Make room for a feeling

Explore openness to emotion without approving harm or giving up protection.

How to use it

Work with a manageable everyday situation. The sequence below is an invitation, not an assessment. You can skip by ending the exercise, correct your wording, or stop at any time.

1. Name a manageable feeling you are willing to notice briefly. You can decline.
2. How do you usually respond, and what are the short- and longer-term effects?
3. What would a little room for it look like, without forcing inward attention or surrendering protective action?
4. What caring or meaningful step is possible with the feeling present?

With mira

Open this technique in mira. Review the selection before starting. This scripted exercise can run offline; it makes no AI requests. Your answers are saved on this device in the session's encrypted exercise state. They are not automatically inserted into ordinary AI chat.

Scope and source

An original self-reflection adaptation of ACT principles, not a complete treatment protocol or a clinically validated chatbot intervention. It cannot assess risk. Avoid overwhelming or traumatic material; stop if distressed and consider qualified support. Acceptance never means accepting abuse, danger, or an unwanted situation.

Steven C. Hayes, Kirk D. Strosahl, and Kelly G. Wilson, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: The Process and Practice of Mindful Change, 2nd edition (2012). ACBS: the ACT model.

Executable Pattern Markdown

The same version-1 source is bundled in mira. This view is for inspection; it does not execute automatically.

:language 1
:title "Make room for a feeling"
:output outcome
= focus "Explore openness to emotion without approving harm or giving up protection."
!use therapy.ready as readiness {
    :with focus
}
?branch {
    :when readiness.decision.value == "begin" -> explore
    :when readiness.decision.value == "support" -> support
    :else -> declined
}
explore:
!ask step1 {
    Name a manageable feeling you are willing to notice briefly. You can decline.
}
!ask step2 {
    How do you usually respond, and what are the short- and longer-term effects?
}
!ask step3 {
    What would a little room for it look like, without forcing inward attention or surrendering protective action?
}
!ask step4 {
    What caring or meaningful step is possible with the feeling present?
}
!show {
    Your reflection, in your own words:

    1. {{step1}}
    2. {{step2}}
    3. {{step3}}
    4. {{step4}}

    You may leave this here. Nothing needs to feel resolved.
}
= outcome "reflected"
-> end
support:
!show {
    Stop the exercise. If anyone is in immediate danger, contact local emergency services. Reach a trusted person or qualified crisis support if you can. This exercise cannot provide emergency care.
}
= outcome "support_requested"
-> end
declined:
!show {
    We can leave this here. You do not need to explain or finish.
}
= outcome "declined"
-> end