Images can be powerful ways of helping us understand information and form concepts and mindsets that we then use as models for beliefs and actions.

Maps, for instance. Globes. They can determine how we relate to and move through the world. Similarly with maps or models of the psyche and our emotions.

Maybe you've seen something like an iceberg depicting the emotion of anger. In this model, anger is above the surface and it's described as a secondary emotion. Below the surface, unseen or hidden, are any number of what are considered more primary emotions and feelings.

This kind of vertical model can cause us to interpret what is below the surface as more fundamental and powerful. Maybe that's true in some cases, maybe it's not. Icebergs themselves carry a lot of cultural implication, though. Threat and danger. Massive, powerful, and irresistible forces that can't be avoided. They sink ships in the ocean of consciousness.

But what about another model of the emotions? In Dynamic Emotional Integration®, all the emotions are welcomed and viewed as playing a role, with neither positive or negative emotions. And they can be present in multiple combinations and intensities. They are all primary, you might say.

You can think of it like this: Your emotions are like an orchestra.

Just like the instruments of a symphony orchestra, grouped and seated in instrument families on the stage, each member having a part to play in the musical piece, your own emotions are arranged in families on the stage of your consciousness. They each have a role to play in the symphony of your experience.

In this model, you are the composer of the music. You are the conductor too. You get to choose your own seating chart of the emotional families. And you are all your emotions. They all have a part to play in your life; all your emotions want to be heard and offer their beauty and wisdom.

In this way of understanding yourself, the goal is not to master your emotions but to become a maestro. To appreciate and reveal your life as a work of art.

If you would like to further explore this way of tapping into your creative heart, consider the self-study course Your Emotional Orchestra: An Intro to the Music of Your Own Inner Wisdom.