Emotion research deepens our understanding of the human experience and provides a different approach to feeling emotion.
Emotion is a complex psychological and physiological response to stimuli, experiences, or situations, typically involving feelings, thoughts, and bodily reactions.
About the Institute
We believe feeling and connecting to emotion within us is essential to our health.
Founded by Sharon Faye and colleagues,
the Emotion Research Institute is driven
by a deep commitment to exploring
the intricate and often misunderstood
landscape of human emotion.
Emotion encompasses the vast array
of sensations that naturally arise within
us, yet for too long, we have been
conditioned to suppress them. It is now
time to ‘feel the pain’ by connecting
with our emotion to improve our health,
relationships and overall wellbeing.
From a young age, people are taught
to handle emotions by suppressing or
shutting them down. There is an implicit
assumption that emotion is either positive
or negative and so-called negative
emotions such as anger, sadness and
anxiety have been shunned. By going
within and feeling these emotions and the
effects they have on one’s mind and body,
we are connecting on a deeper level. This
is not the same as suffering, this is building
capacity for feeling, and as humans, we
need to feel to be well.
Here at the Institute, we believe there
is a different way to respond to and feel
emotion. We are devoted to researching,
educating, and applying this knowledge
to gain a deeper understanding of the
science of emotion. We aim to transform
how emotion is viewed, understood and
taught, whilst creating an awakening for
all humanity.
An important vision of the Institute is to
empower people to embrace the tools
they already have within them and to feel
all emotion.
Founded by Sharon Faye and colleagues,
the Emotion Research Institute is driven
by a deep commitment to exploring
the intricate and often misunderstood
landscape of human emotion.
Emotion encompasses the vast array
of sensations that naturally arise within
us, yet for too long, we have been
conditioned to suppress them. It is now
time to ‘feel the pain’ by connecting
with our emotion to improve our health,
relationships and overall wellbeing.
From a young age, people are taught
to handle emotions by suppressing or
shutting them down. There is an implicit
assumption that emotion is either positive
or negative and so-called negative
emotions such as anger, sadness and
anxiety have been shunned. By going
within and feeling these emotions and the
effects they have on one’s mind and body,
we are connecting on a deeper level. This
is not the same as suffering, this is building
capacity for feeling, and as humans, we
need to feel to be well.
Here at the Institute, we believe there
is a different way to respond to and feel
emotion. We are devoted to researching,
educating, and applying this knowledge
to gain a deeper understanding of the
science of emotion. We aim to transform
how emotion is viewed, understood and
taught, whilst creating an awakening for
all humanity.
An important vision of the Institute is to
empower people to embrace the tools
they already have within them and to feel
all emotion.
Our Story so far
Our goal is to help people feel comfortable with feeling uncomfortable.
As our charity prepares to celebrate its tenth year in 2025, it is an important time of reflection. Our story began with a child growing up in a severely disadvantaged environment in Australia during the 1950’s. This child experienced physical, emotional and sexual abuse and became skilled at surviving. By the end of the 1960’s, the child took to the streets where it was safer than living with her abusive mother. This ‘street kid’ survived. She was highly vigilant and learned how to find food at the back of cafés in the bins, how to keep warm in the bitterly cold winters under bridges and in alleyways. With very little education, no money, no home, no identity – no chance, life didn’t make sense to her as she dodged the welfare system. The only way she could make sense of her world was through feelings. When she connected to how scared she was, she felt relief. Feeling her pain saved her life.
Emotion research deepens our understanding of the human experience and provides a different approach to feeling emotion. For thousands of years, people have been taught to avoid negative emotions and all forms of discomfort. Imagine a world where we can face our own discomfort and feel healthier? The more we practice feeling our pain, the healthier we feel. Our mission seeks to explain the neuroscience of this type of response to pain. Every donation will assist us to explain this unusual phenomenon.
Your generosity fuels our vision
With your generous support, our research will continue.
At the Emotion Research Institute, we are driven by the belief that deeper emotional connection transform lives. We have strong anecdotal evidence over twenty-five years to show that moving towards pain is transformational. But we cannot do it alone. We need people like you to believe that avoiding pain is detrimental to your long-term health and wellbeing.
Together, we can make an impact
Your kindness and generous donations have the power to be life-changing.
When you support the Emotion Research Institute, you are helping us advance the understanding of human emotions, but you are also becoming part of a movement that promotes healthier, more connected communities. The research we conduct creates a ripple effect, not only in academic and scientific fields but in everyday life - impacting how emotions are understood and responded to in families, schools, and workplaces.