Quoting Dr Katzenstein:
“Why are emotions important?
We all think we use rational thought to make decisions, and we’re under the impression that we are logical and completely rational beings. In reality however, it is our emotions rather than logic that motivates behavior.
As proof, we can took at eating right. If we were completely rational, we would eat only when hungry. It’s interesting to notice, and actually scientifically proven that there are very few overweight animals, as they are much more limited in their emotional capacity and are extremely rational beings.
So why do we eat that cookie when we're full? It makes no rational sense. The answer is not rational. It’s because we're searching for a feeling associated with that cookie.
We know this is true from research on psychotherapy. When we ask someone why therapy was successful, they do not use all sorts of scientific, research-based or what they call evidence-based terminology to describe what the content of the therapeutic relationship was.
Rather, they talk about their feelings toward the therapist and what the relationship between the client and therapist was like. In fact, research shows that the relationship between a therapist and client is actually the most important factor, above all other factors, including experience, skill level, or education level of the therapist. The most vital factor in whether or not a therapeutic process is going to be successful is the relationship between client and therapist.
That means the feelings, the emotions that are taking place within the therapy room.”