Eigenmodes of the deep unconscious: The neuropsychology of Jungian archetypes and psychedelic experience.

Archetypes, as described by Carl Jung, can be understood through modern neuroscience. The article proposes that archetypes arise from a three-part interaction: subcortical systems provide an affective core, altered states like those induced by psychedelics generate archetypal imagery, and higher cortical areas encode archetypal stories. The Free Energy Principle and Predictive Processing are used as foundational frameworks. Archetypes may be transmitted socially, forming a collective unconscious through learning and attunement. The work offers testable hypotheses about the neurological bases of archetypes, aiming to bridge Jungian psychology with neuroscience and encourage empirical investigation.

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Abstract

This article presents a neuroscientific interpretation of Carl Jung's theory of archetypes, and their experience in altered states of consciousness. We begin by rehearsing the Free Energy Principle and Predictive Processing as foundational frameworks which subserve and inform the thesis that follows. The following sections examine three aspects of archetypes: the affective core rooted in subcortical systems, archetypal imagery emergent in altered states such as psychedelic experiences, and archetypal stories encoded in higher cortical areas. Specifically, we propose a trilogical interplay between high-level cortex, low-level cortex, and subcortical/affective systems in instantiating these archetypal phenomena. We then explore how archetypes may be transmitted between individuals, developing into a collective unconscious through social learning and subsequent attunement. Throughout, we provide syntheses of Jungian psychology with contemporary neuroscience, offering testable hypotheses regarding the neurological bases of archetypal phenomena. We conclude with discussing implications for both psychoanalytic theory and neuroscientific research. By bridging these disciplines, we aim to lend construct validity to Jungian concepts and encourage further empirical investigation of archetypes and the collective unconscious.