1️⃣👂Latent Semantic Synchrony
Brene Brown & Atlas of the Heart
Have you ever been sick and not had a name for what you were experiencing? You have a litany of painful symptoms, and when you go to the doctor, they confidently name: “Oh, you’ve got strep." There’s instant relief to simply giving a name to your experience. Understanding is the pathway to improvement.
If you’ve ever been diagnosed with a specific mental illness, many people experience tremendous relief from simply understanding themselves. It says, “I’m not crazy,” in a way that few other things can. It normalizes and de-intensifies our experience. It says, “This thing I’m experiencing - others have experienced too. I’m not alone in this.”
In a similar way, being able to accurately name and discern between emotions can help someone experience that relief as we support them. It can be a gateway for us to help someone expand their understanding of themselves. Being able to name “shame” instead of “guilt” helps someone learn that they don’t just think they did something bad, but that they themselves are actually bad. Naming that difference opens up more territory on their map and deepens their understanding of their experience. Becoming versed in the “Atlas of the Heart” will help you as a supporter.
