KNOW YOUR SELF

Master Emotional Access

Great acting requires authentic emotion. But how do you cry on cue? How do you access anger, joy, or fear reliably without forcing it, indicating, or causing unreasonable harm to yourself?

Know Your Self is an emotional journal designed to help actors identify, track, and understand their emotional triggers in everyday life, as well as intentionally trigger them on demand.

This isn't therapy. It's practical emotional training.

Tips & Tricks for a Safe, Sustainable Practice

• Learn a multitude of ways to intentionally and safely trigger emotions

• Powerful guiding principles to keep in mind

• Pitfalls to avoid

Daily Emotional Tracking

• Space to track what triggered emotions each day, whether from life events or intentional practice

Building Your Emotional Catalog

• Document moments of joy, sadness, anger, fear, excitement, and more

• Discover which memories, experiences, and imaginings trigger which emotions

• Create a personal reference library for future work

What This Workbook Provides

✓ Actors struggling with emotional access
They feel blocked to their feelings

✓ Actors who indicate instead of feeling
They fake it with their face or voice

✓ Actors with limited emotional range
They have trouble accessing certain feelings

✓ Actors preparing for emotional roles
Create your personal reference guide for your emotional life

✓ Actors in ongoing training
Perfect complement to weekly classes

✓ Self-directed learners
Practice emotional work between coachings

Who This Workbook is For

What Makes This Workbook Different

It Stands Alone

Know Your Self is a first-of-its-kind emotional journal for actors.

It's Actor-Specific

Emotional triggering is intensely personal. What saddens one person may enrage another and have no effect on yet another. This journal will aid you in figuring out and cataloguing what triggers you..

It's Psychology-Based

Grounded in how emotions actually work, not mystical concepts.

It Prioritizes Mental Health

You're not pressured to repeatedly relive trauma. You're tasked with deciding for yourself what's safe to use, and given tools to access those emotions and supplement areas where you may be lacking.

It Works Alongside Training

Use this alongside classes and coachings. Bring your observations to sessions. Apply what you're learning to scenes.

Ready to Transform Your Acting?

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Do I need to be in therapy to use this?

No. However, if you're dealing with significant emotional challenges, therapy is always recommended alongside any acting training.

How long until I see results?

Most actors notice increased emotional awareness within 2-3 weeks. Those with particularly robust emotional walls often take longer, but with consistent practice, success is inevitable.

Can I use this for theatre or voiceover?

Yes. Emotional access is essential for any medium.

Do I have to share what I write?

Never. This is your private work. Some actors share insights with coaches; others keep it entirely personal.

FAQ

About the Author

Braden Lynch is a Los Angeles-based acting coach with over 10,000 hours of experience working with actors in private coaching and weekly classes. Since 2006, his clients have gone on to lead roles on Netflix, Broadway, Amazon, A24, and more. His teaching is rooted in psychology-based technique and a commitment to honest, compassionate feedback.

Learn more about Braden →

Complete your bundle with:

Being Human, the flagship BLS acting technique book

Know Your Work - Daily practice exercises for skill development

Know Your Scenes - Script analysis workbook with space for 40 scenes

Get the Complete BLS Acting Library

Coaching with Braden

The books are designed to support independent practice, but if you want to go deeper, the work doesn't have to stop there.

Braden works with actors one-on-one in private coaching and online sessions, and teaches weekly acting classes in Los Angeles for actors at all levels.

If the technique in these books resonates with you, you would do well in the studio.