The Seven Wounds

These are the fundamental existential injuries that distort the geometry of the self.

Each wound tends to activate specific Shadow Poles as defenses.

  • WOUND:MEANING: “I don’t know what life is for.”

    • Axis: Direction.
    • Poles: Titan (Manic Meaning) or Stone (Nihilism).

  • WOUND:ATTACHMENT: “I can’t trust connection / I can’t be alone.”

    • Axis: Relation.
    • Poles: Fortress or Swarm.

  • WOUND:OPTIMIZATION: “I am what I produce.”

    • Axis: Direction + Form.
    • Poles: Titan + Tyrant (The Machine).

  • WOUND:BODY: “My body is an instrument/enemy.”

  • WOUND:AUTHORITY: “I cannot trust structure.”

    • Axis: Limit ($\text{K}$).
    • Poles: Stone (Collapse) or Tyrant (Rebellion/Control).

  • WOUND:BELONGING: “I don’t fit anywhere.”

    • Axis: Relation + Social.
    • Poles: Fortress (Rejecting) or Swarm (Fawning).
  • WOUND:SHAME: “I am fundamentally defective.”