Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who are the characters?
A: The Upowers are characters designed to represent certain states of mind. The Upowers are all proactive mindframes and personal strengths, represented by body organs that everyone has. There are also the “Intheways,” or “storms,” which are reactive ways of mindframe (behaviors, feelings, and thoughts).
Q: How are these materials supposed to help me develop a happier lifestyle?
A: At InUpowers, we believe that emotions are information. It can be hard to strike a healthy balance when deciding how to process your feelings. If you give your emotions control, you become impulsive and unstable, but if you try to suppress the same emotions, they tend to come back stronger and harder to manage. The InUpowerment cycle is meant to teach people how to acknowledge their feelings, make decisions based off of them, and then let them go.
Q: Are the AI interactables safe for children?
A: Absolutely! Not only are they designed with children in mind, but each character’s AI has been rigorously tested to minimize the risks involved. This includes not just making sure they give healthy support and foster human connection, but also are protected by community guidelines that determine what falls outside the scope of what the AIs are meant to be able to do. When dealing with certain serious topics, the AI are programmed to not engage and/or involve a human to handle it instead.
Q: What is the InUpowerment cycle and how does it work?
A: The InUpowerment cycle is a process outlining the steps for processing difficult emotions in a healthy way. The 5 steps are Thoughts, Feelings, Moments, Choice, and Accountability. The process is meant to help identify and acknowledge your emotions and then take action using them as information, not instructions. Done properly, this cycle promotes a balance where emotions aren’t ignored, suppressed, or given control when making decisions.
Q: What are the U powers?
A: U powers are our characters who represent proactive states of mind and inner strengths. Each U-power is meant to signify a state of mind where you depend on your strengths to confront emotional challenges in healthy and conscientious ways. Core values essential to each of these ideals are represented by “gold.” The abilities they represent are innate human characteristics that everyone can depend on.
Q: What are the “storms”?
A: Storms are characters representing reactive states of mind. Their behavior and attitude mimics the way people feel and act when dealing with certain struggles. Like in real life, each storm who acts impulsively and reactively creates problems for those around them, represented by a unique “footprint” that’s different for each storm.
Q: Who is the InUpowers program for?
A: Everyone who deals with emotions that seem hard to handle sometimes. That includes people having emotional challenges, people who know people having emotional challenges, people who feel neglected, people who feel overwhelmed, people going through trauma, people who have gone through trauma, and pretty much everyone else.
Q: What is the purpose of characters like WAM and U-BE?
A: Each character is meant to represent a certain way of thinking in a memorable way that makes them easier to identify. Certain character features such as gloves, glasses, shoes, and more serve as metaphors for the important details about the corresponding mindframe, feelings and behaviors.
Q: Who makes the InUpowers workbooks and materials?
A: Nearly everything in our workbooks and published materials is created by mental health professionals and professional curriculum designers. The few exceptions are still created by InUpowers employees and are carefully reviewed.
Q: What is the philosophy or mission of the InUpowers program?
A: The ultimate goal of everything we do at InUpowers is to help people become better prepared to handle the storms of life. We believe that emotions are information and behind every mean or inconsiderate behavior is a human being with unmet needs. Our content is designed to help people realize their inner strengths and teach them how to take their innermost challenges into their own hands.
Q: Is this program a replacement for therapy or clinical help?
A: No. While it can definitely help with some problems, our program isn’t designed to fully replace professional help, especially in the case of a serious emotional crisis.
Q: Can I use the program in addition to professional treatment?
A: Yes! Some of our materials are even specifically made to work alongside therapy or other additional treatment for mental struggles.
Q: Can the InuPowers program cure depression and/or anxiety?
A: Not exactly. Applying the InUpowerment cycle can’t change the emotions you feel, just equip you to handle them better. It won’t make things like depression or anxiety go away, especially if it stems from something physiological, but it can teach you how to handle the challenges that come from them.
Q: I don’t have any mental illness, so why should I care?
A: Well, the InUpowers program isn’t just for people with mental struggles. It’s for anyone who has a hard time with their emotions from time to time, which means just about everyone.