I'm a therapist, and I swore off emotions at 19. Here's why I changed my mind, and what an emotion actually is.

Episode summary

What is an emotion? Christians hear very different answers. Some say emotions are spiritual forces, like angels or demons influencing you. Others say they're a weakness of the flesh that Scripture warns us not to trust.

In this episode, licensed marriage and family therapist Kia Gutiérrez shares why she swore off emotions at 19 after a painful moment leading worship, and why, as someone who still isn't a big fan of feeling them, she believes feeling our emotions is the most efficient way to get rid of the feeling and make wise choices.

You'll hear her definition of an emotion at the intersection of faith and psychology: a chemical process in your body that has hugely significant spiritual meaning. It's not an attack imposed on us from outside, and it's not something to press down and ignore. Drawing on Genesis 1 and the idea that we're made in God's image, Kia explains why she believes there's a message in every emotion that points toward a foundational truth, one that helps us make wise decisions and build healthy relationships.

She also steers between two extremes: that every negative emotion is a spiritual attack and every positive one a blessing, or that emotions are terrible and should never be felt.

Then she leaves you with one question to sit with: how does it feel to know your emotions were given to you by God, with a purpose you get to discern?