In the modern workplace, pressure is often treated as a productivity issue. But beneath missed deadlines, broken communication, or poor team morale, there’s often something more subtle happening. According to Cedric Bertelli, founder of the Emotional Health Institute, many of these problems trace back to unresolved emotional reactions that play out quietly and repeatedly — even in top performers.
Bertelli is the co-developer of Emotional Resolution, or EmRes, a somatic approach to emotional health. It’s based on a simple idea with broad implications: that emotional reactions often stem from the body’s prediction system, not the present moment. When the brain senses something that resembles a past threat, it reacts automatically — not rationally. That reaction might show up as hesitation, defensiveness, irritation, or even total shutdown.
EmRes teaches people how to resolve that process without suppressing it. The method doesn’t require therapy or personal disclosure. Instead, it uses interoception — the body’s ability to feel internal physical sensations — to allow the nervous system to complete the unfinished emotional prediction. Once the brain gets updated sensory input, the loop ends. A similar situation will no longer trigger the same reaction.
Bertelli has worked with therapists, educators, and professionals across industries. His trainings have been used in public schools, leadership retreats, and mental health organizations. He’s also collaborated with researchers, including teams at UCLA, to explore how EmRes may support long-term emotional clarity without talk-based intervention.
Although EmRes has roots in emotional wellness, it’s increasingly relevant in business. Unresolved emotional patterns don’t disappear in professional environments. They influence how people lead, communicate, and respond under pressure. A manager who avoids confrontation might delay key feedback. A team member who overreacts to critique could derail a group’s momentum. Over time, these reactions shape company culture as much as policy does.
Bertelli’s position is that emotional resolution should be seen not as a soft skill but as a functional one. His method doesn’t ask people to explain how they feel. It helps them stop reacting from what they haven’t yet resolved. He frames it as a learned ability, not a mindset.
Emotional Resolution doesn’t rely on language, insight, or cognitive reframing. It works physically, and for that reason, it can be used quickly — in the middle of a reaction — without disrupting the work environment. The goal isn’t emotional control. It’s resolution.
Bertelli continues to speak at leadership conferences and mental health events. He’s also expanding facilitator training across several countries. As emotional health becomes part of broader conversations around workplace wellbeing, he’s one of a growing number of voices calling for practical tools that go beyond awareness.
For companies, the takeaway is clear. When people are no longer reacting from emotional memory, they respond more directly. That shift shows up in meetings, in decision-making, and in how teams move through stress together.
It’s not dramatic. But it changes everything that matters.
