Interconector (i.e., non-thematic psychic map) is a method of exploring, interconnecting and integrating the contents of one’s mind more satisfactorily. It consists of the following activities:
- detecting and verbally representing a number of emotionally important mental entities (i.e., likely to elicit relevant emotional reactions);
- depotentiating disturbing ones;
- reconciling and harmonizing dissonant and antagonistic ones, if appropriate;
- deactivating, activating or reactivating logical interconnections, i.e., mental associations, between any pair of entities in order to improve the emotional well-being of the subject.
A mental entity is defined as any mental entity (i.e., information, idea, concept, mental image, memory, sensation or perception) recorded in the subject’s memory and evocable by a particular word or phrase, symbol, image or form.
TheInterconnector serves to facilitate, speed up and document a psychotherapy or self-therapy, improve one’s cognitive-emotional responses and develop creativity. In this sense, theinterconnector can also be said to constitute an unstructured inventory of the subject’s psychic contents. Theinterconnector is also a tool for constructing unstructured mind maps and brainstorming on any topic.
Theinterconnector is based on the use of the A4 printable form below. In it there are 22 boxes connected to an imaginary interconnecting network. In each box the user will write a word or phrase that represents and evokes a certain mental entity.
Interconnector form (download as PDF)
Through the interconnection network each mental entity is potentially connected to any other. The number 22 is only due to the practical limitations of the space available in the sheet. In fact, ideally theinterconnector should have an unlimited number of boxes. In practice, as many forms will be filled as needed, imagining a single, common interconnection network, so even entities belonging to different sheets can ideally be interconnected.
An example of a filled form follows.
Example of filled interconnector
Instructions for using theInterconnector.
- Download the form from here and print a few copies to fill in as you need them.
- Obtain a binder in which to place the filled forms.
- Take a blank form and, at the top, in the space provided, write the date you started filling in.
- Write in any box the name or title of the first thing you can think of that has any relevance to your life and/or has a positive or negative affective charge. A box filled in this way represents a mental entity. This can be of any type (see below under Types of Mental Entity for a list of possible types). Write preferably in block letters so as to facilitate later speed reading.
- Keep adding mental entities to the form until all the boxes are filled.
- Do not try to adhere to any consistency, order, structure, logic or rationality in identifying mental entities. Freely write down the things that come to mind, even if they have nothing to do with those written previously.
- Add the completed form into the binder and start filling in a new one.
- Freely continue filling forms. There are no rules about the minimum and maximum number of mental entities or forms to fill out each day.
- Whenever you feel like it, browse and reread the collected forms. Viewing the mental entities represented in them provides a stimulus for identifying additional entities.
- It is possible that viewing the mental entities causes anxiety, tension or sadness. This would show that theinterconnector is having the intended effect. If the feeling is bearable, continue using theinterconnector as described above, otherwise take a break until you feel able to continue again with sufficient peace of mind.
- Periodically reread all the pages in the folder, from the least recent to the most recent, starting from the beginning again when you reach the last. Rereading can be more or less frequent as you choose and can be suspended and resumed at any time, even on different days.
- In moments of discouragement, anxiety or insecurity, or when you feel motivated or inspired to conceive new ideas, flip through the binder and reread the titles of the mental entities.
That’s it. You do not need to do anything else since the interconnection and harmonization of the mental entities happens automatically without the intervention of consciousness or will. As you flip through the binder and look synoptically at the titles of the mental entities, your brain works to interconnect, reconcile and harmonize them (if that makes sense) without you being aware of it or having to play an active role. You will only experience feelings initially of tension then of increasing serenity or even euphoria, until one day you will no longer need theinterconnector as a physical collector because you will continue to use it in your imagination. However, you will do well not to abandon the binder with the identified mental entities. It may come in handy again in case of anxiety or insecurity or to further stimulate your creativity.
Types of mental entities
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Categories of mental entities
Mental entities can be grouped into the categories listed in the following list. “X” represents any person.
NOTE: It is not necessary to organize the mental entities included in the interconnector according to these categories. These are listed here only to facilitate the identification of removed, forgotten or neglected mental entities.
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Suggestions of mental entities to include in your forms
The following list contains some suggestions of mental entities to include in your forms. Replace “X” with the name of a person significant to you.
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