Emotional Marketing

 

We’ve all seen commercials like this one. The soft music sets the tone as we are shown little glimpses of some significant moments in life. We see a mother and father enjoying watching their children play; grandparents get to see their granddaughter prepare for graduation; two friends laugh and share advice; a soldier gets to see his baby on an ultrasound; two deaf people are able to sign to one another and have a conversation - and it is all possible because of the invention of Facetime. And while the advertisement may not immediately inspire us to go out and buy an iPhone, it does inspire us to think that in some way the iPhone makes people’s lives better. When this happens, we make an emotional connection with the product. This is the objective in what is referred to as Emotional Marketing.


We have all experienced the effects of emotional marketing, and I’m sure by now most of are aware that it exists. So what in the world does emotional marketing have to do with counseling? At first glance, not much. But when we consider the length of research done on the topic so that companies can make as much profit as possible, we are forced to recognize the significance of emotions. The advertising world knows that appealing to the emotions is the very best way to sell products/services, and businesses are willing to spend a great deal of resources to gain more insight into this. This means two things for us:

1)     Our emotions are POWERFUL - they can direct our motivation, decision-making, and behaviors.

2)     Our emotions can be INFLUENCED by what we are exposed to.

As counselors, we will voluntarily dive into the mysterious ocean of human emotions every day. And while it’s great to be aware of some of the tactics businesses use to lure us into buying things, I would like to propose the idea that this “emotional marketing” does not just happen in the business world. I think it is reasonable to believe that Satan is hard at work battling our emotions in a very similar way. We can easily be tempted to act in an ungodly way out of fear, envy, guilt, lust, or even out of “love” for something other than God. We can be powerfully motivated to do things we shouldn’t… just by the emotions we feel. 

Understanding the power behind emotion can help us to gain a better understanding of our clients, and the choices they make. It helps us to see them through eyes of grace, knowing that we live in a fallen world, and that sin has left its mark on all of creation, including the mind and heart. When we are able to see emotion through this lens, we can heighten our awareness to people or outside forces influencing them, and recognize the tactics that are being used. And in the midst of all this, we can find great comfort in knowing that the God who created us understands it all, and promises to help us navigate by guiding us in the way of Truth.   




 

Above all else... GUARD your heart.

The Steubenville rape case has been all over the news the past few days, and I couldn’t help but sit in shock after hearing gruesome details that seemed to just keep getting worse the more I listened. After a few minutes, I had to turn off the T.V. because I couldn’t bear it anymore. All I could think was, God, why? How are human beings even capable of this? Is this really our world? Days later, upon reading this article, I couldn't help but wonder how these young men had seemingly no conviction about the terrible crime they were committing, and the effect it might have on that young woman’s life. What’s equally disturbing to me is that there were a multitude of people who actually witnessed the crime, and never said so much as a word to stand up for the victim. What are parents teaching their children today? Where is the respect for humanity?

These questions inevitably lead me to look at the condition of the human heart. I see an extraordinary depth of damage that must exist in the hearts of the young men involved. I see an extraordinary depth of pain in the hearts of the victim and those who care for her. I see innocence being stripped from the hearts every witness (in person and through social media). I see hearts being hardened little by little as sexual objectification becomes more prevalent in various forms (including pornography). Every day hearts are being bruised, torn, and destroyed… it is a ripple effect that is wreaking all kinds of havoc across the globe.

There is a vital need to protect this fragile yet powerful thing we call the human heart.

As mentioned in the article, the internet (and social media in particular) has made it even more difficult to keep our hearts guarded from the evils of this world. In the counseling realm, we need to be aware of what our clients have been exposed to; it will give us an indicator of what has inflicted damage on their hearts. It is equally important that we are constantly aware of the condition of our own hearts. Over time, no matter what field we decide to go into, we will all come into close contact with a number of lives enveloped in trauma, sin, and brokenness. We will all, on some level, be impacted by them. We need to have wisdom in knowing when we are reaching burnout, and what constitutes appropriate self-care. We also need to be cautious in what we allow ourselves to be exposed to; if it negatively impacts the heart (the command center), it will eventually have a negative impact on everything else. This idea is outlined in Proverbs 4:23: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

My heart hurts for the young woman who will now spend years recovering from all the damage done in a single night. I am filled with anger, confusion and frustration at the fact that so many people could participate or watch and never say a word to stand up for a fellow human being in a completely helpless state. But I am once again reminded of the reason why I am called to the profession of counseling. We live in a broken and hurting world… a world that is in desperate need of people who follow Christ, the only One capable of healing the damaged human heart.

Seeing the Light

Almost-four-year-old Colton Burpo is rushed to the emergency room for a burst appendix. His parents anxiously wait as he undergoes surgery. After several hours, they are filled with relief when they discover their son is stable and healthy. But when Colton opens his eyes, he begins to describe how he “died” and then “came back to life.” Dismissing these comments at first, his parents decide he has merely had a dream. But as time goes on, Colton reveals more and more information about his experience that raise some very pressing questions. Somehow, upon waking from surgery, Colton has gained knowledge about relatives he never met, can tell his parents what they each were doing while he was in surgery, and can describe in perfect detail visions of Heaven, Jesus, and Bible figures that have stunning biblical accuracy.  

Could Colton’s soul have really left his body, and then returned again? Was this an authentic spiritual experience, or was it just the product of child’s vivid imagination? Could there be some biological explanation? If so, how can we explain the knowledge he gained? These are the questions that scientists and theologians have been asking for years regarding these events known as Near Death Experiences (or NDEs). 

A class discussion on personhood was diverted to this intriguing topic as students were trying to determine which aspects of the person were material, and which were immaterial.  The primary question at hand was "does the mind exist outside the observable world?" Personal accounts of Near Death Experiences all over the globe certainly pose some significant talking points when trying to answer this question. To learn more about this phenomenon, click here.


 So how do we explain this phenomenon? Well, there are two primary theories. One is solely “material” in that is proposes NDEs are caused by, and experienced within, the physical realm. This theory establishes that NDEs are an evolutionary response caused by neural and chemical reactions in the central nervous system, and serve as a coping mechanism for stress or trauma. The second theory could be characterized as “immaterial” in that it proposes that NDEs are caused by something outside the physical realm, and have spiritual validity. Evidence can be found to support both theories. The problem that is often noted with the “material” theory is that it fails to explain the out-of-body experiences that result in people receiving some kind of knowledge they would not otherwise have any other way of receiving. It also does not explain the often life-altering effects these experiences tend to have on people. One argument against the “immaterial” theory is that the experiences can be inconsistent. This still leaves open the possibility that some NDEs are authentically spiritual, and some are not.   


So how does all of this relate to the world of counseling? In addition to the fact that we may encounter clients who have had these experiences and are seeking help to cope with the after-effects (social, emotional, spiritual, etc.), talking about this complex subject reminds us that not everything can be easily explained. There are mysteries in the world that we won't be equipped to completely untangle. How we choose to handle these types of subjects will affect our personal worldview, our relationships with people, and our counseling practice. Unexplainable phenomena should be put to the test by both our scientific knowledge and theological wisdom. It is the responsibility of the Christian counselor to use discernment in analyzing all the available scientific data, and view it through a Christian lens.

In light of this perspective, I found it reasonable to determine that some of these NDEs could quite possibly be authentic spiritual experiences, and could still align with the collection of scientific evidence. These views are not strictly opposed to one another, and it would make sense to conclude that the immaterial world simply manifests itself in the material. And here lies the difference between the secular and Christian approach; one addresses only the material and neglects the immaterial, and the other addresses the interaction between the two. For the Christian counselor, this concept is extremely important, because to only address the material would be to neglect a significant part of the person, and would therefore be incompetent practice. My greatest discovery was that sifting through the mysteries of the human experience can be an enlightening adventure if we are willing to examine the evidence with an open mind.