In the therapy session for traumatized people, in addition to helping patients get in touch with their true feelings, I would assist in decreasing the automatic emotional response to recall of the traumatic event. This was a critical step in decreasing or eliminating the uncomfortable symptoms associated with the trauma.

Class, have any of you ever responded to a situation based on your emotions only to find out later you misinterpreted the information? What techniques do you use to "think before you act?"