# Has anyone ever tried Emotions Anonymous?



## either/or (Apr 27, 2020)

It's a 12-step program similar to alcoholics anonymous, but designed for people with depression, anxiety, etc. There are a couple of EA groups that meet close to the city I live in so was thinking of checking them out. Many therapists treat anxiety similar to addiction - the body can become "addicted" to the anxiety response in a way similar to how addicts use substances to cope with external stimuli so the thinking is the program can help those with anxiety as well.


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## firelight (Jan 31, 2019)

Do they do religious bull****?


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## either/or (Apr 27, 2020)

firelight said:


> Do they do religious bull****?


Think its the same as AA - you can chose God as a higher power or you can chose something else as a higher power. It depends on your perspective and how you want to approach it.


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## er52 (Aug 17, 2008)

I've never been to one outside of residential, but when I was in residential EA meetings could be helpful. It was a time for anyone to talk about what was bothering them. I would imagine they would be good to go to just for the social exposure and connection, but I haven't done the program. I would try one, but where I live there aren't any close by.


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## Starcut83 (Feb 13, 2021)

Yes. It's a group at the place I go to. They even have a book. Only been to a few groups because the whole I'm helpless and give up to a higher power, I know that's not how they phrase it, rubs me the wrong way.

But I try to keep an open mind and just get past that part because there is some good information.

I may attend more. If they get to the part about anxiety while I'm there I might drop some info here. Can't promise anything though.


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## JH1983 (Nov 14, 2013)

When I was younger I got forced into going to quite a few NA/AA meetings. I never got anything out of them. I can't talk in front of groups at all and sitting around in a group makes me really uncomfortable. 

I also don't agree with big parts of their philosophy. Without going to deep into it the higher power thing, the "fake it till you make it" part, and an overall cult like feeling where they act like it's the one and only true path really puts me off. It works for a lot of people and that's great if it does, just not for me personally. I do think the non religious version of the serenity prayer is a great motto to live by though and it's something I very much try to follow in my daily life.

With all that said if you're unfamiliar with all of it there really is some wisdom in it that's worth learning about in my opinion. I just don't do well with stuff where they expect you to swallow a whole set of ideas. Feels too much like religion. Which AA also has a saying for which is something like nobody is too dumb for AA, but some people are too smart.


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## shyshisho (Apr 19, 2009)

I have their app on my phone. It has some nice affirmations, prayers, etc. I'd be interested in attending a meeting if there were any near me. I already have a vague belief in a higher power so that wouldn't be an issue for me.


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## either/or (Apr 27, 2020)

It's kind of funny, I asked about EA in June 2020 and got basically no replies then all of a sudden in July 2021 boom 4 replies. Totally forgot I even started this thread. But now that it's been bumped I kind of want to look for an EA group again. I don't think there were any active ones in my area the last time I looked, prob due to the pandemic. Honestly I think I'm more interested in just being around people struggling with mental health issues like I am rather than the actual AA/EA philosophy. I feel like if I can start socializing with people with who have similar problems to me then maybe I can kind of learn to socialize again. It will be less pressure.


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## truant (Jul 4, 2014)

I've never heard anything about this group, and I've never looked at the specific research and theory supporting it, so don't take this as any kind of critique, but I think the idea that "people are addicted to their emotions" is complete bull****.

People are not addicted to their emotions; they're addicted to avoiding pain. When your predictions keep telling you that X or Y is going to be painful, you will keep avoiding X or Y. The specific kind of predictions you're making are going to determine the specific kind of emotional response that you have, so if you always make the same kind of predictions you are going to end up having the same kind of emotional response over and over again. Saying that people are addicted to their emotions is like saying that the equation 2 + 2 is "addicted" to 4.

I think it can _look_ like an addiction because of the way people rationalize their emotional responses, and the way these rationalizations become part of a person's identity. Identifying with your habitual responses to situations can add another layer of difficulty to overcoming those responses because people try to maintain a consistent self-concept.

Having said that, I _can_ see how a group like this could be beneficial. It could be a version of ACT packaged like AA and delivered as a support group. (I think AA is fairly similar to ACT.)


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## er52 (Aug 17, 2008)

truant said:


> I've never heard anything about this group, and I've never looked at the specific research and theory supporting it, so don't take this as any kind of critique, but I think the idea that "people are addicted to their emotions" is complete bull****.
> 
> People are not addicted to their emotions; they're addicted to avoiding pain. When your predictions keep telling you that X or Y is going to be painful, you will keep avoiding X or Y. The specific kind of predictions you're making are going to determine the specific kind of emotional response that you have, so if you always make the same kind of predictions you are going to end up having the same kind of emotional response over and over again. Saying that people are addicted to their emotions is like saying that the equation 2 + 2 is "addicted" to 4.
> 
> ...


It's not about people being addicted to their emotions at all. They took the 12 steps and adapted it to work for people with emotional problems, but there is none of the saying I am an addict at the beginning of every turn. They aren't asking people to not have emotions, they are saying people sometimes need a different relationship to their emotions and this is one possible way to get it. One of the premises is "I am powerless over my emotions". Which I personally agree I am, I don't feel in control of my emotions at all, I feel much of the time, my anxiety controls me.


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## truant (Jul 4, 2014)

er52 said:


> It's not about people being addicted to their emotions at all. They took the 12 steps and adapted it to work for people with emotional problems, but there is none of the saying I am an addict at the beginning of every turn. They aren't asking people to not have emotions, they are saying people sometimes need a different relationship to their emotions and this is one possible way to get it. One of the premises is "I am powerless over my emotions". Which I personally agree I am, I don't feel in control of my emotions at all, I feel much of the time, my anxiety controls me.


Thanks for the clarification. My post was based on the OP, so I just assumed that was in their literature somewhere. I obviously haven't read it.

I've seen the argument that people are "addicted" to anxiety, depression, etc., many times over the years and I just think that's a bad way of characterizing the problem. There are obviously some superficial similarities, like not being able to control your emotions, but I don't find it a helpful comparison, personally. As I said, though, I could see how adapting AA to emotional problems could be useful.


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