What are Emotional Fusions?

​Emotional Fusions (n.) - You don't feel one emotion at a time. You are usually feeling six or seven emotions at one time. And many of those emotions can fuse together to form something new. 

Part of mindfulness is being able to label what you feel while you are feeling it. For many, this process can be initially difficult. The more someone gets used to the process of defining what they feel and they increase their emotional vocabulary, it does get easier but the knowledge that emotions can fuse together to create something new will begin to emerge.

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When emotions combine to form a new, separate-feeling emotion, it can be difficult to recognize or give it its proper label. It can also be difficult to realize that what you are labeling as one emotion might, in fact, be a combination of emotions that came together to create the feeling you are trying to identify.

It's actually quite similar to working with a color palate. The same way red and blue make purple, resentment and anger create bitterness. Hurt and anger create spite. Desire and arousal create lust. Tenderness and love create caring. Often there aren't full words to describe the effect when two or more emotions combine to create a unique feeling. Our language can fall short in providing a good description often.

When people have a good emotional vocabulary but can't quite put their finger on what it is they are feeling, it's often because the emotion they are experiencing is a fusion of two or more other emotions and the experience feels unique.

​Understanding that emotions can combine to create other emotions is one of the keys to understanding what it is you feel and why you are feeling it.