3 – The Three Levels of Experience

Although there is an infinite amount of subtlety and detail in our daily experiences, they might be broadly described as belonging to one of three categories
i) Thoughts and Attitudes
ii) Emotions and Feelings
iii) Moods

Each one feels slightly different. On the whole we tend to feel more distanced from i) Thoughts and Attitudes, as compared to ii) Emotions and Feelings which can be gripping and consuming. Movies are very good at engendering Emotions and Feelings – because these are the experiences that keep you on the edge of your seat and keep you coming back for more episodes. iii) Moods on the other hand, are more like the landscape or the background against which we constantly swim. It is likely that, in the absence of a mood disorder, you are not aware of your moods, rather you take them for granted as the way the world is. Anyone who has been depressed will vouch for this, and we all know those lucky people for whom the sun always appears to shine and they are always in a good mood.

These three levels of experience take place at different levels of the brain. It is important to make this distinction because each level needs handling differently. And should there be problems, each level responds best to different types of therapy.

This does not mean that the three levels do not influence each other: Happy thoughts produce happy feelings and improve the mood. A good mood leads to positive emotions and positive thinking.

For further information and to learn more about MoodMapping, you can buy the book MoodMapping by Dr Liz Miller, on Amazon

and watch the YouTube video

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