Affect Labeling: Naming Your Emotions to Reduce Overwhelm and Support Emotional Regulation

Sep 19

Affect labeling is the practice of naming what you feel so the emotion can be noticed instead of pushed away, acted on immediately, or experienced as something vague and overwhelming. Research has studied affect labeling as a form of emotion regulation and has linked it to reduced emotional reactivity, changes in amygdala activity, and increased engagement of brain regions involved in awareness and regulation (Burklund et al., 2014; Lieberman et al., 2007; Torre & Lieberman, 2018). Putting feelings into words may also support exposure-based work by helping people stay present with emotional experiences instead of avoiding them (Kircanski et al., 2012). Affect labeling is not about analyzing every feeling perfectly, finding the exact right word, or making the emotion disappear. It is about creating enough clarity to make the feeling less confusing, less overwhelming, and easier to respond to with awareness and choice.

Guided Practice
(optional)

Pause and take a few slow breaths. Notice one place in your body where you feel something, such as tightness, heaviness, warmth, pressure, numbness, or movement. Use that body sensation as a clue and gently ask, “What emotion might be here?” Choose one simple emotion word and say to yourself, “I am noticing __________.” Then add a little context: “This feeling may be connected to __________.” Take a few more slow breaths and ask, “What would help me respond wisely right now?”

Caution

Affect labeling may not be the best fit if naming emotions increases panic, shame, rumination, dissociation, or trauma activation. If emotions feel unsafe, overwhelming, or destabilizing, use an alternate skill or practice with support from a trained professional.

References

Burklund, L. J., Creswell, J. D., Irwin, M. R., & Lieberman, M. D. (2014). The common and distinct neural bases of affect labeling and reappraisal in healthy adults. Frontiers in Psychology, 5. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00221

Kircanski, K., Lieberman, M. D., & Craske, M. G. (2012). Feelings into words: Contributions of language to exposure therapy. Psychological Science, 23(10), 1086-1091. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797612443830

Lieberman, M. D., Eisenberger, N. I., Crockett, M. J., Tom, S. M., Pfeifer, J. H., & Way, B. M. (2007). Putting feelings into words: Affect labeling disrupts amygdala activity in response to affective stimuli. Psychological Science, 18(5), 421-428. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2007.01916.x

Lieberman, M. D., Inagaki, T. K., Tabibnia, G., & Crockett, M. J. (2011). Subjective responses to emotional stimuli during labeling, reappraisal, and distraction. Emotion, 11(3), 468-480. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023503

Torre, J. B., & Lieberman, M. D. (2018). Putting feelings into words: Affect labeling as implicit emotion regulation. Emotion Review, 10(2), 116-124. https://doi.org/10.1177/1754073917742706

Z. Hamilton Avery

Z. Hamilton Avery, LCSW, BC-TMH, CMT, CYT-1,000, TIYT (he/they) is a queer and non-binary therapist, health educator, wellness coach, body and energy worker, yoga and meditation teacher, and abstract artist in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to having obtained over a dozen certifications in various modalities of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), Z holds an associate’s degree in pre-nursing studies, a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and a master’s degree in social work. When supporting clients and students, Z takes a humanistic, person-centered, strengths-based, trauma-informed approach. Their practice is grounded in compassion, harm reduction, inclusivity, social justice, and evidence-based interventions. Ultimately, Z’s mission is to provide a safe and non-judgmental space for adolescents (13+) and adults who are navigating challenges such as anxiety, depression, trauma, addiction, pain, and chronic illness; he does this by offering sessions, classes, groups, workshops, retreats, and trainings.

Understanding that mental health is interconnected with many other facets of life, Z takes a holistic approach to therapy. Knowing that there is no one-size-fits-all treatment, he strives to honor the uniqueness of each client by custom-tailoring his approach to best meet the needs, preferences, and goals of each individual. For this reason, Z believes that it is imperative to be cross-trained in many different treatment approaches. As a therapist, they utilize a variety of evidence-based practices, including motivational interviewing (MI), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), and written exposure therapy (WET). As a body and energy worker, Z is certified to practice massage therapy, Thai yoga massage, myofascial release, craniosacral therapy, and reiki. They are also certified in both Chinese and Japanese styles of acupuncture. After completing more than 1,000 hours of accredited yoga teacher training (primarily in India), Z is certified to teach various styles of yoga, including Hatha, Kundalini, yin, and restorative. He also researches and writes about topics including stress, trauma, self-care, mindfulness, self-compassion, holistic health and well-being, CAM, HIV/AIDS, and issues related to the Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, agender, plus (2SLGBTQIA+) community.

https://www.therapywithz.com

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