PAUSE • IDENTIFY • SHIFT • ALIGN • (REPEAT)

PISA(R)
A Framework Based on the Law of Emotional Alignment

PISA(R)™ is a framework designed help you
regulate in real time — by working with the
Law of Emotional Alignment.

Whether you’re overwhelmed, angry, anxious, or simply disconnected, this process gives you a next step when clarity feels far away. It is not about perfection, it’s about returning to coherence, one intentional step at a time.

Pause reactivity, Identify emotions, Shift energy
or perspective, Align actions with your true self,
and Repeat the process as needed.

It is a practical, repeatable framework for emotional alignment.

It helps you shift from reactivity to intentionality,
from spiraling thoughts to grounded action

Drawing from neuroscience, psychology, behavioral science, and energy theory,
the Law of Emotional Alignment explains this:

When your internal state — including perception, emotion, thought, and values — is aligned with your external behavior,
your system experiences clarity, regulation, and restored agency.

Misalignment is not just a feeling.

It is a subconscious pattern that shapes your reactions,
narrows perception, and reinforces emotional loops.
But alignment is trainable, and with consistent practice, it becomes the new default.

  • to create space

    • interrupts automatic reactivity and allows awareness to surface

    • examples: hand-on-heart, breath work, grounding, sensory redirection, creating physical space, etc.

    • informed by neuroscience, somatic, and trauma research: Pausing disrupts the limbic loop (especially the amygdala-brainstem hijack) and activates the parasympathetic nervous system. It’s also a core step in somatic experiencing and polyvagal theory — creating enough physiological and psychological space for executive function, perspective and reflection to return

  • to name what you’re feeling — physically, emotionally, energetically

    • clarifies the the trigger, emotion, unmet need, and/or pattern

    • naming reduces the intensity of the emotional reaction and your brain moves from chaos to clarity

    • encourages curiosity over judgement

    • backed by cognitive psychology, affective neuroscience, and linguistic theory: Identifying an emotion, giving it a name, increases right prefrontal activity, lowering amygdala activation and helping regulate the nervous system. Language theory shows that how we name emotions shapes how we experience and respond to them. Greater emotional vocabulary increases resilience, clarity, and empathy

  • move your energy or perspective

    • redirects energy, perception, or internal language intentionally

    • tools may include: tapping, reframing, movement, breath, semantics, etc.

    • informed by neuroplasticity, energy physiology, and behavior science: Shifting reorients your internal state — not by force, but by attention and intentional redirection. This step is supported by evidence on how perception shapes physiological coherence, how breath or body movement shifts emotional energy, and how repeating new behaviors rewires habitual patterns in the brain and body

  • choose your next action based on who you are, not what you feel

    • act from a place that reflects your values, not your mood, fear, or default

    • supports congruence between inner truth and outward action

    • rooted in behavioral psychology, ethics, and identity theory: Alignment integrates what you feel with what you do. It resolves internal conflict (cognitive dissonance), supports long-term identity development, and builds trust with the self. When your behavior reflects your values, it reinforces emotional safety, coherence, and agency — which creates lasting change, not just momentary relief

  • because this is a practice

    • this isn’t about perfection — it’s about coming back, again and again

    • repetition creates stability, emotional fluency, and behavioral coherence

    • grounded in habit formation, systems theory, and neuroscience: repeating the cycle creates neural reinforcement and energetic regulation. Over time, repetition increases emotional fluency, reduces the time spent in dysregulation, and creates a stable baseline shaped not by external chaos, but by intentional inner practice.

✓ a reflection framework you can use in real-time

✓ a tool for emotional clarity when your thoughts or energy feel scattered

✓ a way to interrupt the autopilot loop — without judgement or bypass

✓ a flexible practice that honors both your biology and your individuality

✗ not a replacement for therapy

✗ not a rigid system

✗ not “toxic positivity”

✗ not new science

There are thousands of tools for emotional wellness. Therapy modalities. Self-help books. Journals. Courses. Podcasts. Mindfulness practices. Affirmations. They all lack applicability, purpose, structure, etc.

This is a framework that:

works in real-time

bridges mind, body, and language

is simple enough to remember under stress

reinforces truths about growth, repetition, and perception

helps someone name, move, and realign without bypassing discomfort

PISA(R) makes sense of all the other tools.
It does not compete with therapy
— it completes it.
It is not “woo-woo”, it’s neurobiological.

INTEGRATES

  • neuroscience

  • psychology

  • somatics

  • language theory

  • spritual truths

APPLIES TO

  • daily emotional overwhelm

  • conflict resolution

  • trauma processing (within scope)

  • coaching, parenting, leadership

  • self-reflection and therapy sessions

  • spiritual realignment

  • nervous system recovery

  • any moment you feel “off” and don’t know why

REINFORCES TRUTHS

  • growth is non-linear

  • words shape reality

  • patterns can be rewritten

  • emotions are data, not disruptions

  • change is possible, but through practice

  • fear is often a guide

  • the body keeps score

  • behavior is often projection

  • the brain prioritizes safety over truth

  • small shifts matter

  • assumptions distort reality

  • awareness is the essential to change

WORKS AT ANY LEVEL

  • surface-level use brings calm, clarity, and emotional pause

  • deep-level work reveals patterns, unmet needs, and root cause cycles

  • it is accessible enough for a beginner and powerful enough to implement in a professional setting

PISA(R) is not just a label — it’s a mnemonic device, an embodiment of the framework’s meaning, purpose, and process.

PISA and PISAR are real words. “PISA” a noun in Spanish meaning “a step” and “PISAR” a verb in Spanish meaning “to step”. .

The R in parentheses communicates choice - not a design flair, a direct message: to implement the process, you must choose to make it a practice. Reinforces that repetition is a conscious decision. Healing is cyclical not linear. Communicates flexibility — no shame in returning to Pause.

The acronym PISA(R) mirrors what the framework itself invites: a step toward alignment. The name alone nudges the brain toward creative, nonlinear thinking. It softens rigidity, encouraging more open emotional processing and interpretation.

FOR INDIVIDUALS

PISA(R) gives people the language, structure, and agency to process their emotions. It becomes a habit, a home base, and a process they can return to over and over.

  • provides a repeatable tool people can use anytime anywhere

  • turns insight into integration

  • makes therapy, journaling or mindfulness more effecive

  • reduces post-argument shame and increases repair speed

  • improves communication in high-emotion relationships

  • helps navigate conflict without defaulting to flight fight or freeze

  • supports deciosn making by reducing emotional fog

  • increases follow through with boundaries and values

  • makes emotional regulation feel practical not abstract

  • becomes a personal ritual that aligns and restores agency

FOR MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS, COACHES

PISA(R) gives clients a reason to show up more deeply in-session and take responsibility for their emotional growth outside of sessions without feeling overwhelmed. It’s not another technique — it’s the container that holds your modalities together and presents them in a way your client can conceptualize.

integration and utility:

  • provides a clear structure for clients to reflect between sessions

  • supports CBT, DBT, ACT, somatic, trauma-informed, and IFS modalities

  • gives therapists a shared language to refer back to

  • helps clients retain insights between sessions

  • enhances treatment plans by mapping existing tools within the framework

  • helps clients access and reinforce their prefrontal cortex outside the session

  • validates the science behind emotional regulation using simple, accessible language

engagement and empowerment:

  • reduces codependency or over-reliance on therapy

  • encourages autonomy, while still holding space for vulnerability

  • strengthens self-trust and confidence in applying therapeutic tools

  • increases client insight between sessions, leading to deeper work faster

  • provides an entry point for resistant clients

  • adaptable across age groups and belief systems

  • provides language that is neutral, inclusive, and non-pathologizing

 FAQs

  • No. PISA(R) is not a therapy or diagnostic tool, or a replacement for professional mental health care. We recommend using it alongside therapy, not in place of it.

    It provides a starting point for self-awareness, a path to make therapy more accessible (collaborative vs subject of study), and a framework to implement insights from therapy in real life.

  • Most tools focus on one part of the process — mindfulness, reframing, or habit change. PISA(R) gives you the full sequence: pause, identify, shift, align, repeat. It’s simple enough to use in the moment, yet powerful enough to change long-term patterns.

  • PISA(R) is based on the Law of Emotional Alignment; a principle that draws from neuroscience, cognitive behavioral research, affect labeling, nervous system regulation, energy coherence theory and more. This framework distills complex science into practical usable steps.

  • The “(R)” in PISA(R) stands for Repeat — and the parentheses are intentional. Repeating the process is a choice. This is not a one-time fix; it’s a practice. The more you use it, the more naturally it becomes part of your regulation toolkit.

  • PISA(R) is for anyone who wants to stop spiraling, reacting impulsively, or shutting down emotionally. It’s for people who clarity and alignment, but don’t know where to start. It works in everyday stress and deeper emotional overwhelm alike.

  • No. The framework is free to learn and apply. Tapered Ink offers optional digital tools and journals to support your practice, but PISA(R) itself is available to everyone.

  • Begin with the step-by-step breakdown here. Or reflect on a moment you recently felt emotionally off — then walk yourself through each phase. No pressure, just practice.

PISA(R)

  • normalizes the brain’s loops

  • validates that practice is progress

  • explains that language literally reshapes the brain

  • builds emotional precision, not just awareness

  • reinforces compassion & agency simultaneously

  • teaches you to listen to the body, not just control the mind

  • fosters secure attachment with the self

  • builds emotional granularity (known predictor of resilience)

  • encourages internal and external resourcing

  • promotes meta-awareness (essential for cognitive flexibility)

  • enhances therapy by offering tools between sessions in an approachable way

The Law of Emotional Alignment™ and PISA(R)™ Framework are protected intellectual property of R. K. Josephson. They are offered freely for educational use, reflection, and discussion — but may not be copied, rebranded, or sold without permission.