The analyzer (i.e., thematic psychic map) method is used to bring back to consciousness ideas and mental images that have been unused for a long time or removed as painful. It is similar to brainstorming but is not aimed at solving a particular problem. Instead, it aims to search for all possible associations of ideas with respect to a certain topic.
The method consists of writing, on a sheet of paper or in a computer, a map of words or sentences without any rules or logic.
It begins by assigning a title to the map, choosing a topic that is close to our hearts or that makes us uneasy. The title should be written in the center of the page, and the other elements of the map will be arranged around it.
Then you take the first word or phrase that comes to mind that has any relation to the title, and place it in the map in any position.
As we look at the map, we continue to add to it any word or phrase that comes to mind, without any rule or limitation, even unrelated to the previous ones, for as long as we wish.
This technique helps to avoid thinking about the same things over and over again, and can have a therapeutic, cathartic or creative synoptic effect.
Example of an analyzer:
You can also use the following form:
Analyzer Form (download it as a PDF)
Emotional reactions to the analyzer
You are likely to experience a feeling of uneasiness (in the stomach or elsewhere) when looking at the resulting map. The discomfort is due to the lack of order and logical connection between the words presented, where we are used to thinking and feeling in a serial, logical, organized way.
The mental agents that determine the activity of the unconscious (based on what is perceived in the current moment) act simultaneously, anarchically, autonomously and disorganized. Therefore, in order to understand and manage one’s mind, and especially the unconscious, one must become accustomed to receiving simultaneous, disordered and unpredictable stimuli, and to dealing with related emotional responses. For this purpose, the analyzer can be helpful.
After a certain amount of time of exposure to such stimuli, which may require repeated sessions, the sense of discomfort tends to fade and is replaced by a pleasant arousal, coupled with the feeling of being able to control one’s emotions.
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