Key Terms (Plain Language)

These terms are used throughout the site. They are offered in plain language as entry points, not fixed definitions.

Bracing

Bracing is a state where the body is organized around holding and protection.

It can feel like:

  • tension
  • vigilance
  • constant readiness

Bracing is not a problem—it is an adaptive response to pressure.
But when it becomes chronic, it reduces flexibility, perception, and ease.

Coherence

Coherence is a state of physiological regulation where the body’s rhythms begin to work together more smoothly.

This includes:

  • breath
  • heart rhythms
  • nervous system activity

In coherence:

  • perception widens
  • responses become less forced
  • interaction becomes more fluid

Coherence is not something we force.
It is something that stabilizes when the system is no longer organized around threat.

Murmuration

Murmuration describes a form of coordination without central control.

It comes from the way flocks of birds move:

  • no single leader directs the group
  • each bird responds to those nearby
  • a larger pattern emerges from local interaction

In human systems, murmuration refers to:

coordination that arises through relationship and responsiveness, rather than hierarchy.

Mycelium

Mycelium is a network of fungal threads that connects plants and trees underground.

It allows:

  • sharing of nutrients
  • communication between organisms
  • increased resilience across the system

In this work, mycelium is used as a metaphor for:

distributed connection—where many small nodes contribute to the strength of the whole.

Node

A node is a point within a system where activity happens.

In human terms, a node is:

an individual within a relational field

Each person is a node:

  • sensing
  • responding
  • influencing interaction

Nodes do not need to control the system to affect it.

Relational Field

A relational field is the space of interaction between people (or systems).

It is shaped by:

  • internal state
  • responsiveness
  • timing

You can feel it:

  • when a conversation is tense
  • or when it is easy and open

Nothing visible changes, but the interaction does.

Regulation

Regulation refers to the nervous system’s ability to:

  • return to balance after stress
  • shift between activation and rest
  • remain flexible under changing conditions

A regulated system is not always calm.
It is able to move and recover.

Tone

Tone is the felt quality of interaction.

It is not what is said, but how it is experienced.

You’ve likely felt this:

  • someone speaks and your body softens
  • or something feels off, even if the words are correct

Tone is:

how a nervous system expresses itself in relationship

Tone-Anchored Node

A tone-anchored node is a person whose nervous system is stable enough to influence the relational field in a consistent way.

They:

  • do not control others
  • do not lead through authority

But their regulation:

helps stabilize interaction around them