3 Ways to Use the Mapping Tool

19 May, 2026

In the last week, I've been having conversations about the Mad Map Tool with friends and family. They've been rather informal so far, but in its informal use, I found that certain guardrails needed to be up for different types of brains. In this post, I want to detail some assumptions I had while designing/thinking about this tool as well as some ideas on how it can be used for different goals within a group.

Of course, this is where idealism very quickly clashes with reality. By noting down my assumptions, I hope to inspire groups to have a conversation with each other before starting the exercise so that members can all be on the same page. As with all things, feel free to adapt these guidelines, questions, and/or anything else to fit the needs of your group.

Assumptions

1. All members in a group want to better understand each other and want to improve group harmony despite the inevitability of conflict
2. All members of a group are willing and able to put reasonable effort into repair and/or reconciliation
3. All members in a group understand and consent to the exercise. If consent must be withdrawn, the group is willing and able to accommodate.
4. All members can agree that different definitions and understanding of the question may arise. This in itself can be valuable data in understanding one another, and the importance of semantics should be decided upon by the group.
5. All members will have access to the full set of questions and understand that the overall design of the tool is to facilitate conversation. As such, questions can be skipped if the individual/group wants to for any reason at all.

Ways of Structuring A Session

In its current stage, the Tool has some potential for improving relationships and closeness as a simple conversation tool. I've experimented with a show and tell style presentation with a friend, where we simply answered the questions and looked at the examples together. That may not work with different brains or groups. Keeping in mind different power structures that might be at play when participating in or facilitating these conversations, here are some ideas for adapting the tool to fit the purposes of your group.

Note: for accessibility, it may be helpful for the group to first state the purpose of coming together and using this tool. Feel free to use my stated goal as a jumping off point: "Ultimately, I'd like to create a tool that can help individuals identify individual, cultural, and oppressive patterns that get in the way of breaking free from harmful relationship cycles." For your group, it may be to break free from similar cycles as a group, foster better understanding of how our traumas interact with one another, or simply figure out how to comfort one another during hard times.

Structure 1: Facilitation

• Nominate a facilitator for your group. The facilitator will be in charge of reading the questions, paying attention to the needs of the group, de-escalating where necessary, and making sure everyone feels safe and heard. If uncertainties occur, the facilitator might be the one to "make the call".
• The facilitator is an emotionally taxing role. If this is a peer group, you might consider taking turns as the facilitator. There are four sections, for example, so you may want to appoint four different facilitators.
• If this is a peer group and the facilitator is not a paid professional, make sure the facilitator's needs are met. The group may want to give the facilitator time and space to answer and discuss their answers as well.
• It is possible to facilitate and participate at the same time, but not recommended, as it can be difficult to notice your own feelings in the moment. If this is the best method for your group, please make sure the group understands a) what are the signs that de-escalation is needed when emotions are heightened b) what can we do when someone is not being/feeling heard? and c) how do we hold each other if/when a) or b) occurs?
• Example scenario: Leona is often regarded as the group's father figure, and happily takes on a facilitator role among their friends, Shino and Priya. Shino and Priya's answers are often informed by their shared experience as first-generation immigrants, and Leona diligently tries to make sure everyone is equally hard, drawing connections and asking follow-up questions. Shino and Priya are excited to share the similarities and differences of their patterns, and after they have gone through the questions, Priya takes on the facilitator role for Leona, and Shino listens as an observer, participating only as it is helpful to better understand Leona.

Structure 2: Round Robin

• Each member of the group will take turns answering the questions, one at a time. To borrow an idea form many Indigenous cultures, a talking item such as an Eagle feather may be encouraged to make sure each speaker has ample time to express their thoughts without interruption.
• Depending on time and the size of the group, you may want to allow other members of the group to ask questions. You may want to save opportunities for comments until everyone has answered the question. The purpose of this is to make sure speakers have time to think about and process their own experiences. Others may help, but we want to prevent the excitement of connection from taking away from the speakers' experiences.
• Example scenario: In answering the first question (what are expectations you've internalized since you were young), Emile says, "I have to put my family above everyone else. They hold the talking item and welcome questions from their group. Emile's friend, Sasha, is thinking, "Me too. Everyone is scared of my mother because she makes everyone feel that way." However, it is currently Emile's turn, so Sasha waits for her turn. Instead, she asks Emile, "Are there certain members of your family that has to be prioritized above everyone else?" Emile elaborates, then passes the talking item to the next person. After everyone has had a turn, Emile and Sasha may share specific learnings from their similar childhoods.

Structure 3: Show & Tell

• Each member of the group will receive the set of questions beforehand.
• Each member of the group will answer them during their own time. Perhaps they will create the art project as Fireweed Collective intended.
• On the day the members of the group have gathered, they will take turns sharing their stories or art projects. The group may choose to set time limits, decide which questions to share out, allow for powerpoints, or any other rules that will make the presentation portion run smoother.
• Alternatively, parts of these questions might be very vulnerable. Instead, one might only want to present only the questions that ask how others can help you when you're coping. If there is additional time/capacity, the group might use this information to form a visual web or chart of how we can help each other.
• Example scenario: A local collective has about 20 members, and they want to use this tool to mitigate group dysfunction. While members of the collective trust each other in the organizing work that they do together, it is more of a collection of friendship cohorts than one big happy family. As such, members of the collective have decided that they will work on the questions on their own and return to present only the question, "How can others help you? How can we help each other?". The group decides beforehand to break the question down into even smaller pieces: a) What are the signs that you need help? b) What brings you comfort? and c) What can potentially cause more harm? Some members of the group choose to do some of the questions on their own to build up to that final question. Some members of the group split off to do the questions with friends among the collective. Some members choose not to participate in the additional questions at all. When the collective meets next, they discuss only the questions posed to the group, and a note taker amalgamates the answers into a collective agreement.