Commentary on holding to feelings

[2025-11-26 Wed]

1. Preface

This is a collection of thoughts on my journal entry: On holding On To Feelings(MUST-READ). I ran it through ChatGPT and i am posting its insights, and also my insights on its insights, and generally just thoughts on the article.

2. Thoughts generate emotional and physiological reactions

A thought is not just a thought. It triggers changes in the nervous system, shifts in posture, changes in self-evaluation, and threat-response patterns. You cannot go back to the state you were in before the thought. Yo can stop continuing the thought, but it has already run. Similar to [Pandora's box] as mentioned previously.

3. Why separate events from interpretations

The event is already over
But, the interpretation can continue to change. When they are fused, the event feels "active" as if it still occuring. This can bring back trauma
The event is fixed. I said "top 10 goon sessions". someone screenshotted. thats the event. It is unchangeable
But the interpretation isnt: A while later it can go from: "That was hilarious" to "I humiliated myself" to "I shouldnt have said anything"
- The interpretation is not the event.

3.1. How do we seperate them?

In order to separate something, we need to find two distinct groups
Identify the event: ask "what exactly happened in the physical world?". Strip everything else
Identify the interpreation: "I … myself"

digraph EmotionalOS {
  rankdir=LR;
  node [shape=box, style=rounded, fontname="Helvetica"];
  subgraph cluster_event {
    label="Raw Event (DATA)";
    style=filled; color=lightgrey;
    Event [label="Event\n(e.g. said something, screenshot)"];
    Archive [label="Archive\n(neutral storage)", shape=folder];
  }

  subgraph cluster_meta {
    label="Interpretation (METADATA)";
    style=filled; color=lightyellow;
    Interpretation [label="Interpretation\n(labels/meaning)"];
    Review [label="Review / Re-evaluate\n(optional)", shape=note];
    Update [label="Update / Re-label\n(change meaning)", shape=oval];
    Discard [label="Discard\n(remove tag)", shape=box];
  }

  Emotion [label="Emotion / Signal\n(shame, anxiety)", shape=ellipse];
  Rumination [label="Rumination Loop\n(re-opening & polishing)", shape=diamond, style=filled, color="#ffd6d6"];

  Identify [label="Identify Event\n(strip extras)", shape=parallelogram];
  Label [label="Name Interpretation\n(label metadata)", shape=parallelogram];
  Separate [label="Separate\ndecouple data ↔ metadata", shape=hexagon, style=filled, color="#d6f0ff"];
  Log [label="System Log\n(timestamp/access record)", shape=note];

  // Normal (separation) flow
  Event -> Identify -> Separate -> Archive;
  Identify -> Log;
  Separate -> Interpretation [label="detach (no fusion)"];

  Interpretation -> Label -> Review;
  Review -> Update -> ArchiveInterpretation [label="apply new meaning then store", shape=folder];
  Update -> Discard [label="option", style=dashed];

  // Rumination (fusion) flow
  Event -> Interpretation [label="fusion (event+label)", style=dashed, color=gray];
  Interpretation -> Emotion;
  Emotion -> Rumination;
  Rumination -> Interpretation [label="re-open / repolish", color=red];
  Rumination -> Emotion [label="sustains signal", color=red];

  // Breaking the loop
  Rumination -> Separate [label="intervene: separate", style=bold, color=blue];
  Separate -> Archive [label="neutralize emotional fuel", style=bold, color=blue];

  // Visual helpers
  ArchiveInterpretation [label="Archived Interpretation\n(soft/updated tag)", shape=folder];
  ArchiveInterpretation -> Archive [style=dotted];

  // Legend cluster
  subgraph cluster_legend {
    label="Legend";
    style=rounded;
    L1 [label="hexagon = process", shape=hexagon];
    L2 [label="folder = storage/archive", shape=folder];
    L3 [label="diamond (red) = rumination (problem)", shape=diamond, style=filled, color="#ffd6d6"];
    L4 [label="dashed = fusion/automatic path", shape=box, style=dashed];
  }
}

4. Why does this work?

Events are immutable files
Interpretations are mutable labels. If you fuse them:
- the label becomes part of the file
- you treat subjective fear as objective reality
- you can’t update the meaning
- you can’t archive the file
- the system loops

5. Elsewhere

5.1. References

5.2. In my garden

Notes that link to this note (AKA backlinks).