Attractor basins
Imagine a landscape of hills and valleys. A ball placed on this landscape will naturally roll into the nearest valley and settle there. These valleys are called attractor basins — stable states that a system tends toward.
Your emotional life works the same way. Emotions aren’t switches that flip on and off — they’re a landscape of hills and valleys that you fall into. Each of these “attractor basins” — like joy, anxiety and hope — affects how you move, think and interact with others.
What shapes the landscape? Your relationship to the world around you.
Three variables shape the terrain
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Trust
How much do you trust your senses? High trust grounds you. Low trust destabilises everything.
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Uncertainty
How predictable is the world? Low uncertainty means no surprises. High uncertainty means your predictions are failing.
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Goal momentum
Are you moving towards what you value? High momentum means gaining ground. Low momentum means stalling, or feeling lost.
Move the sliders to reshape the landscape. Find the target emotion by making its basin the deepest valley.