Toward a Computational Phenomenology of Meditative Deconstruction: "Letting Go" and the Deconstruction of Experience With Active Inference.
Neural computation June 2, 2026 Shawn Prest
Meditative deconstruction—letting go of conceptual frameworks—can be modeled computationally using active inference. When an agent reduces the precision of its beliefs about hidden states at a specific hierarchical level, the phenomenology of conceptual attenuation, reduced reactivity, and shorter temporal-scale perception naturally emerges. In simulations of a facial recognition task, an agent that selects a letting-go policy when perceived affective valence becomes excessively negative can self-regulate experienced affect. The model provides a formal account of how letting go alters perception and action during meditation, offering a computational perspective on equanimity, stillness, and affect regulation.