Wellness and the Change Triangle

Episode 49: In this episode, host Angie Gust talks about the Change triangle.  Psychotherapist Hillary Jacobs Hendel says that the Change Triangle is a map and wellness tool to help you shift from a place of disconnection and/or distress back to calm, clarity, and peace of mind.  The three corners of the Change Triangle are 1) defenses, 2) inhibitory emotions like shame, guilt and anxiety and 3) cores emotions like joy, anger, and disgust. Underneath the triangle are the good emotions that she says we all want to experience: being calm, curious, connected, compassionate, confident, courageous and clear-minded. Turning to the environment, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) headline statement of its summary for policymakers in March 2023  declared that the world already has too many fossil fuels in production to limit global warming to the relatively safe level of 1.5 degrees Celsius. The global body of scientists said, “Projected CO2 emissions from existing fossil-fuel infrastructure without additional abatement would exceed the remaining carbon budget for 1.5°C.” This finding isn’t new, but saying the quiet part out loud is new. Let's use the influence we have to make sure everyone knows this is a crisis and doing something to move the greenhouse gas reduction efforts forward fast is paramount. Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations, called on all countries to “massively fast-track climate efforts” and, specifically, for rich countries to hit “the fast-forward button” on commitments to reach net-zero – which means removing as much plant-heating pollution from the atmosphere as they emit."

References

Chang, J. 2008 The Role of Anonymity in Deindividuated Behavior: A Comparison of Deindividuation Theory and the Social Identity Model of Deindividuation Effects. Undergraduate J of Baylor University. https://www.baylor.edu/pulse/doc.php/77099.pdf

Elbeshbishi, S. Mar 15, 2023. Biden approved Willow project: What to know about the move to allow drilling in Alaska. USA Today.

Hendel, HJ. What is the change triangle? Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/emotion-information/201907/what-is-the-change-triangle

Hendel, HJ. Defenses and the change triangle tool.   https://www.hilaryjacobshendel.com/common-ways-to-avoid-emotions

Wallis-Well, D. Mar 8, 2023. Clean energy is less polarizing than you think. G.O.P. elites are simply lagging behind their states. NY Times.