The real function of innate affect

• Real patient by Margaret Blakely, 5/18/96
  
  

Both of you have good reason to be proud.

What I like especially about the clinidote (Holy Neologism, Batman) is that the patient learned something about affect itself---the real function of an affect is to call attention to whatever has triggered it. Once we identify an affect, we can use the affect to lead us back to its source, at which time we can use our best mind to solve whatever. All her scripts for handling shame turned out to be unnecessary once her adult self was able to identify shame in the way you showed her.

Now---if she'd done an affect pattern chart for that moment, what would it have looked like? If you did an affect pattern chart for the way she was during the session when she told you the story, what would it have shown?

• Affect pattern chart by Margaret, 5/19/96
  • Logically, by Don Nathanson, 5/20/96
    • Absolutely! by Margaret, 5/25/96