Glossary of Key Terms
Disposition
The fundamental, underlying mood or energy signature of the body. It is influenced by various physiological systems and processes like vagal tone, gut biome, and hormone levels.
Affect
The specific physiological configuration the body takes on in response to a threshold event. This includes changes in heart rate, muscle tension, neurochemicals, and more. Affects are pre-emotional and shared across many species.
Affect streams
A set of physiological responses and action protocols associated with a specific affect. Eileen Russel grouped the seven core affects into three streams: Connection (CARE and PANIC), Tremulous (SEEKING and FEAR), and Mastery (PLAY and ANGER).
Anxiety
A dispositional state marked by the down-regulation of arousal energy. It often arises when individuals avoid entering a specific affect stream due to anticipated negative consequences.
Emotional Valence
The learned positive or negative association attached to a particular affect, largely shaped by early childhood experiences and caregiver responses.
Emotion
A complex human experience that arises when affects are combined with narrative, memory, and imaginal overlays. Emotions are culturally influenced and often involve cognitive appraisals of the situation.
Guilt
An emotion associated with having done something wrong according to cultural norms and rules. It can trigger various affects, including anger, fear, or even playfulness in attempts to escape consequences.
Limbic Overwhelm
A state of emotional flooding where the brain’s regulatory systems are overwhelmed by intense emotions. This leads to the release of neurotoxins that shut down the normal affect system.
Narrative-Imaginal-Mimetic Stack
The layer of mental processes that combines narrative, memory, and imagination, often leading to a disassociation from the present moment and the body’s actual experience.
Sensemaking Up-Hierarchy
The natural bottom-up process where affects lead to perception and flow towards actions that satisfy needs or restore equilibrium. This can be disrupted when emotions and narratives dominate, leading to a top-down control.
Shame
A complex emotion involving a double-bind where an authentic impulse is met with disapproval or rejection, forcing an individual to choose between self-expression and social acceptance.
Depressive Mode
A highly contracted energetic state characterized by energy collapse and shutdown, added by the author to Russel’s affect stream model.
Awakened Mode
A fully expanded state characterized by a sense of liberation and wisdom, added by the author to Russel’s affect stream model.