Learn What Emotional Blockage Is And How It Can Affect Mental Health

You know that reserved person, who doesn’t like to talk about their feelings and always seems to be emotionally distant? Possibly, she has what mental health professionals call an emotional block. To understand the subject, check out what psychologist Nathália Honorato (CRP 06/166770) reveals about the emergence and characteristics of this defense mechanism of the mind.

What is emotional block?

Emotional blocking can be defined as a psychic protection barrier, whose objective is to distance oneself from possible attacks. According to psychologist Nathália, it is a defense mechanism used to avoid something related to feelings or situations already experienced that had a negative impact.

When going through something emotionally traumatic and negative, “we try at all costs not to experience this situation again”, explains the professional. As a consequence, this creates a protective shield.

In addition, the therapist reveals that the establishment of this type of block is not always conscious and intentional. She points out that, most of the time, it occurs in the “automatic mode of functioning by learning from negative past experiences”.

Why does emotional block occur?

Almost everything in the human mind occurs for some reason, and in the case of emotional blockage, this is no different. According to Nathália, the main factors that trigger this defense are “negative experiences and traumatic experiences”. Thus, faced with the possibility of reliving a situation that caused suffering, a barrier arises, the establishment of an emotional block. But does not stop there.

When going through many situations in which the manifestations of feelings are not validated by someone, over time, the person may have difficulties in differentiating and naming emotions. In this way, “a ‘better’ path is sought, which often leads to a last alternative, silencing, as an attempt to forget what was felt”, says Nathália.

Features of emotional block

Difficulty talking about your feelings or opening up emotionally is not a pathology. However, there are some characteristics that can be identified and worked on in a process of self-knowledge. According to the therapist, they are:

• Difficulty dealing with negative feelings and emotions: according to Nathália, this is one of the main characteristics. It is “the vision that people have of themselves, of what they are capable of feeling, as well as the quality of feeling”. For the psychologist, feeling fear, anger and sadness is still a taboo in society, which impacts each individual’s self-perception and increases the difficulty in establishing connections with other people.
• Avoid situations that involve socialization: according to the professional, generally, a person who establishes this barrier is more reserved and does not like to socialize very much. Thus, “being together and fraternizing with other people does not make much sense to her”. There is also the fear of becoming the center of attention, which creates a feeling of anxiety.
• Increase in anxiety levels: taking the hook from the previous topic, when “the person understands that, at any moment, a new and unwanted situation can happen, anxiety levels increase significantly”, explained the psychologist. Increasingly, this attempt to stop affections, emotions and not talking about the subject “unleashes great evidence of correlations with diagnoses of anxiety and depression”.
• Loss of interest: for the psychologist, “the ability of something to captivate and maintain the interest of the person with emotional block is very difficult”. On the other hand, this person can “fix their attention on something that gives meaning to their lack of meaning” (feeling caused by blocking emotions), seeking to find in songs, poems, books, movies, characters, etc. the expression of the feeling he cannot name.

It is important to remember that, within the subjectivity of each individual, the characteristics may appear in different ways or even new signs of emotional blockage may appear. Overall, it’s always good to reflect on your own behavior. From this, it is important to seek professional help, for example, psychotherapy, to reframe situations already experienced.

How to deal with emotional blockage

It is not an easy task to deconstruct a barrier built up throughout your life. However, there are several practices that will help you to look at yourself, know your feelings, practice self-love and deal with difficult situations. Psychologist Nathália listed some:

Allow yourself to feel negative affects and emotions

As a first step, the therapist indicates self-permission to feel and experience a negative emotion, “however difficult it may be to name and think about it at the moment”. For many people, this may seem simple, however, for those who suffer from this barrier, allowing yourself is a big and difficult step.

According to Nathália, “if there is difficulty and blocking of emotions, it is important to work on ‘not judging yourself’. Allow yourself to feel and think about the situations that caused you suffering.”

Seek professional help

For those who have an emotional block, opening up to people, even if they are close, can be difficult, precisely because of the fear of judgment. Therefore, the psychologist advises seeking professional help. Thus, the person will have a “space for listening to the emotional block, free from stereotypes, being a place of reception, resignification and naming of these barriers”.

rethink your habits

The psychologist indicates seeking professional help to re-educate habits: food, physical exercise, professional life and leisure. “It’s very important to work on the relationship between the emotional block and the way you engage with food, your body, your tasks and your rest time.”

Experience experiencing things in a new way

Finally, Nathália suggests trying out the situations that you stopped living because of the blockade. If at various times “you were silenced, removed or rejected from situations”, this is not an easy task, however, self-care and seeking professional help make all the difference. Over time, “you will discover your abilities, tastes and potential”.

Don’t cover yourself to deconstruct this barrier quickly, because the process of elaborating the emotional block is long and requires patience. However, with professional help, reflections and a lot of affection on your part, the conflict will dissolve over time.

How to Relate to Someone Who Has an Emotional Blockage

According to psychologist Nathália, “a person with an emotional block has difficulty recognizing and conveying their feelings”. This generates an impact on interpersonal relationships, as they convey “the idea of ​​being ‘cold and insensitive’ people, uninterested in maintaining friendships and, above all, a loving relationship”.

The professional also points out that “loving and being loved is often felt by the person as a vulnerability, which makes them think, doubt and question how someone might be able to love them”. This game of uncertainties can end up generating conflicts in coexistence.

Emotional blockage can make the relationship difficult, however, it does not make it impossible. External help is one of the most important parts of this process of change and development, as, according to the psychologist, it demonstrates validation of feelings, support and recognition.

Finally, Nathália emphasizes that the emotional block “is not a psychological disorder, but something that was learned during life”. Still in her words, “we need to learn to embrace new ways of experiencing what we are feeling and rethink the idea of ​​measuring the amount of affection of each person”, with less comparisons and more individuality.

As you can see, the emotional block is something that has been learned through your experiences, but it can be rethought and deconstructed. To kick-start change, understand what self-acceptance is. She can help you in this process.

The information contained on this page is for informational purposes only. They do not replace the advice and follow-up of doctors, nutritionists, psychologists, physical education professionals and other specialists.