Fractal Language
A fractal is an infinitely generative geometric structure made of self-similar patterns that repeat across multiple scales. While many recognize the visual results of fractals, it is also a mathematical underpinning to every facet of the universe.
Language itself has a fractal structure made up of symbols that represent sounds that can be arranged in nearly infinite ways to form words into sentences, sentences into paragraphs, and paragraphs into complex ideas and narratives. But this isn’t quite what I mean by a fractal language.
A fractal language describes fractal patterns with specific terms, diagrams, rituals, and stories. They typically cover topics such as communication, conflict resolution, storytelling, etc. Many already exist, including philosophies, spiritual beliefs, mental healthcare systems, science fiction series, programming disciplines, musician discographies, and cinematic universes; each representing a perspective on life.
Fractal languages are a realization that I’ve explored while recovering from [[ Complex PTSD ]]. Healing from trauma, especially the complex emotional kind, often requires tearing down an old fractal language to make room for a new one. While that process can feel empowering, it also left me emotionally vulnerable at times, wondering which ideology to trust.
The way I see it, everyone has a fractal language, made from the fractal languages they’ve picked up in life. Most people have multiple fractal languages for different situations in their lives. It’s in your personality: how you share your feelings, tell stories, and handle surprises and conflicts.
Some fractal languages are expansive and healing, while others are constrictive and deceptive. They can be based in anything from physical reality and recorded history to whimsical, metaphorical dreams. They can be regional or context-specific. They can even be illogical and held up by a person’s willful ignorance and ego.
What matters is how these energetic narratives are held in the body, literally in the memories of what you’ve learned and experienced, and how they influence future behavior.