Part of the Casswiki article series Fourth Way
According to the Fourth Way, emotions have their own place and own specific type of energy, which plays a necessary role in the human metabolism. The metabolism is here not limited to processing physical food but also encompasses impressions and the higher energies man may generate from these, if used properly.
Emotion is required for producing the “higher hydrogens” needed for activating the “higher centers”. Intellectual information alone is ineffectual for this.
The basic guidelines of the Fourth Way include the non-expression and transforming of negative emotions. The energy provided by experience which is perceived as negative is necessary but must not be wasted in automatic reactions. The automatic reactions vary from person to person; to use psychological terminology, we may speak of internalizing and externalizing types. While the mechanical responses may tend towards depression or towards outwardly directed anger, neither is per se the desired result.
The energy of negative emotions may be channeled towards intentional activity, but then this intentional activity will involve other centers as well. Another possible effect of strong emotion is a spontaneous shifting of the the state of consciousness. This is sometimes called the state of objective self-awareness, third state of consciousness, or activation of the higher emotional center.
In general, the Work aims at giving man choice as to how and when to utilize the energy of emotion.
We should not confuse non-expression or transformation of negative emotion with repressing same. Repressing negative emotion may lead to the formation of buffers and further compartimentalization of the mind via denial, which are all antithetical to the Work. The unproductive usage of negative emotions goes towards building barriers and running programs of negative imagination, which are automatic psychological responses. Conscious use recognizes negative emotions for what they are and decides how to channel the energy contained in them.