Our Symptoms are a Gift
Most persons who are self-referred for therapy come with internal conflicts—difficulties with parts of their inner experience that they find challenging to understand and integrate into their day-to-day lives. Symptoms arise when these unacceptable parts of the self—guilt, shame, laziness, anger, sadness, joy—cannot be felt, allowed, and integrated into one’s outer reality. In this way, our emotions feel disruptive, rather than facilitative, of healthy living.
At the same time, our symptoms almost always have their own unique history and origin story. Tracing the symptoms back allows us to uncover a whole tapestry of our inner experience that we were previously only partially aware of. Through this process, symptoms are not merely seen as problems to be eradicated but as messengers, guiding us toward deeper understanding and healing. Until they can be fully understood, they can never be fully healed and will only persist as apparent problems to be solved.
Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) posits that emotions are central to our experience and serve as vital signals that inform us about our needs and desires (Greenberg, 2011). However, when emotions are ignored or suppressed, they do not simply disappear; instead, they manifest as symptoms that disrupt our lives (Johnson & Campbell, 2021). For example, unacknowledged anger may turn inward, manifesting as depression or self-criticism, while repressed sadness might lead to chronic anxiety or feelings of emptiness (Kennedy-Moore & Watson, 2001).
When we view symptoms through the lens of EFT, we begin to appreciate them not as enemies, but as invitations to explore and integrate our disowned emotional experiences (Elliott & Greenberg, 2016). This perspective shifts the therapeutic process from one of symptom management to one of emotional exploration and transformation. By engaging with these symptoms compassionately and curiously, we create the opportunity to reconnect with our authentic selves, leading to sustained emotional resilience and well-being, not just temporary “functioning” (Paivio & Pascual-Leone, 2010).
Moreover, research shows that when individuals can access and express their underlying emotions in a safe therapeutic environment, their symptoms often diminish, and they experience increased emotional clarity and self-acceptance. This process, known as emotional processing, is a core component of EFT and has been shown to be effective in treating a variety of psychological difficulties, including depression, anxiety, and trauma (Elliott & Greenberg, 2016).
In this way, our symptoms serve as a gift, albeit one that initially comes wrapped in discomfort and pain. They provide us with a map to the parts of ourselves that require attention and healing. Through the therapeutic process, these symptoms can be transformed into a source of insight, growth, and ultimately, freedom from the past.