“I Am Tensing”: Thoughts on Active and Passive Language in the Description and Expression of Emotion in Psychotherapy

Abstract

My intention in writing this paper is to outline the different effects of active and passive language use in psychotherapy when it comes to the expression and description of emotion. I will argue for the value of helping clients shift from passive to active language as they describe their emotional experience; that this shift deepens a client's engagement in the moment, allowing for embodiment, ownership, and accountability especially regarding distressing emotion. I will describe how mindfulness adds a further step in deepening this process. I will offer exceptions for the promotion of active over passive language, as well as an exercise so that readers may experiment with similar shifts in their own emotional expression as a means of having a direct experience of the effects of active language.