How to Use The Container Exercise to Find Relief from Strong Emotions

In the midst of our busy lives, we often find ourselves grappling with strong emotions that can overwhelm us. Whether it's stress, anxiety, anger, or even sadness, these intense feelings can leave us feeling out of control and desperately seeking relief. While all of our feelings exist to communicate valuable information, sometime we need time before we can fully process and honor the message they are sending.

That's where the container exercise comes in. This simple yet powerful technique harnesses the transformative power of visualization to help us navigate and find relief from our strong emotions. By using everyday containers as tools, we can channel our emotions, release pent-up energy, and regain a sense of calm and balance. In this guide, we will explore how to effectively use the container exercise to find relief from strong emotions, empowering ourselves to take charge of our emotional well-being.

Below we will cover the history for the container exercise; then how to use it to bring relief from difficult emotions.

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How was the Container Exercise Developed

The exact origin of the Container Exercise is a bit unclear. It likely emerged from the field of psychotherapy, particularly practices aimed at emotional regulation. There are connections to a few areas:

• Distress Tolerance: This concept focuses on helping people manage intense emotions in a healthy way. The container can be a tool to temporarily store overwhelming feelings until someone is ready to process them.

• EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing): EMDR uses imagery and eye movements to help people address disturbing memories, including trauma. The container could be seen as a safe space to hold these memories until they can be reprocessed through EMDR therapy. However, I learned this technique during when I was trained in Accelerated Resolution Therapy.

• Window of Tolerance: Developed by psychiatrist Dan Siegel, this concept describes the optimal emotional state for functioning well. The container exercise can help people return to their window of tolerance by putting difficult emotions aside temporarily.

How Does the Container Exercise Work?

The container exercise is based on the idea that we can train our brains to distinguish between harmless triggers and actual threats. By learning to contain our anxieties instead of suppressing them, we can reduce their overall impact. This exercise is particularly helpful for people who struggle with anxiety, as it provides a safe space to process difficult emotions and memories.

Here's a Step-by-Step Guide to the Container Exercise

Step 1: Imagine Your Container

1. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths to relax.

2. Picture a container in your mind that is strong, secure, and large enough to hold anything troubling or disturbing.

3. Ensure that this container can close completely and has a way of locking if desired.

Step 2: Visualize the Details

1. Observe the details of your container. Notice its size, shape, and material.

2. Make sure it is large enough and strong enough to hold all your troubles.

3. Visualize how it closes securely. If you want, you can imagine testing its security by opening and closing it a few times.

Step 3: Use Your Container

1. Start by allowing anything troubling or disturbing to go into the container.

2. You may be aware of some things you are putting in, but others might be unknown. It’s okay if you don’t know what all of them are.

3. Avoid focusing on the disturbing elements; just let them go into the container. Trust that they will be available later when you are ready to deal with them.

Step 4: Secure the Container

1. Once all troubling thoughts are in the container, visualize it closing securely.

2. Feel the container locked and secure.

Step 5: Return to the Present Moment

1. Gradually become more aware of your breathing and your body.

2. Slowly open your eyes and bring your awareness back to the room.

3. Take a deep breath and exhale fully.

Step 6: Reflect on Your Feelings

1. Take a moment to notice how you feel emotionally and physically.

2. Reflect on any differences in how you feel compared to before the exercise.

Step 7: Practice with a Mild Concern

1. Close your eyes and bring up the image of your container.

2. Identify a mildly troubling concern or memory to bring out for a test run.

3. Visualize taking this concern or memory out of your container.

4. Notice any changes in your emotions and body as you bring it to the front of your awareness.

Step 8: Return the Concern to the Container

1. Allow the concern or memory to go back into the container.

2. Avoid focusing on it going back in; just let it happen.

3. Once the concern is back in the container, secure it again.

Step 9: Reflect and Return

1. Notice how you feel now compared to when you brought the concern out.

2. Gradually allow the image of your container to fade.

Step 10: Leave your Container Some Place:

1. Consider a physical location where you can "place" your container metaphorically. This could be on a shelf in your mind’s eye, in a special room, or even in a corner of a favorite place in your imagination.

2. By leaving your container in this designated spot, you symbolically acknowledge that these concerns are stored safely and can be retrieved when you're ready to address them.

3. When I do this technique in therapy session, people often decide to use the contain in my office, at the cross of the Lord Jesus, or in bottom of the ocean.

Step 11: Final Reflection

1. Return your focus to your breathing and your body.

2. Open your eyes and take a deep breath, exhaling fully.

3. Reflect on how the exercise made you feel overall.

4. Note any changes in your emotional and physical state.

Step 12: Schedule Time to Review Your Container:

1. Decide on a specific time to revisit the contents of your container. Schedule this in your calendar to ensure you set aside dedicated time to address these thoughts and feelings.

2. It's crucial not to use the container exercise as a way to avoid confronting your emotions, as God has given each of your emotions a purpose. To prevent this, make sure to schedule dedicated time to review what you've placed in the container. If it helps, write down the scheduled review times to ensure you remember and honor this commitment.

Tips for Using the Container Exercise

• Practice this exercise whenever you need to, whether after a counseling session or during your day-to-day life when past memories, urges, cravings, or future concerns interfere with your present functioning.

• For more structured guidance, you might find Virtual EMDR helpful.

• Use the container exercise to calm your mind when trying to sleep or focus on a task at hand.

• Practice regularly to become more proficient in using this tool for managing stress and distressing thoughts.

Personalize Your Of Practice The Container Exercise

Feel free to personalize the container exercise to fit your needs and preferences. Here are a few ideas:

• Use a physical container, such as a small box or a Tupperware container, to represent your emotional container.

• Write down your anxieties on a piece of paper and place them into the container as you place the paper inside.

• Some people have trouble visualizing, if this is the case for you, just think thought the above access.

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Final Thoughts on The Container Exercise:

By incorporating the container exercise into your routine, you can develop healthier coping mechanisms for dealing with anxiety and other overwhelming emotions and find a sense of peace and calm.

if you struggle with dissociation, imagery triggers you easily, or you are feeling emotionally activated, please don’t do this exercise alone.  Seek the guidance of a skilled Christian therapist to help you. You can search our database of Christian therapist and life coaches here: Christian therapist

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About the Author:

Corine Williams, Ph.D. is Clinical Psychologist that is currently seeing clients in the States of Maryland, New Jersey, and New York. You can find out more about her practice by visiting www.therapyforchristians.com/corinewilliams. In addition to providing individual therapy, Dr. Williams is also passionate about writing books and designing merchandise that educate, uplift, and normalize mental health subject in the Christian community. You can find out more about her at  www.booksbycorine.com or by visiting her amazon profile here:  https://www.amazon.com/Corine-Hyman/e/B00AWZ5FL2

Help us increase mental health awareness in the Christian community by donating through our paypal link here: www.paypal.com/therapyforchristians, joining our mailing list by clicking below, or join our provider list here: Provider listing

Disclaimer: the information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained on this article are for informational purposes only. No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you are looking for a Christian counselor near you, please check out our directory located here: Christians Therapist Near Me