What if healing did not always require us to go back?
This was one of the questions that stayed with us during the first module of the Emotional Resolution (EmRes) training that some of our staff at Global Justice Kenya participated in.
In counselling and psychotherapy, we often hear about the importance of understanding our past. Childhood experiences, difficult relationships, trauma, loss and other significant life events can influence how we think, feel and respond to situations in the present.
And sometimes, exploring the past is incredibly important.
But during this first module, we were introduced to a different way of looking at emotional experiences: what happens when we pay closer attention to what is happening right now?
For those of us working with survivors of human trafficking within labour migration, this was an interesting perspective to consider. Many survivors return home having experienced exploitation, abuse and other forms of distress. While returning home may mark the end of their migration journey, it does not necessarily mean that the emotional impact of those experiences ends there.
Sometimes, the past continues to show up in the present.
For some people, the body may respond to present situations that resemble aspects of an earlier distressing experience. An interaction, a familiar situation or even someone’s tone of voice may bring up an emotional response.
So, what happens when we pay attention not only to what happened then, but also to what is happening now?
That was one of the ideas we explored during the training.
Looking at the present
Emotional Resolution, commonly known as EmRes, is an approach that focuses on the present experience of an emotion, particularly the physical sensations that accompany it.
At first, this may sound quite simple.
But think about what happens when you feel anxious.
Your heart may begin to race. Your stomach may tighten. Your chest may feel heavy. Your thoughts may suddenly become difficult to slow down.
Or think about anger. Your muscles may tense, your jaw may tighten and you may experience a rush of heat.
We often recognise these sensations without necessarily stopping to notice them.
One of the things explored during the training was the idea of paying attention to these physical sensations rather than immediately trying to suppress, control or analyse the emotional experience.
In simple terms, the focus shifts from asking:
“Why am I feeling this way?”
to considering:
“What am I experiencing right now?”
It is a small shift in the question, but it opens up a very different way of looking at an emotional experience.
What happens when we don't immediately try to change an emotion?
When we experience difficult emotions, our natural response is often to make them stop.
We distract ourselves.
We try to think positively.
We seek reassurance.
We use coping strategies.
We try to understand where the feeling came from.
And there is nothing wrong with these responses. Coping strategies and emotional regulation remain important parts of mental health support.
But one of the ideas that stood out during the EmRes module was the possibility of experiencing an emotion before immediately trying to change it.
What would happen if, instead of asking ourselves how to make the feeling disappear, we simply became aware of what we were experiencing?
This was particularly interesting when considered alongside our work with survivors of trafficking.
Some survivors may recognise that they are now safe while continuing to experience strong emotional or physical responses in certain situations. The emotional response is happening in the present, even though it may be connected to something that happened in the past.
Rather than focusing only on the original event, EmRes draws attention to what the person is experiencing in that moment.
Importantly, we also learned that this is not simply about noticing or becoming aware of a physical sensation. The approach encourages allowing the sensation to unfold naturally, in a safe environment, rather than trying to control, stop or interrupt it. As the sensation changes and eventually settles, the emotional response associated with it may also resolve. In this way, the aim is not only to manage the response, but to allow the underlying automatic reaction to change so that a situation that once triggered the same response may be experienced differently.
Do we always have to revisit the past?
This was perhaps one of the most thought-provoking aspects of the first module.
Exploring past experiences can be an important part of psychotherapy. Understanding where certain patterns come from can help people make sense of their thoughts, emotions and behaviours.
EmRes introduces a different emphasis: the past may explain the response, but the present is where the response is being experienced.
For someone who has experienced exploitation during labour migration, this distinction can be meaningful.
Their past cannot be changed.
But their relationship with what they experience today can continue to evolve.
This also connects closely with the work we do at Global Justice Kenya. Supporting survivors is not only about acknowledging what happened to them. It is also about recognising who they are today and supporting their journey towards rebuilding their lives, restoring their sense of agency and looking towards the future.
In that sense, paying attention to the present becomes an interesting part of the conversation about healing.
A different way of thinking about emotions
The first EmRes module gave our colleagues an opportunity to reflect on something we encounter regularly in our work supporting survivors: our relationship with difficult emotions.
We often think about emotions as something that needs to be managed, controlled or overcome.
The training introduced another perspective—one that invites greater attention to the experience itself.
It does not suggest that the past is unimportant, nor does it replace other therapeutic approaches. Rather, it offers another lens through which emotional experiences can be considered.
Perhaps healing does not always have to begin with:
“What happened to me?”
Perhaps there are moments when it can also begin with:
“What is happening for me right now?”
That was one of the ideas we took away from our first module.
As we continue with the training, we are looking forward to exploring the approach further and reflecting on what it might add to our understanding of emotional experiences and, ultimately, to the work we do in supporting survivors on their journeys towards healing and rebuilding their lives.