This is a list of some terms that are central to the meaning of articles on the site. To avoid ambiguity, I have tried to cast definitions narrowly, and to apply these words with a vigorous consistency. Some of these terms are ‘newly minted’ technical terms, and have no equivalent word in common use. I used them hoping the reader will find them to be a convenient short hand, where otherwise a lengthy descriptive phrase would be needed to achieve the meaning.
armoring- the habitual clinching of the musculature of the human body, in a chronic protective reflex, and the consequent distorting of connective tissue, resulting in the inhibition of energetic flow
authentic- real, earnest, sincere presence, expressed with open face, gentleness in voice and gestures, and sensitive inquiry into the emotional safety of the other.
centeredness– to remain calm, in a harmonious, attentive and open state of acceptance
collaboration– The mutual co-authoring of a project where the relationship between the participants takes precedent over the issues that arise from the project itself
connection- a resonance of understanding between two people manifesting as a whole and mutual presence together
consensus community- a group of people who have committed to work together on a project, and use a limited form of emotional processing to uncover work-related strong feelings, with the goal of promoting resolution in order to become closer through the vehicle of their endeavor
contact- the intention of a single person to connect with another authentically using gentle and sincere expression
context- an individual’s degree of mature perspective, through which the whole of their daily experience is interpreted: conceptually, emotionally and phenominally
crisis- the cycle of mutually escalating anxiety between two people when they both feel emotionally unsafe, which leads them to mutually push out at each other defensively
defensive wounding- reacting to another’s strong feelings, by focusing on the other with blame, re-traumatizing the person under attack through their own clinched response, that further reinforces their body armor
emotional consensus- the sense of self-understanding that comes from engaging in emotional processing with several different friends, over many years
emotional processing- a format for communication, undertaken by two people, for the purpose of allowing strong feelings to be expressed safely, with the intention of the process leading to resolution
emotional safety- the atmosphere created by a listener trained in emotional processing that elicits the other to express their strong feelings without interference
emotional valence- the regard (positive or negative) and intensity of the felt-sense regarding the present challenge
empathy- the state of harmony between two people in which one accepts the emotional context of the other’s experience
episodic memory- the explicitly stated autobiographical events that comprise times, places, emotions, and the associated personal context of past experiences
gentle- the bodily component of authentic presence, a sensitive and assuring manner which helps to put others at ease
introspective awareness- directing one’s attention to become aware of the climate within their own body, to directly engage the tension, anxiety or pain being presently experienced, and purposely separate those sensations from the conceptual directives they have been habitually associated with
looking outside- (exteroception) to engage in the events, objects and goals that shape one’s ongoing efforts in the world, through paying attention to the externally directed senses
maintenance context- the emotionally mature state attained by an individual who is able to recognize the current quality of their emotional resources, including the degree of their resident anxiety, while being engaged in a challenge with their surroundings, and to make a calm, detached decision about how best to proceed, using meta-cognition to best identify the course of their growth as an individual
manipulation- the crude influence people exert over one another, through emotional control, in an attempt to have the other relinquish their own preferred choices in favor or the presentation
meta-cognition- the cognitive ability to let go of fixation on outcome during a habitual performance, and drop back into a supervisory role, allowing the sequential routine to flow automatically in a general way, but with spontaneous embellishment in a deeper way
obsessive-compulsive disorder(OCD)- a neuropsychiatric disorder categorized by virtually ceaseless intrusions of distracting, disturbing, and repetitive thoughts (obsessions) and by irresistible urges to carry out pointless, ritualistic behaviors. (compulsions)
outreach- the continual welcoming of new influences, new people in one’s life
parasympathetic nervous system(PNS)- the half of the autonomic nervous system associated with calm, vegetative function
personal power- the accumulation of calm and steadiness by practicing various ‘resource building techniques’, such as breathwork, meditation, yoga, stamina training, and authentic dance.
play– spontaneous interactive celebration of the mystery of the unfolding present moment; no willful fixation on the outcome; joyful following of momentary events
power- the healing, integrating and unifying, life-giving current which emanates freely from all beings; the active change-agent at work in the connection between two people, and in the centering and presence of the individual
presence- the ability to continuously track events on the inside and the outside and integrate the two into a single momentary, yet continuous experience
procedural memory- muscle-group movement sequences that are automatically retrieved and utilized for the execution of integrated sequences that engage both cognitive and motor skills
proprioception- the kinesthetic sense of the relative position of neighboring parts of the body and the sensation of the strength of effort being employed in movement
proprioceptors- receptor nerve cells located throughout the body that respond to stimuli produced by muscle coordination, and connective tissue flexing within the body
emotional reaction- to meet another’s strong feelings with clinched body armor, and a defensive self-expression, operating from a judgmental and blaming cognitive context
reciprocal altruism- the cumulative effect of continued cooperation overtime, within the same relationship, resulting in an emotionally stable social context
retraumatization- the clinching, anxiety producing, bodily response that occurs when a person relates their experience of strong feelings to outside causes (blame or victimhood)
self- the person centered in the experience, the one with access to both the inside and the outside
self-awareness- the cumulative understanding that an individual develops, that the experience of life is both a unique experience, and a shared phenomenon (see theory of mind)
self reflection- the practice of being alone with calm, open presence, and processing past personal experience, through the deliberate re-visitation of memories, for the purpose of coming to a settled acceptance of present conditions
sense-memory- the set of recollections we have about past events that include associated sensual components such as smell, taste, and bodily sensations
sincere- to be in integrity, to be honest, forthcoming and available to express yourself in a level and unassuming manner
solicitation pitfall- the tendency of a person to apply what they have learned and accepted about human behavior to another person, rather than themselves, a diversionary tactic, sometimes subconscious, to avoid the hard work of changing one’s own habits
support- commitment of availability for process, to show up for the other when they need it, and actively engage with consistent openness, sincerity and gentleness
sympathetic nervous system(SNS)- the half of the autonomic nervous system associated with physiological arousal to a defensive posture, from within a cognitive mindset of urgency
theory of mind- the understanding that other individuals have different thoughts and knowledge than you; most frequently used as a term in child development
trauma- the pattern of clinched muscles, distorted connective tissue and resulting stressed physiology, associated with past events that were so overwhelming that consciousness was temporarily suspended, trapping the energy of defensive arousal in the body, and becoming a source of chronic anxiety
venting- the unsafe release of strong feelings, while associating those feelings with outside causes (blame) causing re-traumatization: shouting, threatening, dire predicting, harsh expression, impinging gestures
will (the)- the cognitive ability to formulate a solution to the challenge at hand, in the form of a vision, and to hold that vision while comparing present conditions, in order to shepherd those conditions into a facsimile of the held vision- fixed on outcome.