Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts, insight and summary of the points you made above @Phoenix_Rising.

 

I came across this point (on p.318 - not referencing it correctly today) that said that individuals who experience high emotional sensitivity, have often been "overdosed" with comments and suggestions that fall along the lines of "if you would just change your attitude, you could change your feelings". These messages come often from people who model high emotional control as well as strong disapproval of emotional expression. Linehan touches on theory that suggests "emotional distress is due to secondary responses (eg., intense shame, anxiety or rage) to primary emotions". I am not 100% clear on this yet, however I'm assuming that these secondary responses may be largely due to invalidating/unsupportive/punishing responses to a person's expression of emotion, by others (particularly significant others), from within their environment.

 

 

I think it is really important for people to be aware that intense emotions can be difficult enough to experience, and that relationships and environments are crucial factors in influencing how they are worked through/resolved (or not).