Emotional Well-being's Guide: The Change Triangle Exploration

Emotional Health's Guide to the Triangle of Transformation

, and Administrator

2025 September 13 . 6:09 AM

2 min read

Emotional Health Change Triangle's Basics Explained

Emotional Well-being's Guide: The Change Triangle Exploration

The Change Triangle, introduced at a conference in 2008 by psychologist Dr. Taylor Hartman, is a groundbreaking model that offers a roadmap for improving emotional health. This bottom-up model, grounded in current neuroscience, has the potential to revolutionise mental health and reduce stigma on a large scale.

At its core, the Change Triangle brings awareness of one's emotional state. By identifying core emotions such as joy, anger, sadness, and fear, individuals can experience an immediate calming effect. Putting language to our experiences helps the brain and body relax, leading to an openhearted state characterised by calmness, curiosity, connection, compassion, confidence, courage, and clarity.

The Change Triangle is not just a tool for managing emotions in the moment, but a guide for returning to one's true self. It provides direction on what to do next to feel and function better. Whether it's navigating core emotions, defenses, or inhibitory emotions like shame, anxiety, and guilt, the Change Triangle offers guidance.

One of the most significant benefits of the Change Triangle is its ability to help individuals work through symptoms such as anxiety, depression, addiction, self-harm, and social anxiety. By addressing the underlying core emotions, individuals can find relief and begin the journey towards healing.

Incorporating the Change Triangle into daily life provides immediate benefits. It provides distance and perspective from distress, instilling hope for continuous personal growth and a more authentic self. The Change Triangle is not just a tool for managing emotions, but a companion for ongoing emotional work and self-improvement.

The Change Triangle, as part of the Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP) model, has the potential to improve mental health on a large scale. By offering a clear, accessible, and effective approach to emotional health, the Change Triangle is a beacon of hope for those seeking to understand and improve their emotional well-being.