📖 5-minute read
Emotional reasoning uses a feeling as proof of a fact. 'I feel guilty, so I must have done something wrong.' 'I feel anxious, so this must be dangerous.' 'I feel unlovable, so I must be.'
Feelings are important — but they're information about you, not verdicts about reality. Anxiety often shows up where there's no actual danger. Guilt often shows up where you did nothing wrong.
The skill: separate the feeling from the fact. 'I feel X. That doesn't automatically mean Y. What's the actual evidence for Y?'