neuroskill-protocols-emotions

name	neuroskill-protocols-emotions
description	Emotional regulation, mood, and extended emotional processing protocols — interventions for faa, mood, anger, grief, shame, fear, envy, joy, loneliness, resentment, excitement, and emotional boundaries.

Emotions Protocols

(This is a domain sub-skill of the neuroskill-protocols repertoire. For the personalisation engine, API integration guide, modality router, and matching guidance, see the parent neuroskill-protocols skill. For evidence collection rules, see neuroskill-evidence.)

EMOTIONAL REGULATION & MOOD

FAA Rebalancing → negative faa, low mood Approach-motivation imagery + left-hand squeeze. Activates left frontal alpha. ◈ Imagery should match the person: A chef imagines a perfect dish. An athlete imagines a winning moment. A parent imagines their child laughing. Use THEIR approach motivation, not a generic one.

Mood Activation → flat mood, low engagement Brief movement (arms overhead, expansive posture) + gratitude anchor — lifts valence. ◈ Mobility-limited: Smile broadly for 10 seconds (facial feedback hypothesis). Or hum an upbeat tune. ◈ Depressed/can't "just be grateful": Skip gratitude. Instead: name one thing that didn't go wrong today. Lower the bar. ◈ Elderly: Gentle arm raises only to comfortable range. Gratitude anchor to a cherished memory.

Loving-Kindness (Metta) → loneliness, shame, guilt, grief, or low faa Graduated compassion phrases: self → loved one → neutral → difficult → all beings. ◈ Secular framing: "Think of someone you care about. Wish them well silently. Now do the same for yourself." ◈ Self-compassion resistant (common in men, high-achievers, military): Frame as "you'd say this to a friend — now say it inward." Skip the word "compassion" if it triggers resistance. ◈ Child: "Send a warm thought to your best friend. Now to your pet. Now to yourself." ◈ Culturally adapted: In collectivist cultures, start with family/community before self — the sequence matters. 🔧 API: Before: check status → scores.faa (negative = withdrawal). During: say each phrase warmly ("May you be safe… may you be happy…"), dnd_set enabled:true. Track faa shift mid-protocol — if it turns positive, note it. After: label "metta meditation" with faa delta + mood delta. Over time: search_labels "metta" → correlate faa improvement across sessions → "Your frontal asymmetry shifts positive more quickly now than it did 2 weeks ago."

Emotional Discharge → extreme FAA swings, agitation Brief vigorous breath (30 s), followed by stillness and body scan — safely vents charge. ◈ No-breath variant: Vigorous hand shaking for 30 s, then stillness. Or stomp feet rapidly. ◈ Quiet environment: Isometric full-body clench (every muscle) for 10 s, then total release. ◈ Teen: "Put on headphones, listen to the heaviest song you know for 2 minutes. Then silence."

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EMOTIONAL PROCESSING (EXTENDED)

(Always name the emotion you are seeing/sensing before offering; never diagnose.)

Anger & Frustration Processing → high stress_index + high bar + agitation Name it first. Palm-press discharge (10 s). Then regulate: slow exhale-extended breath (4 in / 8 out), OR cold water on wrists, OR bilateral tapping (60 s), OR vigorous shaking/stomping (30 s then stillness). Somatic locate. Finish with one clear boundary or action statement. ~8 min.

Grief & Loss Holding → low mood + low engagement No resolution goal — just presence. Body scan to locate grief physically. Hand on chest (feel your own warmth). Three things remembered. Close with: a slow exhale, OR just sitting in stillness for 30 seconds, OR gently pressing both palms together. The closing ritual matters — the specific modality does not. ~10–15 min.

Shame & Self-Compassion Break → negative faa + self-criticism Neff's 3-part self-compassion: mindfulness → common humanity → kind phrase. Distinct from Metta (radiates inward, not outward). ~6 min.

Emotion Surfing → high bar + urge to escape or avoid Ride the wave rather than fight it. Map the feeling in the body. Direct attention to the centre of the sensation — with breath (breathe toward it), OR with touch (place a hand on that area), OR with pure attention (just notice without doing anything). Watch it peak and subside without acting on it. ~8 min.

Fear Processing → freeze pattern (very low engagement) Name the fear precisely. Rate 0–10. Locate in body. Orienting sequence. Gentle rocking. Ask: what does this fear most need me to know? ~10 min.

Envy & Comparison Alchemy → post-social-media, low mood + negative faa Name what you envied. Convert to desire-signal: "That shows me I value ___." Write one step toward that value. ~6 min.

Excitement Regulation → very high engagement + high hr (arousal too hot) Channel — don't suppress. Name what's exciting. Bring HR down with: slow breathing, OR cold water on wrists (instant HR drop), OR bilateral tapping, OR seated stillness with eyes closed for 60 seconds. Write one immediate concrete next action. ~5 min.

Emotional Inventory (Check-In) → unknown/mixed EEG, user seems flat, session opening What am I feeling? Where? Intensity 0–10? What does it need? No fixing — just naming. ~3 min.

Awe & Wonder Induction → low lzc, contracted attention, existential flatness Guided imagination into vastness. Recall a genuine awe moment. Expand the image. Notice chest opening, the smallness that feels good. ~8 min.

Joy Amplification → mood > 0.7 + positive faa — savour a good state Name what is good. Locate the physical felt sense. Amplify it: breathe into it and let it spread, OR place a hand over the area and feel the warmth grow, OR smile broadly and let the sensation expand, OR hum a note that matches the feeling. Create a sensory snapshot to return to. Seal with gratitude. ~5 min.

Loneliness & Connection → low mood + low engagement + expressed isolation Aloneness vs loneliness distinction. Loving-Kindness toward others in same pain. One micro-action toward connection. ~8 min.

Resentment Release → persistently negative faa + high stress + held grievance Write or speak: what happened, how it affected you, what you needed. Not to excuse — to release carrying it. Somatic check. ~10 min.

Emotional Boundaries Reset → post-difficult conversation, high stress_index Permeable-membrane visualisation. Return ownership of your feelings. For each boundary re-established: one slow breath, OR one deliberate hand-press on your own chest, OR one spoken "That's theirs, this is mine." Any ritual that marks the boundary works. ~5 min.

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