Part 1: Emotional Landscape Analysis (7 min)

For each person, explore:

• Kaylina: Map the journey from hope → shock → denial → terror. What emotional cues would you observe in her body language, facial expressions, signing style?
• Dr. Martinez: Professional duty vs. human compassion. How might their emotional conflict manifest? What cues indicate their struggle?
• Husband: Holding baby, processing in stillness. What unexpressed emotions? How do they impact the room's emotional temperature?
• You (Interpreter): Personal grief triggered. How does your amygdala hijack affect your prefrontal cortex function?

Part 2: Neuroscience Application (5 min)

• Your amygdala fires at Kaylina's tears (0.07 seconds) - what happens to your body?
• The 0.43-second gap before language processing - how do you bridge this?
• Mirror neurons are firing - you're feeling their pain. How do you maintain professional boundaries while staying emotionally present?
• Cognitive load is maximal - emotional + linguistic + ethical processing. What strategies help?

Part 3: Behavioral Impact Discussion (5 min)

How might each person's emotional state affect their behavior?

• Kaylina might sign frantically, freeze, or dissociate - how do you recognize each?
• Doctor might speak faster, use more jargon, or emotionally withdraw - what cues tell you which?
• Your hands trembling - how does this impact trust and accuracy?
• What emotional contagion occurs in this room?

Part 4: Integration & Insights (3 min)

• Which EI domain (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship management) is most challenged here?
• What emotional cues would signal you need to use BREATHE?
• How does understanding the neuroscience change your approach?

Part 1: Mapping the Emotional Ecosystem (7 min)

Explore each person's emotional journey:

• Maria: Rage + humiliation + maternal fear. How might her signing become sharp? What facial tension appears? Where does she hold this in her body?
• Judge: Unconscious bias + impatience. What micro-expressions reveal skepticism? How does power manifest physically?
• Attorney: Aggressive + dismissive. What emotional cues show dehumanization of Maria?
• Sofia (8 years old): Terror + confusion + torn loyalty. What do you see in a child's emotional breakdown?
• You: Witnessing audism + managing advocacy impulse. How does moral injury feel in your body?

Part 2: Neuroscience in the Courtroom (5 min)

• Maria's amygdala is in full fight mode - how does this affect her ability to testify clearly?
• Your mirror neurons are absorbing Sofia's distress - what happens to your cognitive function?
• The judge's implicit bias operates at 0.07 seconds - faster than conscious thought. How do you see this playing out?
• Cortisol flooding everyone's systems - how does stress contagion spread?

Part 3: Power Dynamics & Emotional Labor (5 min)

Discuss the invisible emotional currents:

• Who holds emotional power in this room? How does it shift?
• Maria code-switches between "proper" courtroom behavior and authentic emotion - what toll does this take?
• You're holding everyone's emotions while maintaining neutrality - what's the cognitive load?
• What emotional cues would tell you the judge has already decided?

Part 4: EI Domains in Action (3 min)

• Self-Awareness: What triggers are activated for you?
• Self-Management: How do you regulate when witnessing injustice?
• Social Awareness: What subtle emotional cues are you tracking?
• Relationship Management: How do you maintain professional connection amid chaos?

Part 1: The Emotional Landscape (7 min)

Map each person's emotional reality:

• Jamie: Identity crisis + frustration + determination. What happens when a 16-year-old's competence is questioned? What emotional cues show the difference between teenage defiance and identity invalidation?
• David (Deaf parent): Intergenerational trauma activated. How does his own educational discrimination resurface? What body language shows protective rage?
• Linda (hearing parent): Caught between worlds. What emotional cues reveal her internal conflict? How does fear manifest differently than support?
• Special Ed Director: Defensive + liability-focused. What micro-expressions show when "safety" is used to mask bias?
• Chemistry Teacher: Fear of incompetence. How does "I can't" show up emotionally vs. "I won't learn"?

Part 2: Neuroscience of Educational Trauma (5 min)

• Jamie's teenage brain + identity threat = amygdala overdrive. What happens to a developing brain under this stress?
• David's hippocampus links current situation to past wounds - how does trauma compound?
• The room's collective anxiety creates emotional contagion - how does this affect decision-making?
• Your cognitive load: processing family dynamics + educational jargon + emotional intensity. What gives way first?

Part 3: Emotional Dynamics & Behavior (5 min)

Discuss how emotions drive behavior:

• Jamie's "I'm not broken!" - is this fight, flight, or freeze? What cues tell you?
• Running from room - emotional dysregulation or self-preservation?
• Parents' divide - how do conflicting emotions create family triangulation?
• The educators' "concern" - what emotional cues distinguish genuine care from defensive positioning?

Part 4: EI Skills Application (3 min)

• Which emotions are you absorbing vs. observing?
• How do you recognize when you're moving from social awareness to emotional enmeshment?
• What BREATHE elements help when witnessing youth advocacy?
• How do you hold space for Jamie's dignity while managing room chaos?

Immediate Concerns:

• No established trust or communication patterns
• Different interpretation styles confusing caller
• Teammate showing stress (rapid breathing, tense posture)
• Cannot conference privately in VRS
• High-emotion content with no support structure

BREATHE + DECIDE Application:

Discussion Questions:

• How do you establish quick trust with new teammates?
• What emotional support can you offer in VRS?
• How do you manage style differences mid-call?
• What would you do if teammate freezes?