Brain waves of different frequencies are not just spatially separate but form a layered, hierarchical structure that mirrors the layered nature of conscious experience. The slowest oscillations act as a foundation that coordinates faster ones, together creating a unified metastable continuum. This isomorphism between neural oscillations and phenomenal experience explains how voluntary breathing and meditation can modulate the mind and have therapeutic effects for psychiatric disorders.
Reflexes integrate multimodal sensory information rapidly, yet how unconscious processes contribute to consciousness remains unclear. The Default Space Theory (DST) proposes a unified internal representation that integrates sensory inputs, cognition, emotion, and unconscious processes. Neuroimaging advances (fMRI, EEG, MEG) highlight neural oscillations and sensory integration in conscious experience. This perspective argues that research on reflexes' dynamic relationship with consciousness is lacking, particularly top-down cortical modulation of subcortical reflex circuits. Understanding how the brain encodes a multimodal model of self and environment to produce quick reflex responses could clarify boundaries between conscious and unconscious activity, offering new avenues for studying consciousness's physical nature.