CBT Workbook: The Inversions of Consciousness

This workbook uses metaphors to make complex psychic mechanisms understandable. Each “disorder” or inversion of consciousness is explained with a trading card game (TCG) model, physiological basis, and psychological meaning.

The aim is not judgment, but clarity + transformation.

Table of Contents

• Overview Diagram (flow diagram)

• The Inversions Explained

  • 1. Compassion ❤️ (Baseline State; No Inversion Her …

  • 2. Sadism 🔥 (Inversion of Connection)

    • Explanation:

  • 3. Masochism 🩸 (Sadism Turned Inward)

    • Explanation:

  • 4. Narcissism 🪞 (Self-Inflation Mask)

    • Explanation:

  • 5. Repression 🪨 (Shadow Defense)

    • Explanation:

  • 6. Sublimation 🌱 (Transmutation)

    • Explanation:

• Practice Worksheet (CBT Reflections)

• Final Diagram (Cycle of Drives)

Overview Diagram (flow diagram)

The Inversions Explained

1. Compassion ❤️ (Baseline State; No Inversion Here)

Definition: The unbroken state of connection to self and others.

Metaphor: Compassion is the open field where cards are shared, not played against.

Explanation: The psyche is in flow; drives are integrated. Compassion is the origin and the return point for all other inversions.

TCG mechanics: There’s no deck, no fight; just shared energy

2. Sadism 🔥 (Inversion of Connection)

Definition: Deriving pleasure from another’s pain.

Metaphor: A trading card game fueled by Firefight (conflict) and Exile (othering)

Explanation:

• Firefight = adrenaline, arousal state.

• Exile = cutting off empathy (seeing the Other as “not me”).

• Sadism becomes a systematic exchange: each act of harm is like playing a card, harvesting a return from conflict.

• Physiology: Dopamine + norepinephrine (fight/flight), endorphins when pain is externalized.

• Editor’s Note: Sadism is not chaos; it is structured cruelty.

3. Masochism 🩸 (Sadism Turned Inward)

Definition: Deriving relief or meaning from one’s own suffering.

Metaphor: Playing cards against yourself, exiling parts of self.

Explanation:

• Firefight is internalized: body vs. psyche.

• Exile becomes self-othering: “I am not worthy, so I must hurt myself.”

• It’s a recycling of sadism into the personal body.

•  Physiology: Endorphins from pain, stress-hormone cycling.

• Editor’s Note: Masochism is a looped game, self-consuming but patterned.

4. Narcissism 🪞 (Self-Inflation Mask)

Definition: Identifying with an inflated image of the self to protect against pain.

Metaphor: Rigging the game; the deck is stacked to only show wins.

 Explanation:

• Firefight is denied, exile is reversed into grandiosity.

• Other people become mirrors instead of players.

• Sadism and masochism are hidden beneath the polished mask.

• Physiology: Dopamine highs from validation, cortisol spikes from ego threat.

• Editor’s Note: Narcissism is a defense system, not a genuine connection.

5. Repression 🪨 (Shadow Defense)

Definition: Forcing drives out of awareness, burying them in the unconscious.

Metaphor: Hiding cards under the table, pretending they don’t exist.

Explanation:

• Firefight is denied completely.

• Exile is total: drives and impulses are banished.

• Repression consumes psychic energy; holding the deck shut.

• Physiology: Chronic stress load, unconscious leaks (slips, dreams).

• Editor’s Note: Repression delays the game but never ends it.

6. Sublimation 🌱 (Transmutation)

• Definition: Redirecting raw drives into socially constructive outlets.

• Metaphor: Transforming cards into art pieces instead of playing them as weapons.

 Explanation:

• Firefight becomes energy for flow states (sports, art, devotion).

• Exile is inverted: rejected parts are welcomed and repurposed.

• Sublimation doesn’t deny the drive; it reroutes it into creation

• Physiology: Dopamine + serotonin + endorphin balance, flow state harmony.

• Editor’s Note: Sublimation is the alchemy of the psyche; the game evolves into creativity.

Practice Worksheet (CBT Reflections)

Fill these in to recognize and reframe inversions.

1. What situation triggered your “Firefight” (conflict energy)? ⚡

2. Who or what did you “Exile” (deny belonging to)? 🚷

3. Which inversion appeared (Sadism, Masochism, Narcissism, Repression)? 🔄

4. How can you Sublimate this energy into something constructive? 🎨🌱

Final Diagram (Cycle of Drives)