Survey-EN – The Recursive Self

Short attunement (10–15 seconds)

Before you begin answering the questions, please pause for 10–15 seconds. Do not look outward, instead turn briefly inward and simply notice how your experience feels right now: your thoughts, your body, your internal state. Do nothing special, just be present for a moment.

Note on the answers

There are no right or wrong answers. You do not need to formulate anything in a particular way. And the goal is not to make a good impression or to say something socially desirable. All that matters is how your own experience appears to you, even if it feels uncertain, unusual, or hard to put into words. Just write whatever comes to mind first.

When you are doing something: How quickly does the moment slip away from you?1 = stays for a long time 7 = slips away very quickly

How does “just now” feel to you?

How often do you do something and only notice afterward that you did it?1 = never 7 = very often

Describe a moment when this happened to you.

How often do you notice what you are thinking while you are thinking it?1 = never 7 = very often

Describe a moment when you noticed yourself thinking.

How often is the transition between two moments missing? Do you remember before and after, but not the in-between?1 = never 7 = very often

Describe such a “jumping” moment.

When you just sit quietly: Does your inner space feel rather small or rather big?1 = very small 7 = very big

How would you describe this inner space?

How does tomorrow feel to you? Does it come toward you lightly, or does it feel pressing?1 = pressing 7 = comes lightly

How does “tomorrow” feel to you?

When you think of yesterday? Does it feel like it hangs on to you, or like it flows away lightly?1 = hangs on strongly 7 = flows away lightly

How does "yesterday" feel to you?

When you think about yourself and your life? Does it feel more coherent or more mixed-up?1 = very mixed-up 7 = very coherent

How does your life as a whole feel to you?

How well does your body match you? Does it feel more coherent or more like a burden?1 = a heavy burden 7 = very coherent

How does your body feel to you?

When something happens in your day, do you first just notice it as it is, or do you immediately start explaining it to yourself inside your head?1 = I immediately explain everything to myself 7 = I first just notice it as it is

When you explain something to yourself, how do your explanations usually feel?

When you look inside yourself and try to notice your inner processes, does it feel more like you only see a thin surface layer, or more like you can look quite deeply inside?1 = I only see a very thin layer 7 = I can look quite deeply inside

How does it feel for you when you try to “look deeper inside yourself"?