mindwork-analyze

What this skill does

# Therapy & Journal Analyzer

Part of the **mindwork** suite. Analyzes transcripts and journal entries to identify patterns, themes, and track progress.

## What It Does

1. **Reads** the specified transcript or journal entry
2. **Loads context** from recent analyses (last 5 by default)
3. **Identifies** cognitive patterns and potential distortions
4. **Extracts** emotional themes and triggers
5. **Tracks progress** compared to previous sessions
6. **Saves** structured analysis to the configured output folder

## Prerequisites

- A `mindwork.yaml` config file (optional but recommended)
- Transcript or journal files to analyze

## Usage Examples

### Analyze a Session Transcript

> "Analyze my therapy session from transcriptions/2024-01-15-session.md"

### Analyze a Journal Entry

> "Analyze today's journal entry at journals/daily/2024-01-18.md"

### Analyze by Journal Type

> "Analyze my dream log from last night"
> "Analyze all gratitude entries from this week"
> "What patterns appear in my anxiety journal?"

### Analyze with Explicit Output Path

> "Analyze transcriptions/session-005.md and save to analysis/session-005-analysis.md"

### Analyze Multiple Entries

> "Analyze all journal entries from this week"

### Compare Sessions

> "Analyze my last 3 therapy sessions and compare the themes"

## How to Perform Analysis

When analyzing content, follow this structured approach:

### Step 1: Load Configuration

Check for `mindwork.yaml` in these locations (in order):
1. Current directory (`./mindwork.yaml`)
2. XDG config (`~/.config/mindwork/config.yaml`)
3. Home directory (`~/.mindwork.yaml`)

Extract:
- `outputs.analysis` - where to save analysis files
- `preferences.context_count` - how many recent analyses to load (default: 5)

### Step 2: Load Context

Read the most recent analysis files from the output directory for context. This enables progress tracking across sessions.

Look for files matching `*-analysis.md` in the analysis folder, sorted by date/name descending.

### Step 3: Read Input Content

Read the specified transcript or journal file completely.

### Step 4: Perform Analysis

Analyze the content using the frameworks below.

### Step 5: Generate Output

Create a structured markdown file following the output template.

### Step 6: Save and Summarize

Save to the configured analysis folder and provide a brief summary to the user.

---

## Analysis Framework

### Cognitive Patterns to Identify

When analyzing content, look for these cognitive patterns (often called "cognitive distortions" in CBT):

| Pattern | Description | Example |
|---------|-------------|---------|
| **All-or-Nothing Thinking** | Seeing things in black and white | "I'm a complete failure" |
| **Overgeneralization** | One event becomes a never-ending pattern | "This always happens to me" |
| **Mental Filter** | Focusing only on negatives | Dwelling on one criticism despite praise |
| **Disqualifying the Positive** | Rejecting positive experiences | "That doesn't count" |
| **Mind Reading** | Assuming you know what others think | "They must think I'm incompetent" |
| **Fortune Telling** | Predicting negative outcomes | "I know this will go wrong" |
| **Catastrophizing** | Expecting the worst-case scenario | "If I fail this, my life is over" |
| **Emotional Reasoning** | Feelings as evidence | "I feel stupid, so I must be stupid" |
| **Should Statements** | Rigid rules about how things should be | "I should be further along by now" |
| **Labeling** | Fixed negative labels on self/others | "I'm a loser" |
| **Personalization** | Taking excessive responsibility | "It's all my fault" |
| **Magnification/Minimization** | Blowing up negatives, shrinking positives | Obsessing over mistakes |

### Emotional Themes to Track

- **Primary emotions**: anxiety, sadness, anger, fear, joy, guilt, shame
- **Triggers**: situations, people, thoughts that provoke emotions
- **Coping strategies**: what the person does in response
- **Support systems**: people, activities that help

### Progress Indicators

When context is available, note:
- Recurring themes that appear across sessions
- Changes in how topics are discussed (more/less intensity)
- New coping strategies being tried
- Shifts in perspective or self-awareness
- Growth in emotional vocabulary
- Reduction in cognitive distortion frequency

### Therapeutic Techniques (for transcripts)

When analyzing therapy session transcripts, identify:
- Questions asked by the therapist
- Techniques used (CBT, mindfulness, reflection, etc.)
- Homework or exercises suggested
- Breakthroughs or insights achieved

---

## Output Format

Use this structured format for analysis output:

```markdown
# Analysis: {source_filename}

**Date**: {analysis_date}
**Source**: {source_path}
**Type**: {transcript|journal}
**Journal Type**: {description from config, if journal}

---

## Summary

{2-3 sentence overview of the content and its significance}

---

## Cognitive Patterns Observed

{For each pattern identified:}

### {Pattern Name}
- **Evidence**: "{quote or paraphrase from content}"
- **Context**: {situation in which this appeared}
- **Frequency**: {if recurring, note this}

---

## Emotional Themes

### Primary Emotions
- **{Emotion}**: {context and triggers}

### Triggers Identified
- {Trigger 1}: {description}
- {Trigger 2}: {description}

### Coping Strategies Noted
- {Strategy}: {how it was used, effectiveness}

---

## Key Insights

- {Insight 1}
- {Insight 2}
- {Insight 3}

---

## Progress Notes

{If previous analyses are available:}

### Compared to Previous Sessions
- {Notable change or pattern}
- {Theme that persists or evolved}

### Recurring Themes
- {Theme that appears across sessions}

### Growth Observed
- {Positive development noted}

---

## Suggested Focus Areas

{Areas that might benefit from attention in future sessions or reflection:}

1. {Area 1}: {why and potential approach}
2. {Area 2}: {why and potential approach}

---

## Therapist Techniques (if applicable)

{For therapy transcripts only:}

- **{Technique}**: {how it was applied, client response}

---

*Analysis generated by mindwork*
```

---

## Naming Convention

Save analysis files using this pattern:
```
{date}-{original-name}-analysis.md
```

Examples:
- `2024-01-15-session-001-analysis.md`
- `2024-01-18-morning-journal-analysis.md`

---

## Notes

### Privacy
Analysis files contain sensitive personal information. Store them securely.

### Context Handling
When loading previous analyses for context:
- Read the Summary and Progress Notes sections for quick context
- Look for Recurring Themes to track longitudinal patterns
- Note Suggested Focus Areas from previous analyses

### Journal vs Transcript Analysis
- **Transcripts**: Include therapist technique analysis, note the dialogue flow
- **Journals**: Focus more on self-reflection quality, internal processing

### Journal Type-Aware Analysis

When the config specifies journal types with descriptions, tailor the analysis:

| Journal Type | Analysis Focus |
|--------------|----------------|
| **Daily reflections** | Mood tracking, daily patterns, routine impacts |
| **Dream logs** | Symbolism, recurring imagery, emotional themes in dreams |
| **Gratitude entries** | Positive patterns, what brings joy, growth in appreciation |
| **Prompt card responses** | Depth of self-exploration, recurring themes across prompts |
| **Anxiety tracking** | Trigger identification, coping effectiveness, intensity patterns |

To determine journal type:
1. Check `mindwork.yaml` for `sources.journals.sources`
2. Match the file path to a configured source
3. Use the `description` field for context
4. Include the journal type in the analysis header

### Partial Analysis
If only partial content is available or readable, note this in the analysis and work with what's available.