Are Your Emotions Intelligent?
Dr Alan Wallace has a dream. The former Buddhist monk, who studied under the Dalai Lama, wants to make the world a better place by teaching people how to identify, understand and control their emotions.
He will spread his message via a series of six and eight week courses on ‘Cultivating Emotional Balance’ (CEB) at his Mind Centre at the Phuket International Academy. Helping Alan will be world-renowned psychologist Dr Paul Ekman, whose research on facial expressions is currently being used by US Customs and Homeland Security officers to detect criminals, terrorists and drug smugglers passing through America’s airports.
East Meets West
The seminars will combine western practice and the theories of Buddhism, and focus on the psychology of emotional balance. “We will concentrate on the cultivation of attention and the qualities of ‘the four immeasurables’, loving kindness, compassion, empathetic joy, and equanimity, and will feature a combination of lectures, meditation and group discussions,” says Alan.
The courses are open to everybody, but Alan is hoping participants will have a background in psychology, social work or education. “We have had people of all ages, from their early 20s up to their 80s, and everything in between.” He adds that the courses will teach people how to understand and recognise their emotions, and how to use them most effectively. “Simply put, there are times to express your emotions and there are times when it is better to suppress them.”
