Inside Out is a thought provoking Disney/Pixar movie for adult kids (aren’t we all!) which explores the world of emotions.
While it focuses on the traumatic experience of an 11 year old girl, Riley, it could be about any of us caught in a complex world where we feel suddenly unhinged by an unexpected and an unwelcome change – like Divorce!
We meet the colorful characters who occupy their places at the console of Riley’s brain: Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust and Anger, and you can learn more about their endearing qualities in this movie trailer: They take turns at the helm of Riley’s thinking and have a big impact on Riley’s response to the good times and the bad, especially the trauma she experiences when her family uproots her and moves to San Francisco.
This movie provides entertaining and valuable insight into the neuroscience of our brain and fine art of what we adults call: Emotional Intelligence!
Joy is the one who tries to keep everyone in order, cheering the team on and dong interventions whenever one of the emotions threatens to damage Riley’s memories. Her biggest challenge is to keep Sadness from changing the color of Riley’s memories from Happy to Sad. The complex inner world of the memory includes CORE MEMORIES created by significant events which have a direct link to the various aspects of the personality like Hockey Island, Friendship Island, Goofball Island, and Family Island. And we also explore Imagination Land, Abstract Thought, and Dream Productions which are connected by the high speed Train of Thought to the main console.
Just as the first significant trauma in Riley’s life upset the balance of the emotions, so it is with men, women and children who go through the trauma of DIVORCE. Many memories are touched by Sadness; and Anger and Fear often take over the helm. Joy recedes into a lesser role and without acknowledging the potential long-term impact of actions, like throwing in the towel or taking the “my way or the highway” approach, the emotions have turned the orderly console of the brain into a disaster zone, with little focus and no consistent directions.
Enter the Divorce Coach who plays a new role at the console – the voice of Reason! Helping the client to observe the antics of Anger and Fear, and to recognize that bringing Joy and Sorrow together to remember what is important, what they value and who they are as their “Best Self” will help them to get their Train of Thought back on track! Once the client brings this new partnership of Joy and Sorrow together, they can reconnect with Dream Productions and become the creators of their new Personality Islands, islands which represent who they are as they create their new memories and perhaps even re-write the story of their divorce to one that is empowering and transformational.
This new view of the emotions can be lighter and more playful! Connecting with the emotions (even when they go off the rails for a time) empowers your client to change the dynamic with their children and their ex-spouse so that they can create new realities!
In the CDC Certified Divorce Coach Program we include the fundamental principles of neuroscience and incorporate brain-based coaching into our best practices so that you can be the voice of Reason for your clients. For more information, attend one of our Free Webinars to discover what the power of divorce coaching brings to the experience of divorce.
