Measured, not assumed
The FP20
The Fundamental Peace Scale — the instrument behind Pillar 6.
What Fundamental Peace is
Fundamental Peace is a precisely operationalised neuro-experiential state — stable yet flexible, serene yet fully engaged; not the absence of pain but the transmutation of its energy into love and compassion; integrated regulatory capacity.
How it works
Large-scale brain networks — the default mode, executive control and salience networks — reorganise away from rigid self-processing and toward integrated regulation. That capacity is trainable through contemplative practice and through the ocean, and it is measured before and after, never assumed.
The response scale
20 statements · 1 Never true → 7 Always true · 0–100
- 1 · Never true
- 7 · Always true
The twenty statements
1. Flexible attentional control
The capacity to direct attention with ease rather than strain — focused yet open, without needing to forcefully suppress distractions.
- 1I can direct my attention to what matters without forcing it.
- 2I notice distractions without being pulled away by them.
- 3My attention feels steady yet open, not rigid or scattered.
- 4I can return to focus easily after interruptions, without effort.
- 5Attention feels natural to me, not something I have to sustain through willpower.
2. Emotional coherence across self-states
The experience of inner continuity even as emotions shift — without dissociation or fragmentation of experience.
- 6I experience a continuous sense of self even when my emotions shift.
- 7I can hold contradictory feelings without fragmenting or becoming overwhelmed.
- 8Different parts of me — the struggling, the wise, the playful — feel connected rather than at war.
- 9When I look back on past emotional experiences, they feel integrated into who I am.
- 10I can access a full range of emotions without losing my center.
3. Reduced self-referential rigidity
Freedom from repetitive ruminative loops — a flexible sense of self that adapts without clinging to fixed concepts.
- 11I am not trapped in repetitive self-critical thoughts.
- 12My sense of who I am feels flexible and open to growth.
- 13I can observe my own thoughts without identifying rigidly with them.
- 14I rarely ruminate on past events or worry about the future.
- 15I can let go of fixed self-concepts when life invites me to.
4. Compassionate self-awareness
The capacity to observe one's own experience with genuine kindness — self-compassion as the natural expression of a serene mind.
- 16I observe my own experiences with kindness rather than judgment.
- 17When I fail, I respond to myself with the compassion I would offer a friend.
- 18I can acknowledge difficult emotions in myself without being overwhelmed by them.
- 19I see my strengths and limitations with clarity and warmth, without inflation or deflation.
- 20My inner voice tends to be supportive rather than critical.
Scoring
Average the five responses within each component and the twenty overall, then convert to 0–100: (mean − 1) ÷ 6 × 100. Report the total and the four component scores together — the shape matters more than the number.
Reading the total
- Emerging — The water is moving today. Nothing here is a verdict — it is a reading of one moment, and the practice begins exactly where you are.
- Settling — Something is already steadying. Keep returning — attention, like buoyancy, becomes easier the less you fight it.
- Deep — There is depth here — stable and still flexible. Hold it lightly, and let it show in how you meet the next person and the next dive.
How we use it
- Free for every diver, always.
- Guests answer anonymously and with consent — nothing identifies them.
- Centers only ever see group aggregates.
- A reflection instrument, never a diagnosis.
© Luis Miguel Gallardo · Fundamental Peace framework & FP20.
The FP20 is answering agenda question Q1 right now — what is the dose?
The evidence behind the instrument lives in the Research Hub: library, state-of-the-field review and open agenda — mindfuldiving.org/research