Understand what happened before the reaction took over.
The Field Guide is a free, private place to look back at a reaction that seemed to happen before you could choose your response.
Record what you remember: what happened, what you noticed in your body, what you feared it meant, and what you felt pushed to do. You can also note what helped afterward and what became possible next.
A trace is a record of one moment. Use your own words. A few words can be enough, and any answer can stay blank. You do not need to remember a complete sequence.
Use the questions afterward, when you can notice where you are and what is happening around you while looking back. You may still feel upset. If looking back becomes too much, stop.
Your record cannot tell you what another person intended or establish whether a situation is safe. When danger is current or uncertain, appropriate support comes first; the record can wait.
Already using the Guide? Save your work in every open Guide tab or window before updating. Read the update note.
A work message. An unsent reply.
A colleague asks to review a draft. The person starts a defensive reply and leaves it unsent. They write this record later, when they can remember the moment while remaining aware of their surroundings.
This situation and record are invented to show how the Guide works. They are not a book excerpt, a reader testimonial, or evidence of recovery.
You can use your own words. No answer has to sound like these.
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01 · CUE
What was the cue?
A colleague wrote: “Can we review the draft tomorrow?”
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02 · BODY SIGNAL
Where did the body speak first?
Jaw
What changed there?
My jaw tightened. It is the first change I remember noticing.
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03 · FEAR MEANING
What meaning did fear attach?
What did you fear it meant?
I was afraid I had failed and they would think I was incapable.
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04 · COMMAND
What command did it give?
What did you feel pushed to do?
I felt I had to explain myself straight away and prove I had done nothing wrong.
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05 · REACTION OR COLLAPSE
What reaction or collapse began?
I started typing a long defensive reply. I left it unsent.
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06 · RETURN
What helped me return?
What helped you reconnect with what was happening around you?
Not recorded
In the Guide, “Not yet” lets you continue without answering. The person can look back now but cannot say what helped.
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07 · NEXT ACTION
What next action became reachable?
What became possible afterward?
Later, I could leave the unsent reply alone and ask which part of the draft to review.
The request and the meaning were different.
The message asked for a review. The person read it as a verdict about their ability, then began replying to that verdict. The record separates those parts without claiming to know what the colleague intended.
One answer remains blank. The record does not need a complete explanation to be kept.
When another person was affected
If the reaction reached another person, what landed remains after your ground returns. The next action may be stopping the conduct, respecting distance, changing conditions, seeking outside accountability, or making repair where contact is safe and wanted. The person affected owes no reply, contact, forgiveness, or participation.
Using the Guide
After the introduction, choose “Begin a trace,” or “Resume the trace” when a draft is open. Use “Continue” to move through the questions, or “Not yet” to leave one open. “Review the trace” shows the answers together. The name and repeating-fear fields are optional. “Keep this trace” saves the entry in Archive.
This example stays on this page. Opening the Guide will not add it to your records.
Keeping a copy
In Archive, “Export readable text” creates a reading copy of the saved traces in the current view. “Private backup” creates the restorable JSON backup, including the open draft and other local records. They serve different purposes. A backup file is readable, so keep it somewhere private.
“Restore backup” replaces the current local data after validation and confirmation. It is not a merge. Keep a backup of anything you need before replacing it.
The record reflects what you remember. Parts may overlap or stay unclear. You do not have to recreate the reaction or complete every answer. Being able to look back now does not mean you will always be able to do so. A body sensation cannot establish safety, and the Guide does not decide whether an action is safe. When danger is current or uncertain, seek appropriate support; the record can wait.
Already using the Guide? Save your work in every open Guide tab or window before updating. Read the update note.
Updating an older open Field Guide
Before updating, save any work you need in every open Field Guide tab or app window. Use the relevant Save or Keep button. For answers in an open trace, wait for “Saved locally.”
If saving fails, leave that tab open and follow the on-screen recovery instructions. Do not refresh while work you need is still unsaved.
Once everything you need is saved, close extra Guide tabs or windows and update from one remaining window. If the older version stays on “Applying update…,” use an ordinary refresh after saves have finished.
Do not clear browser or site data, uninstall the Guide, or restore a backup just to complete an update. This notice does not save or back up your records.
Use it on your device
The Field Guide can be installed on a phone, tablet, or computer and opened like a standalone app.
After it has loaded successfully, it can work without an internet connection. No account or sign-in is required.
Your entries stay with you
Your records are stored locally in the browser and device you use. The Soma Script does not receive, read, or store your entries.
You can create a backup file whenever you choose. Clearing browser data, removing the app, or changing devices may erase local records, so Backup and Restore is available when you want to keep them.
A reflection tool
The Field Guide is designed for looking back after a reaction, once enough present-time contact has returned. It is an educational tool rather than psychotherapy, medical care, diagnosis, treatment, or emergency support.
Explore the Edge between signal and command or read questions about the book and its frameworks.
When danger is current or cannot be ruled out, the next reachable action may be distance, outside support, legal protection, medical care, or emergency help.