…existing code…
Visual metaphors
Finding the Shire, without a map
- I have the image of a kind of reverse Lord of the Rings arc in my head, where there’s a lovely oasis out there somewhere (the Shire), and I’m in a fairly desolate part of the world (although paradoxically, thinking that it’s desolate actually makes it more desolate)
- There’s a real territory, there’s a real path from where I am to a better land - even if not “the best” land, still an improvement, somewhere with more water and vegetation
- ☝️ Trying to get from the red X to the green X, but I actually don’t have a map (at the moment, at least!)
Walking a very narrow path with danger on either side
- 👇 Another metaphor - trying to walk this, blindfolded. This is a good metaphor for capturing the fact that (it currently feels like) if I take a poorly calibrated step, I could really burn myself, and make the journey much harder
Manifold path
Strange attractors (chaos theoy)
- Not something I know a huge amount about, but in chaos theory there’s the thing were chaotic systems are attracted to a certain “shape” in phase space (even though they never cross the same place twice!)
- A family as a complex system, a chaotic system, that gets attracted to a certain point in phase space
- Probably something like the combination of everyone’s comfort zone, everyone’s fear of breaking the mould, of speaking up, of facing their own pain, etc
Systems thinking
- Modelling each family member (and then, the entire family) with inflows (boosts to their mental health) and outflows (drains on their mental health).
- Find the key drainers? And then?
- Project 1 = mapping
- Project 2 = figuring out how to skilfully intervene/help
- AKA problem space, then solution space?