Re: Order

"People feel however they feel...one is not better than the other." -PTree

I'm not making that judgment for someone and forcing a solution on them, they are making that judgment themselves and asking for an intellectual way to change.

I'm not sure if your "do nothing" stance is centered in Buddhism or modern psychiatry. I'm not saying you are wrong, I'm saying that I don't agree with such a hands-off approach for someone who is stuck in a state that starts to define his or her life. (The rape example was an example I made up). I'm also referring to situations that aren't so extreme, or need substantial outside resources. Perhaps someone could use it to identify their own patterns and climb back out of a downward spiral of emotions.

People might want to "try" a different approach if what they are doing isn't working and a goal could be identified based on universal human tendencies of progression/regression. If any response/emotion is ok for a victim to have, why wouldn't it be ok to change that emotion, try a different emotion/response? If one definitely is not working, another has a better chance. Obviously some people do need guidance or help, otherwise they would have unstuck themselves. I don't think "do nothing" is usually the best answer, nor do I think a highly paid professional psychiatrist has a monopoly on helping people in these situations.

You seem to be saying that nothing can be done to encourage someone (or oneself) out of a bad emotional situation, because whatever they "DO" feel is right and okay even if it lasts for a very long (and unhealthy) amount of time. Even if they ask for help out of their emotional state. Unless a professional shrink who needs a prolonged series of appointments and prescribed self-analytical tactics because the shrink can't really tell the patient what s/he is doing wrong.

"you are intellectualizing an emotional process and placing a value judgement on emotions." -PTree

We all place value judgments on emotions (most importantly the person who wants to change out of their current state), thus the desire of the person to change her emotional state and get help, thus the intellectualizing of emotions. Any form of guidance between emotions necessitates some intellectualizing, whether from the self, a chart or a shrink. My opinion differs from yours obviously. If a person says "it's not ok for me to feel this way and I don't WANT to feel this way, I SHOULD change", telling her to just accept it and stay the same because you can't intellectualize her emotions doesn't really help much does it? Do you just tell her "This too shall pass" and hope for the best?

Are there any legitimate progressions/regressions of emotional/behavioral scales that can be used to identify ways to overcome being stuck in an emotinal or behavioral state? I guess not.

"Also, suicide is not an emotion...it is an action." -PTree

The word suicidal was used to describe the rock bottom of a proposed scale, but I think you knew that. I did pass grade school thank you. ;)

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