Swirls

Swirl is a metaphor to describe an existential mood state. It is a deeply unpleasant experience that borders on despair and anguish. When in this state, emotional paralysis takes over. We lose voice, agency and will. We feel diminished. What is unique about the Swirl is that it denotes a range of distressing experiences that go together and relate to an internal physical, emotional and mental space which however might have recognisable dimensions and coordinates. This blog is an attempt to understand and explore the origins, dimensions and effects of the Swirl Swirl is like a black hole; we fall into it or get sucked in. We feel overwhelmed by something stronger than ourselves. The Swirl is different from other emotional states because it brings together descriptors like panic, anxiety and fear and places them in a three dimensional space: i.e. sucked into a swirl as into a whirlpool.

Swirls is a metaphor used to describe the painful experience of feeling sucked into an empty space, a vortex, where initiative and energy are drained away, replaced by helplessness and despair, panic and anxiety. This blog has several organising principles or themes to integrate the myriad thoughts, quotes, examples we have assembled over time. One is the Super Ego, the internal judge which inhibits our autonomy and independence. The concept of an internal judge, or critical voice, goes with the 'internal saboteur' of Fairbairn which, like a parasite, seeks to undermine its host.  It imposes incorrect cognitions on to feelings, (like the child who believes it’s her fault her parents have split up, and is convinced from then on that she is ‘bad’). It leads to self destructive behaviours, and is mostly unconcerned if it goes down with its host. Another theme is diminishment. The Swirl experience always involves feeling diminished, so that the person may 'give u...

Swirl is a metaphor that describes an existential mood state; a common and deeply unpleasant experience that borders on despair and anguish. Being in this state, emotional paralysis takes over. There is loss of voice, agency and will. In this state there is a feeling of being diminished, and life seems pointless. Self talk says: " I am bad and I am in this state because I am unlovable. What is unique about the Swirl is that it denotes a range of distressful experiences that co-exist and relate to an internal physical, emotional and mental space which however might have measurable coordinates. This blog is an attempt to understand and explore the origins dimensions and effects of the Swirl Swirl is like a black hole, in the sense of the fall into a swirl or being sucked into a swirl. And the experience of being overwhelmed by something stronger than oneself. One of the features to explore is whether the Swirl effect comes from a combination of influences from inside an...