The Seven Frameworks

Constructed Emotion Theory — Lisa Feldman Barrett

Your brain constructs emotions from body signals, past experience, and context. Emotions aren't triggered — they're built. Cathexis starts with the raw interoceptive signal, before the construction.

Predictive Processing — Karl Friston

Your brain runs predictions about what's coming next, then compares those predictions to what actually arrives. The mismatch — prediction error — is how the brain learns. Cathexis makes this process visible and generates the prediction errors that drive change.

Primary Affect Systems — Jaak Panksepp

Seven subcortical circuits drive motivation and emotional life: SEEKING, RAGE, FEAR, LUST, CARE, PANIC/GRIEF, and PLAY. These are not constructed — they are evolved biological systems. Cathexis tracks which systems are active and which are suppressed.

Somatic Markers — Antonio Damasio

Body states shape every decision you make. The tightness before a choice, the gut drop that signals danger — these are somatic markers, and they run faster than conscious thought. Cathexis teaches you to read them.

Neuropsychoanalysis — Mark Solms

Unconscious processes aren't mysterious — they're predictions running outside awareness. Consciousness exists to handle prediction errors the brain can't resolve automatically. Cathexis surfaces these patterns so you can observe them.

The Entangled Brain — Luiz Pessoa

Emotion is not localized to one brain region. It's a whole-brain phenomenon, with networks co-participating across regions. Cathexis visualizes activation as distributed — never "your fear center."

Memory Systems & Reconsolidation — Eric Kandel, Karim Nader, Daniela Schiller, Bruce Ecker

Memories aren't permanent recordings. When retrieved, they become unstable and can be updated — reconsolidation. This is how patterns that have been running for years can genuinely change. Cathexis creates the conditions for reconsolidation through targeted practice.