic behavior pattern found in a particular society. Emotions are cultural products that owe meaning and coherence to learning social rules.
Leading Questions
Now it is the time for me to ask, (1) how can I apply both these perspectives to myself or to clients who are of us either in a situation of hopelessness, unable to support themselves, or in a situation of powerlessness, wherein the support systems of spirituality, economics, and culture do not work well? And (2) how can I, as a pastoral counselor, have a prophetic ministry to be able to offer my clients and me an alternate perception of reality and lead ourselves to see our own present experiences in the light of God’s Grace and discover His will in freedom and justice?
The Connectedness Between Emotion and Solitude
The dictionary defines solitude as the stage of being alone. It also carries rich connotations that suggest so much more than that. Solitude often implies a sense of contentment and joy in the experience of aloneness. It is the inner quality of self, the attitude, and the ways of being. Solitude is the inner quality and the inner dynamic of self where we experience the internal and external worlds. It is a pre-condition which enables someone to experience the emotions even deeper. Through solitude, we can become present to ourselves and pay attention to the movement within our inner self. We create a precious space and experience the development of our inner sensitivity. We can discover the hidden voice of emotions, always telling us about our inner necessities. The experiences of solitude need to be followed up with practical action to transform the world. The “hero” has battled with self and selfishness to discover the deeper true self beyond the ego, then returns to the world, bringing boons.
Integrating to Therapy
As I study the science of emotion and confront it with my spiritual path while experiencing solitude, I acknowledge that they need to be understood and applied simultaneously. Who we are, who we are capable of becoming, and how we fit into this world will require us to look back at the larger picture. Through four major theoretical points of view of emotion, we can experience the clients’ present and perhaps hidden emotions more comprehensively through their body movements, facial expressions, tone of voice, ways of thinking, and reactions. Every moment in the therapeutic alliance aims to put the clients in touch with as many of their true feelings and experiences as they can bear. Clear, accurate, objective, brief, honest interpretations and empathic emotional understandings are necessary. When the clients are encouraged to get in touch with and express their deepest feelings, in the secure knowledge that they will not be rejected, criticized, or expected to be different, some kind of rearrangement or sorting-out process often occurs within the mind which brings with it a sense of peace; a sense that the depths of the well of truth have really been reached.
Dealing with clients, especially clients who are in a situation of powerlessness and who have been alienated and rejected from society, the therapist needs to understand their hidden feelings and be able to offer the inner solidarity that they have been cast into solitude in its most horrendous meanings. The experiences become the numberless, faceless, and nameless person in their life. They can be understood as a turning point that enables them to lead the clients to seek a meaningful life in their desperate experiences. The experience of aloneness will help and enable the therapist to discover the pains of the clients’ world and respond to them accurately. In this sense, the therapist needs to know his role and that what he can give to the clients is reality. It might not be pleasant, but it will make them experience freedom. This process in itself contributes to healing.
The dynamic of movement from the high rage of anger and self-blaming to peace and from loneliness to solitude can make it possible to convert slowly one’s fearful reaction into a loving response. The clients learn how not to run away from their feelings of loneliness or alienation or of constantly looking for distractions. They learn how to be alert and aware of their internal and external world and accept the invitation to become free persons with fearless responses.
Reference
Cornelius, R. (1996). The Science of Emotion: Research and Tradition in The Psychology of Emotion. New Jersey, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
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