Frequently Asked Questions

Emotions Anonymous International (EAI) is a 501(c)(3) international non-profit organization that facilitates the Emotions Anonymous (EA) 12-Step Program. EAI is the administrative arm of the EA Program.

The EA office in St. Paul, Minnesota manages information about the EA groups' meeting information, maintains the EA website, publishes, sells, and ships the EA literature and materials, and generally works to provide information and understanding about the EA program of recovery.

EAI is not a religious or health-care organization. EAI does not offer medical, psychiatric, or therapeutic services. EAI is not affiliated with any other recovery program.

Please see the EA History page, linked above.

EAI is a small (but mighty!) organization. As of 2025, we have three part-time employees (Executive Director, Accountant, and Database/Shipping Coordinator) at our office in St. Paul, Minnesota, and a five-person volunteer Board of Trustees.

There are currently over 280 in-person EA groups worldwide, and 120+ remote meetings. All EA meetings are started and led by volunteers.

For comparison, the original and most well-known 12-Step program, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), has over 80 employees, and over 123,000 (!) AA groups worldwide.

The EA Program is a 12-Step peer-support group program based on the Alcoholics Anonymous 12-Step Program, but adapted to people dealing with overwhelming emotions and emotional difficulties.

The EA program is non-professional; it can be a complement to mental health therapy, but it is not necessary to be seeking professional help to attend EA meetings. The EA program is not a medical, psychiatric, or counseling service.

As an anonymous program, members' confidentiality is respected at all times. Members are not required to share any personal details - or even last names - if they do not choose to. As a spiritual program, there is an emphasis on a Higher Power. Experience has shown the EA program works equally well for any religious affiliations and those without religious beliefs.

The foundational components of the EA program include: the 12 Helpful Concepts, 12 Just for Todays, 12 Slogans, 12 Traditions,12 Steps, 12 Promises, and 12 Principles.

The program encompasses only EA-approved literature (books, workbooks, emotion-specific pamphlets, program pamphlets, other literature, and the Serenity Prayer).

No, EAI is a completely separate non-profit organization from Alcoholics Anonymous. We are also separate from all other 12-Step anonymous programs, such as Al-Anon or Narcotics Anonymous (NA).

The EAI Board of Trustees is made up of EA members from across the world. Trustees help EAI develop and approve new literature with input from EA members.

To learn more, please visit our "EAI Board of Trustee Information" page by clicking "Who serves on EAI's Board of Trustees?" above.

EA members are of diverse ages, races, economic statuses, and social and educational backgrounds. They live all over the world. Members can work the program by themselves or by attending/participating in meetings.

Members may have a mental health diagnosis, such as anxiety or depression, but it is not a requirement. Members have many different reasons that bring them to the EA program, but often the underlying emotions are the same or similar.

EA meetings are designed for adults; we encourage those 16 - 18 years old to attend meetings with a trusted adult.

No, you do not need health insurance to join an EA meeting. EA meetings are drop-in and free to attend. You do not need to sign up ahead of time or RSVP. No one will ask you for confidential personal information.

People in EA meetings introduce themselves with their first names only, and are not required to share anything beyond that.

The only requirement for EA membership is a desire to become well emotionally.

Weekly EA meetings are warm and accepting group settings in which to share experiences without fear of criticism. EA meetings are typically about an hour long.

Meetings are either in-person or remote. Remote meetings include meeting over phone calls, chat, or via online video or voice applications such as FreeConferenceCall, Google Meet, or Zoom.

EA members come together in weekly mutual support group meetings for the purpose of sharing experiences, feelings, strengths, weaknesses, and hope with one another while working toward recovery from any sort of emotional difficulties. Through weekly support meetings, members discover they are not alone in their struggles.

There are no fees to participate in or attend a meeting. Donations are encouraged per EA's 7th Tradition.

Select EA books and literature are typically available for purchase after the meeting ends, but are not required.

The leadership of each EA meeting rotates and are non-professional volunteers with no mental health training. The leader's function is to conduct the meeting, ensuring the meeting structure is followed, and that there are minimal disruptions. They are not an authority of the group, the EA program, or the EAI office.

Nope! EA members believe in the "take what you like, leave the rest” mentality - you accept whatever works for you.

All 12-Step Anonymous Programs are based in general spirituality, not religion. The EA Program is not religious and you do not have to believe in God in order to participate.

EA welcomes everyone from any background to participate.

Your personal “Higher Power,” as referenced in the EA literature, can be whatever you choose, outside of yourself.

Some examples of a "Higher Power" can include human love, a force for good, the group, nature, the universe, God, or any other entity/concept a member chooses that resonates with them. You do not need to share with anyone what you personally conceptualize as your "Higher Power."

Yes, you may! EA meetings are open to everyone.

It is common for people to discover EA after having been a member of another 12-Step program, and they may find EA to either be complementary to their current program or a better fit for their current needs.

Someone who has experience in another 12-Step program will likely find the structure of EA meetings very familiar and easy to transition to.

Our office does not facilitate this. You would need to reach out to the contact(s) for the support group meeting that you are interested in attending/participating in to see if they would be willing and able to fill out the necessary paperwork you require.

There are many service opportunities at EA!
You can:
1) Start a new EA group
2) Tell others about EA! We have business cards and fliers you can post in local libraries, grocery stores, coffee shops, etc. that provide information about your local EA meetings.
3) Consider becoming an EA sponsor.
4) Consider offering your services on the EA Board of Trustees: The Board meets monthly. Applications for Trustees are accepted each spring.
5) Make a contribution! A good portion of EA revenue comes from member gifts, allowing us to provide EA materials and services to the membership.

EA is fully supported by member/group contributions and EA material purchases. Funds donated are used to keep the International Service Center staffed and running, which, in turn, keeps EAI active and growing.

The EAI budget includes staff time, office rent, technology (website, email, forums), efforts to build awareness of the EA program, encourage membership, and cover publication costs. EAI is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and all donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.

Anonymity is a primary tenet of all 12-Step anonymous recovery programs and EA is no different. We do not sell or otherwise disclose information about our members that are not already public. This policy has no exceptions. We do not sell or exchange your information with any other organizations, public, private, or non-profit.

- To update your EA group's website listing, please fill out the form linked below.

- This form can also be found by visiting EAI's website homepage, opening the "Service Opps" drop-down menu at the top of the page, and clicking on "Update an EXISTING EA Group's Meeting Listing."

- Once the form is submitted, EAI Staff will manually update the group listing on the website. Staff have extremely limited part-time hours, so please submit the form as early as you know changes will need to be made. Updates can take several weeks to be posted. Thank you for your patience!

https://emotionsanonymous.org/service/submit-information-changes-to-existing-ea-group.html