Venting, processing and soundboarding
This post was inspired by a conversation I had with another Mental Projector about soundboarding.
Throughout my experiment with Human Design and my authority, I’ve learned to differenciate between venting, processing and soundboarding. Although these three can be incredibly useful and necessary, I think it’s important to know what each process is really about. I hope to clarify these terms for anyone who is confused.
Venting : purging verbally
We vent when something happened and we're now activated emotionally or have intense feelings (stress, anger, frustration,...).
We need to get it out of our chest by talking about the situation we’re upset about. It can be cathartic to release those emotions while someone else actively listens to us, holds space for us and meets us with empathy.
Processing :
Externalizing to find mental clarity
Verbal processing is like pulling a thread as you’re talking things through. It helps to make sense of them and better understand them. We lay out our thought-process, connect the dots and potentially find clarity after that. We get more clear on what we’re confused or anxious about. It frees up space in our heads.
2. Noticing, digesting, integrating emotions, sensations and feelings
Processing is also about giving the body space and time to complete its cycle and go from being activated (fight, flight, freeze,...) to feel relief and an internal sense of security.
When we acknowledge our emotions and physical sensations, let ourselves be moved by them and follow their track, we can better integrate them into our overall experience of ourselves.
Soundboarding : decision-making process to access one’s truth and find clarity
This one is mostly for Mental Projectors, Self-Projected Projectors (who do relate to needing it) and Reflectors.
When we soundboard, we speak in order to hear ourselves, sense if what we say resonates as personal truth (or trying to convince ourselves or others) and know if we have a yes/no/I don’t know/not yet for the choice we’re given.
Sometimes, we soundboard intentionally after being recognized and invited to something specific. Other times, the process kicks in while we’re having a conversation. We end up “making” a decision — or more correctly, it ends it revealing itself while we’re speaking.
It’s important to be in tune with our body so we can interpret its signals for clarity and alignment.
Not all MPs, SPPs and Rs agree with needing to soundboard, so it’s up to each and every one of them to witness if it’s something they rely on or not.
