Concepts
The irreducible epistemic atoms underlying the curriculum. 4,828 atoms across 8 types
Name patterns with concrete, domain-specific labels…
Name patterns with concrete, domain-specific labels that fire as recognition signals in real-time rather than abstract clinical terminology.
When sharing emotional patterns with trusted others, include
When sharing emotional patterns with trusted others, include the trigger category, typical cascade, root belief, and what you need from them when it activates, not just the surface expression.
Distinguish between acceptance (acknowledging pattern exists
Distinguish between acceptance (acknowledging pattern exists while maintaining intention to change) and resignation (acknowledging pattern exists while foreclosing possibility of change), because only the first enables transformation.
When a difficult emotion activates and mobilizes…
When a difficult emotion activates and mobilizes physiological resources, redirect that activation energy toward specific productive action that addresses what the emotion signals, rather than suppressing the energy or allowing it to discharge reactively.
Act on courageous decisions while fear's activation energy…
Act on courageous decisions while fear's activation energy is still present (during the sustained period after initial spike but before full dissipation), rather than waiting for fear to subside, because the arousal provides the metabolic resources that willpower alone cannot reliably supply.
Convert anxiety's scenario-generation and hypervigilant…
Convert anxiety's scenario-generation and hypervigilant attention into structured preparation tasks by listing each worry explicitly and transforming it into a concrete action that addresses the anticipated threat.
Distinguish preparation from rumination by ensuring…
Distinguish preparation from rumination by ensuring worry-listing has a time limit, each worry converts to an action or is explicitly set aside, and execution focuses on doing rather than further imagining.
Frustration signals a gap between current state and possible
Frustration signals a gap between current state and possible state; cataloguing frustrations systematically creates an empirically grounded innovation roadmap where repeated frustrations indicate high-leverage improvement opportunities.
Frustration is productive when you perceive agency to change
Frustration is productive when you perceive agency to change the frustrating situation and becomes corrosive when you believe you cannot change it; quickly assess agency and redirect corrosive frustration toward boundary-setting, exit planning, or acceptance rather than innovation attempts.
Fear's physiological arousal (elevated heart rate…
Fear's physiological arousal (elevated heart rate, adrenaline, heightened focus) and excitement's arousal are neurologically indistinguishable; reinterpreting fear arousal as activation energy for deliberate action enables courage without requiring fear's elimination.
Every instance of acting despite fear provides calibration…
Every instance of acting despite fear provides calibration data that fear's predicted catastrophe rarely materializes fully, accumulating evidence that changes your relationship to fear from authority with veto power to familiar threshold companion.
Treat recognized patterns as decision points where…
Treat recognized patterns as decision points where you can choose to follow or interrupt the automatic response rather than expecting recognition to eliminate the pattern.
Use jealousy as a diagnostic tool by translating its targets
Use jealousy as a diagnostic tool by translating its targets into specific, underlying desires rather than treating it as shameful or dismissing comparison as toxic.
Treat productive shame (specific values violation) as values
Treat productive shame (specific values violation) as values clarification data by identifying which value the shame points at, while directing toxic shame (identity-level) toward professional support.
Convert shame's identified values violation into structural…
Convert shame's identified values violation into structural safeguards that prevent future violations under similar conditions, rather than relying on willpower alone.
Execute emotion-driven actions within the energy window…
Execute emotion-driven actions within the energy window (minutes to hours after onset) while the emotional activation is still running, as emotional energy has a predictable half-life.
Before attempting emotional redirection, identify…
Before attempting emotional redirection, identify the specific emotion through body-based detection, as different emotions require different actions despite similar physiological signatures.
Test emotional labels against bodily sensation by noticing…
Test emotional labels against bodily sensation by noticing whether the label produces recognition or wrongness, using the body as the validity check rather than intellectual reasoning.
Distinguish primary emotions from secondary reactive…
Distinguish primary emotions from secondary reactive emotions, as redirecting the secondary emotion without addressing the primary one leaves the core issue unresolved.
Use a single deliberate breath as a minimal intervention…
Use a single deliberate breath as a minimal intervention to shift attention from external trigger to internal sensation, creating a gap in the stimulus-response sequence.
Before attempting to transmute an emotion, determine whether
Before attempting to transmute an emotion, determine whether it points to actionable information or asks for presence with what cannot be changed.
When transmutation becomes a mandatory response to all…
When transmutation becomes a mandatory response to all difficult emotions rather than a deliberate choice, it functions as sophisticated experiential avoidance.
Change the environmental context that triggers automatic…
Change the environmental context that triggers automatic patterns rather than relying on conscious intention to override them in familiar contexts.
Allow grief and loss to oscillate naturally between feeling…
Allow grief and loss to oscillate naturally between feeling and ordinary life without forcing linear progression or productive output.