clarity before you begin.

No. Framed Minds is not therapy and not a treatment. It does not diagnose you, and it never tries to “fix” you.

It’s a self-understanding and reflection platform designed to help you recognize the patterns, language, and protective responses that shape how you experience life. Many people use Framed Minds alongside therapy, but it is not a replacement for professional mental health care, and no one here is acting as your clinician.

It’s for people who want clarity, not condemnation. Members tend to be people who:

• Want to understand why they respond the way they do
• Are tired of being told they’re “broken” or that something in them needs fixing
• Value language, insight, and self-awareness over quick hacks
• Want growth without shame, pressure, or performance

You don’t need to be in crisis, and you don’t need to have everything figured out. You just need curiosity and honesty.

A Frame is a move you learned to stay safe. Here are three of the twelve:

• The part of you that braces before anyone speaks and keeps watch even at rest. We call that move Guarding. It learned that staying alert kept you from getting hurt. It can make rest hard to find.
• The part that makes other people’s problems your job before anyone asks. We call that move Rescuing. It learned that being needed kept people close. It can leave little room for what you need.
• The part that holds on tight to the plan, and checks it twice. We call that move Gripping. It learned that surprises meant trouble. It can make it hard to relax until everything is settled.

Frames are not flaws, diagnoses or types. There are twelve, each named for what it does, and everyone reaches for some combination. A Frame is something you do, not who you are.

Frames help explain why certain reactions, habits or inner stories make sense, given what you’ve lived through. You can read all twelve here.

The Frames used to have nouns for names. A noun sounds like a type of person, and a Frame never was one. So in 2026 we renamed them with verbs, for the move each one makes. What we used to call the Protector is now Guarding. You might notice yourself Guarding in one moment and not in the next. A verb leaves room for that.

Each Frame still rests on the same belief underneath, and your scores are worked out the same way. The names are new, and each move is described more clearly now; the courses were reworded to match. One question in the Introductory Self-Inventory was also made clearer. Here are the new names, with the earlier ones:

• Guarding (formerly the Protector)
• Proving (formerly the Performer)
• Hiding (formerly the Shadow)
• Shifting (formerly the Mask)
• Grading (formerly the Judge)
• Searching (formerly the Seeker)
• Shrinking (formerly the Child)
• Gripping (formerly the Controller)
• Withdrawing (formerly the Isolate)
• Rescuing (formerly the Fixer)
• Resisting (formerly the Rebel)
• Replaying (formerly the Victim)

If you took a Self-Inventory before the change, your report keeps the names it was written with. Nothing in it was changed. Your courses and progress are where you left them, and old links to Frame pages still work.

These names are new. If one doesn’t fit, tell us with the short question on each Frame page and on your Dashboard. Answers are counted without your name.

There’s a gentle path through the beginning, so you’re never dropped into the deep end:

• The Pact: a short agreement about how we treat each other, asked the first time you post or reply in the community.
• The Welcome Tour: a brief orientation to where things live.
• The Welcome Course: six short lessons in the language, pinned first in your courses. Recommended, not required: you can take your Self-Inventory or explore whenever you’re ready.
• Your Self-Inventory: a structured look at which Frames you reach for most.
• Activation: a guided handoff into what to do next.

From there, you set the pace.

Echo, an AI guide, reads your report back to you. It covers the Frames you reach for most and gives you words to understand them without judgment. It also suggests where to begin: a reflection, a course, a practice or the community.

From there, you choose your pace. Nothing is forced. There’s no “right” order, just a clear starting point. Your report is a snapshot of this season, not a verdict, and it can look different the next time you take it.

No. The Frames are a way of noticing, built from practice, not a clinical test. The Self-Inventory is a structured look at which moves you reach for most. It does not diagnose anything. Your report shows how active each Frame is for you right now. It never gives you a label, a type or a verdict.

We ask members whether what they read fits, and we change what does not hold. The names of the twelve Frames are new and still being tested, so if one does not fit what it describes, tell us. Our Science sets out what the work draws on, and what we do not claim.

We wrote it down in one place, in plain words: what happens to what you tell us. It covers what we store and what we don’t, and who sees what. It explains that there is no ad tracking on the pages where you answer questions about yourself, and how to leave with your data.

A first glimpse never leaves your browser. Self-Inventory answers are stored so your report can be written, and you can see, download or delete them from Privacy Settings.

Both, in different ways. Your Self-Inventory is the climate: the patterns it maps in you. The Frame you pick in the Daily Compass is today’s weather. Neither overrules the other.

A daily pick is never a finding, and it is never set against your Self-Inventory. Echo takes it into account lightly, if it fits what you are talking about. Over a month, your picks become your Frame weather: the last 30 days at a glance. Your Frames still come from your Self-Inventory.

Yes. The waiting time depends on which Self-Inventory you take.

• The Introductory Self-Inventory (Explorer) can be retaken every 30 days.
• The Full Self-Inventory (Navigator) can be retaken every 45 days.

The waiting period is intentional. A little time between looks gives you more to notice, and constant retesting tends to become another form of self-surveillance.

Growth Points don’t change that. A Full Self-Inventory earns points at most once a month, and the 45-day wait always comes first, so points never open a retake sooner. They recognize that you came back to look again, not how often you test yourself.

One fresh start for everyone. Now that the Frames have new names, every member can retake once right away, whatever the waiting time says, to see their Frames in the new words. After that one retake, the usual waiting time applies again. This fresh start doesn’t change which Self-Inventory your membership includes.

Your next available date is always shown on your assessment page.

That’s completely okay, and common. Many people use Framed Minds alongside therapy or coaching as a way to develop clearer language, notice patterns between sessions, and reflect without pressure.

Framed Minds is designed to sit alongside other forms of support, not replace them. If it’s ever useful, you’re welcome to bring what you find here into a session.

Navigator is the full experience, and it’s the one we’d point most people toward.

Explorer is free, and no card is needed. It is a real first step. It includes the Introductory Self-Inventory, which names the Frame leading for you, whichever of the twelve, and Echo reads it back to you. You also get 5 messages a month with Echo, Daily Affirmations, Stillness and a preview of the Discovery courses. Explorers read the community and can post and reply in the Explorers Community group. Navigators take part everywhere.

Navigator is $29 a month or $288 a year, and it opens the whole thing: all 48 courses, Echo without limits, the Full Self-Inventory, community and Frame Circles, events, and the complete Stillness library. Almost everything described elsewhere on this page lives at the Navigator level.

You can move up at any time, and the side-by-side comparison is on the membership levels page.

Navigator members receive:

• The Full Self-Inventory and both Cartography instruments
• All 48 Frame courses across the four stages
• Echo, the reflective AI guide, without limits
• Live and replayable virtual events
• Community: Frame Circles, Spaces, Open Circles, and The Frame Forum
• The full Stillness library
• Reflections, Daily Affirmations, and rewards

Navigator is for those who want continuity, depth, and support over time.

Circle Holder is an add-on for members who want to create and host gatherings inside Framed Minds, not a separate tier. It works on Explorer or Navigator and is billed as its own subscription, monthly or annually. On Explorer you host gatherings open to everyone, listed on the Community page. With Navigator you can also create Circles and host for one Group or Circle, or for Navigators only. It does not include Navigator courses or Bridges.

Full detail is on the Circle Holder page.

Three different doors, and it’s worth knowing which one is yours.

• Circle Holder: for an individual member, on Explorer or Navigator, who wants to host gatherings inside Framed Minds (creating Circles comes with Navigator). A monthly or annual add-on to your own membership.
• Circles: for someone who already holds a group. A team, nonprofit, ERG, ministry, or cohort you can bring into Framed Minds as it already exists, at no cost.
• For Organizations: for organizations wanting a custom build: tailored curriculum, integrations, and their own environment. This one starts with a conversation, not a checkout.

If you’re unsure, start with Circles. It’s free, and it’s the right fit more often than people expect.

Yes. You can cancel your membership at any time from your account page. There are no contracts and no hidden commitments.

Canceling stops future renewals; your access continues through the end of the period you’ve already paid for.

Refunds are handled under our published Refund & Returns Policy, which is the authoritative document. Please read it before purchasing.

If you’re in the EEA or UK, you also have a statutory right to withdraw within 14 days, subject to the digital-content conditions set out in that policy.

Everything (plan changes, payment method, invoices, cancellation) lives under Membership Account when you’re signed in at framedminds.com.

Your membership works across the website and the mobile apps with one account. There’s nothing to purchase twice.

Yes. You can give Membership Credits as a Gift. The person you choose receives a one-time Gift Code, which they redeem when they join, upgrade, or change their membership.

If you’d like to share the platform more broadly, every member also has a personal invite link: see the refer a friend page.

Your reflections and responses are not sold. Data is used to support your experience on the platform, in line with our Privacy Policy.

Some of what you share here touches on well-being. So we keep a separate Consumer Health Data Privacy Policy for that kind of data. It includes the consents we ask for before you use Echo or the assessments.

Yes. Echo is an AI assistant, not a human, and replies are AI-generated. That’s stated in the chat interface itself, not just in the policies.

Your messages are processed by third-party AI providers in order to generate a reply, and voice features use a separate speech provider. The current providers are named in the Privacy Policy, which is kept up to date as the stack changes.

You’re asked to consent before you first use Echo, and you can withdraw that consent later.

Your Echo conversation history stays on your account until you delete it. You can delete it any time from Privacy Settings, without deleting your account.

In the same place you can choose to keep Echo conversations for 30 days, 90 days or a year instead. Anything older than your choice is then deleted automatically, once a day.

Retention for every other category of data is set out in the retention table in the Privacy Policy.

You can delete your account at any time.

On the web: select your profile picture in the top-right corner, then go to Account → Delete Account. You can manage or cancel your membership under Membership Account.

In the app: tap the More menu in the bottom-right corner, go to App Settings → Settings, then scroll down and select Delete Account.

Once deleted, your account and associated data are permanently removed. You can also do this from Privacy Settings, where See my data and Download my data show and export everything we hold about you. To remove specific data without closing your account, your Echo history for instance, email [email protected] and we’ll handle it.

Yes. Framed Minds is for adults 18 and over. You’ll be asked for your date of birth and to confirm your age when you register, and accounts that don’t meet the requirement are removed.

This isn’t a formality: the platform involves an AI companion and reflective content about personal history, and we’ve deliberately scoped it to adults.

No. Framed Minds is not a healthcare provider, health plan, or clearinghouse, and it isn’t a business associate of one, so HIPAA doesn’t apply to it.

Consumer health data laws are the more relevant framework, which is why the separate Consumer Health Data Privacy Policy exists.

Framed Minds is a good place to start, including when life feels heavy. You don’t need to be steady first, and you don’t need to wait for things to get easier.

You set the pace. You choose what to read, what to answer and when to stop. The Frames describe patterns many of us learned young, so a page or a course can sometimes stir things up. If it does, put it down, take a breath and come back when you are ready.

If you already see a counselor or a doctor, bring what you notice to them. It sits alongside their work. If you are struggling to get through the day, please reach out to a person you trust as well. Framed Minds is not a crisis service; the answer below says where to turn right away.

Framed Minds is not a crisis service, and Echo is not a crisis counselor. Neither is monitored around the clock.

If you are in immediate danger, experiencing thoughts of harming yourself, or need urgent help, please contact your local emergency services or a crisis line right away. In the US, you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Reaching out to a person is not a failure of this work. It’s part of it.

The community is actively moderated. It operates under agreed guidelines, and automated monitoring flags posts that drift toward harm, shaming, or crisis language so a person can review and respond. Posts can also be reported from within the platform, and Spaces exist precisely so certain conversations have their own walls.

Sometimes a post sounds like the person who wrote it may be at risk. Then it is read within minutes, and someone on the Framed Minds team is alerted right away. The post is never hidden, and Echo never answers it. The person who wrote it also gets a private note with crisis lines. We are a small team, and we are not watching around the clock. If you are in danger now, please contact your local emergency services, or call or text 988 in the US.

Circle Holder access (the ability to host gatherings) may be limited or reviewed to protect the emotional integrity of the community.

If you see something that doesn’t belong here, report it or write to [email protected].