Healing the Root Causes of Emotional Dysregulation

Ever have one of those days where your feelings just seem too big to handle?

Perhaps you are set off by something small, or your mood changes, and you cannot tell why.

The majority of people find themselves overcome by emotions. There are kinder ways of understanding and healing the real issues at heart.

So, let's talk about what emotional dysregulation is, why it happens, and how the small steps can help you feel calmer over time.

What’s Emotional Dysregulation?

Emotional dysregulation isn't really just all about having big feelings.

It's actually when your emotional responses seem so out of proportion to the situation, or just linger much longer than they should, or interfere with your daily life. 

You may be prone to:

• Out of the blue mood swings

• Not being able to calm down very easily when angry

• Being engulfed with emotions that other people appear to manage or work through with ease

• External signs like a racing heart, headache, and stomach ailments

• Struggling in relations due to how emotions are responded to

Where Emotional Dysregulation Begins

Here's something that many people don't get: the problem of emotional dysregulation is, in general, not the condition itself. 

It's usually the tip of the iceberg, tracing its real causation deep into our earliest experiences.

Early Life Experiences and Attachment

The emotional regulation system begins to develop in infancy. 

If you have experienced inconsistent caregiving, trauma, or neglect, your nervous system may have learned to stay on high alert. It's not your fault. 

It was how your brain tried to keep you safe.

Children who grow up in chaotic environments are often at risk' of developing what researchers term ‘dysregulated attachment patterns.'

 As a consequence, their emotional thermostat is 'stuck' in survival mode, thereby making it difficult for them to ever feel calm and secure later in life.

Trauma and Its Lasting Impact

Trauma is not always easy to recognize, as it is portrayed in motion pictures. It might be:

• Childhood emotional neglect

• Observing family conflict

• Medical procedures, or a hospitalization

• Bullied or rejected by peers

• Loss of a parent or caregiver

When trauma occurs, especially when it happens repeatedly, it changes the way your brain processes emotions. 

Your amygdala becomes hyperactive, while your prefrontal cortex goes offline more easily.

Neurobiological Aspects

Sometimes emotional dysregulation has roots that are biological. 

These variations in the brain chemistry can all play a role:

• Genetic predispositions

• Developmental variations

Conditions like these often bring challenges with regulating emotion:

• Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

• Autism

• Sensory processing differences 

This is where professional assessment becomes important. 

Knowing whether one would be well advised to undergo a clinical biopsychological assessment can shed much-needed light on the bases of one's emotional struggles and direct one to the most appropriate lines of treatment.

The Mind-Body Connection in Emotional Healing

Your emotions are not just 'in your head' but reside throughout your whole body. 

When we speak about healing emotional dysregulation, we need to look at the mental and physical aspects.

Understanding Your Nervous System

Your autonomic nervous system has two states:

• The sympathetic (fight-or-flight) nervous system gets activated when you perceive danger

• Parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) helps you feel calm and safe

Individuals affected by emotional dysregulation tend to linger in the sympathetic activation.

The healing process involves learning how to turn on your parasympathetic nervous system.

Body-Based Healing Approaches

Some of the most effective treatments for emotional dysregulation:

• Somatic therapy: Makes you aware of and lets go of tension held in your body

• Breathwork: Breathing exercises can alter your state of the nervous system

• Body movement exercises: Yoga, dancing, or even stretches may help in the process of self-regulating emotions

• Grounding techniques: Contacted with the physical senses in the present moment

Steps for Healing Emotional Dysregulation

Healing emotional dysregulation is not an overnight process, but here are some concrete steps you can start taking today.

Building Emotional Awareness

To be able to control emotion, first understand it. For instance:

• Keeping one's emotion journal to monitor trends

• Rating the intensity of a particular emotion on a scale of 1 to 10

• Noting the bodily feelings accompanying different emotions

• Determine your personal triggers

Developing Coping Strategies

Having a toolkit of regulation strategies makes a huge difference:

• Deep breathing

• Progressive muscle relaxation

• Mindfulness practices

• Cold water on your face

Creating Safety and Stability

Your nervous system needs to feel safe before it can heal. This might mean:

• Having regular daily routines 

• Creating an atmosphere of physical calm 

• Healthy relationships with boundaries set 

• Accessing a therapist who understands trauma

Professional Support Options

Sometimes it's just really beneficial to receive help when healing.

• Trauma-informed therapy

• Dialectical behaviour therapy

• Medication consultation

• Comprehensive assessment

Community and Relationships

Our nervous systems co-regulate with others. This means we can help each other feel calmer and more stable.

Look for:

• Support groups of people with similar experiences 

• Healthy relationships that feel safe to express emotion in

• Therapeutic communities or group therapy services

• Family therapy in cases where family dynamics contribute to the issue

Next Steps

Emotional dysregulation doesn't mean never experiencing strong feelings again. It means growing skills and inner resources to ride them without being swept away.

Some signs that you are making progress:

• You feel your emotions more, but they are less overwhelming

• You get over tough feelings more quickly

• You have more choice in how you respond to things that trigger you

• Your relationships are more stable and satisfying

• You feel more connected: to both yourself and others

Get Support Today

We get it at MESEPP, emotional dysregulation often weaves complex roots that demand personalized care.

Our teams of experts can work up the causes underlying your emotional struggles to come up with a treatment plan that suits your uniqueness. 

Whether it is trauma, neurodevelopmental differences, or whatever is playing up your emotional well-being, we have got you.

Contact MESEPP and find out about our assessment and treatment options. 

FAQ

What is the root cause of emotional dysregulation?

• Early trauma or difficult life events

• Attachment disruptions in childhood

• Neurobiological differences

• A mix of factors that change how emotions are processed

What are the 4 R's of emotional regulation?

• Recognize

• Reflect

• Relate

• Respond

How to improve emotional regulation skills?

• Do breathwork

• Work with a therapist 

• Develop body awareness through movement or grounding

• Create stable routines

• Address any underlying trauma or neurobiological differences