Psychoengineering

Psychoengineering is the application of the engineering method to the practice of psychology. The objective of psychoengineering is to treat symptoms of mood disorders in an optimal and efficient way using a similar process to debugging. It analyzes the brain as a stateful machine. The primary goal of psychoengineering is to prevent spiralling, thus keeping the brain metastable, at the edge of chaos.

By processing the nervous system as a complex system, psychoengineering allows the nonlinear, unpredictable nature of the human mind to be analyzed. It allows for an understanding of the brain as a self-similar structure across different scales - from the individual neurons to complex networks of brain regions.

Psychoengineering inherits much from cybernetics, the study of feedback, and dynamical systems theory, the study of control of systems. Psychoengineering can be thought of as a form of these studies practically applied to psychology. Psychoengineering also interfaces with various psychotherapeutic approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), providing explanations and specific directions for execution.

Similar to how a software engineer would debug a computer program, the psychoengineer looks for 'faults' in the way the brain is operating that are leading to detrimental mental states. This might involve looking for unhealthy thought patterns, or maladaptive emotional responses, and then determining strategies to correct these.

The ultimate goal of psychoengineering is not just to treat mental disorders, but to optimize mental functioning - to create a brain that is balanced, flexible, creative and robust. The psychoengineer strives to construct a mental ecosystem that can handle adversity, adapt to new environments, and constantly evolve towards increased complexity and coherence.