The de Broglie-Bohm interpretation of quantum mechanics and the hard problem of consciousness are mutually supporting. The beables (the actual, localized elements of reality in this interpretation) are not themselves qualia—the subjective, qualitative aspects of conscious experience—but are intimately related to them. The argument is that qualia are necessary for the de Broglie-Bohm interpretation, and conversely, that interpretation (or similar theories) is necessary for qualia. This reflexive, two-way relationship means each supports the existence of the other, offering an indirect route to addressing the hard problem of consciousness.
Qualia—the subjective, felt qualities of conscious experience—may play a causally active role in quantum mechanics, influencing physical outcomes without violating the unitary time-evolution of the quantum state. This influence operates at the level of de Broglie-Bohm beables or wavefunction collapse, not the wavefunction itself. Not all quantum states are compatible with qualia, so the standard Copenhagen collapse postulates and the Born rule may need modification to produce correct dynamical histories. The model shows how non-linear, self-referential phenomena can arise from linear deterministic evolution.