The Core Emotion Framework (CEF): Epistemological Grounding, Computational Architecture, and Integration Within the Therapeutic Landscape

The Core Emotion Framework (CEF) is a structural constructivist model of human affect designed to resolve the longstanding “emotion paradox” by reframing emotions as dynamic regulatory sequences rather than static feeling states. Built on a tripartite architecture of Head, Heart, and Gut Centers, the CEF formalizes ten core emotional operators as mathematically defined activation processes embedded within a computational state transition system. The framework maintains epistemological rigor through a dedicated open science preregistration protocol, while the TS Series (TS 1 through TS 13) provides the technical specifications governing computational architecture, operator dynamics, structural anomalies, and predictive modeling. Clinically, the CEF functions as an integrative meta framework that structurally reframes CBT, DBT, ACT, Schema Therapy, and somatic modalities, enabling precise process level interventions such as the 7 Step Detangling Protocol. The ecosystem extends into technological implementations, including the CEF Triggering Cycling Machine (CTCM) and a multi layered open access repository. This manuscript situates the CEF within contemporary affective science, computational modeling, and psychotherapy, demonstrating its versatility as a falsifiable, reproducible, and clinically actionable architecture.