Exploring Quantum Levels: The Biological Level and the Birth of the Nervous System
Jennifer Finch, LPC, NCC, SEP
September 22, 2023
“A person is three things:
What he thinks he is,
What others think he is,
And
What he really is.”
There are many dimensions of being a fully operating bio-psycho-social-spiritual human. There is a thinking dimension, all our thoughts and belief systems. An external dimension is everything that we know outside of ourselves. An emotional dimension, all our feelings. An essence dimension, where our stabilized senses and experiences are housed. A dimension of I AM, a pivotal spiritual experience of existence. And even a very subtle dimension of attuning to Fundamental Consciousness of oneness with everything (take one of my Realization Process courses to experience this).
In this article, I want to focus on the intricacies of the biological dimension, a realm around which all other dimensions gracefully revolve. The biological dimension of the body's primary mechanism is survival. It doesn't care about happiness, enlightenment, or contentment in life. It is singularly focused on surviving. Now, a sub-context of the body's survival mechanism, of course, is what Dr. Stephen Wolinsky would humorously say is the area where we spend most of our life focused on: “eating, sleeping, going to the bathroom, or having sex or making more money so you have a better place to do it in.”
Multi-dimensional Awareness, or Quantum Psychology, Wolinsky’s work, adds two other pieces to this biological dimension: a natural biological learning response. We learn from our past to evolve. Hence, we no longer need to touch a hot stove. And a natural biological merging response. It is our urge to merge that exists within all of us.
As we embark on this intellectual journey, I am compelled to extend my heartfelt appreciation, a tip of the hat, to the venerable Dr. Stephen Wolinsky and the esteemed figure he recommended, Alfred Korzybski. The foundation of much of this paper finds its roots in the profound wisdom contained within Korzybski’s seminal work, “Science and Sanity,” penned in the year 1933. While I never had the privilege of meeting Mr. Korzybski in person, I find myself indebted to his scholarly legacy.
Alfred Korzybski, a polymath from Poland, left an indelible mark on philosophy, engineering, and science. His multidisciplinary brilliance allowed him to wear multiple hats, each more distinguished than the last. I offer and extend my gratitude to a man whose intellect and insights continue to resonate across time and disciplines.
His work is as valuable today as we study the nervous system on the cutting edge in psychology and medicine. His work is almost a century before Dr. Stephen Porges, a psychologist, and neuroscientist leading the way with research on the polyvagal nervous system and its survival responses today.
"Science and Sanity" is a literary behemoth, standing at a staggering 800 to 900 pages in length. You can download the entire formidable tome in PDF format here: https://www.holybooks.com/wp-content/uploads/Science-and-Sanity.pdf.
It proved one of the most daunting intellectual challenges I have ever encountered. I say that after reading Porges' The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, Self-Regulation 2011 back in 2019 while at the beach. #nerd
I can’t even claim that I have read “Science and Sanity,” skimmed might be more like it. It has editorial quirks, but the heart of the matter simply blows my mind, coupled with the fact that it was written 90 years ago!
Nevertheless, Korzybski’s magnum opus intricately explains the inner workings of the nervous system and its role in shaping our perceptions of reality. His cornerstone concept, the “structural differential,” provides profound insights into the functioning of the brain and nervous system. That term, “structural differential,” might initially sound imposing, but I invite you not to shy away from the sound of this somewhat unwieldy term. Essentially, it explores the brain and nervous system's inner workings—their intricate choreography. What Korzybski essentially grappled with was the intricate ballet performed by the brain and the nervous system. They adjoined hands or arms, fibers, neurons, neurotransmitters, what-have-you, and square danced with sophisticated and labyrinthine choreography and organization.
More specifically, he explores this complex dance of organization with a profound interest in how the nervous system orchestrates the sense of self or, more aptly, how it sculpts the "I" that we come to recognize.
My intention is to present a synopsis of this notion. How we have come to know the “I” and allow the reader to grasp, even if fleetingly, the mechanisms through which identities take shape within the realms of biology, psychology, physics, and spirituality.
I want to build upon Korzybski’s nervous system discoveries and Wolinsky’s Quantum Psychology principles and show how they augment synergistically with quantum mechanics, our perception, and myriad spiritual paths. In the second part of this article, I aim to offer a succinct overview of the structural differential. Shedding light on it, even in distilling its essence to offer just a glimpse, helps construct a basic understanding of the bedrock of how we form our identity at the biological level. If we know how we got where we are, we can learn how to go back in the direction we came. In doing so, we can undo. Whether nervous system dysregulation, dysfunctional attachment styles, bad habits, negative thought patterns, harmful or unproductive behavior loops, or simply learning how we organize ourselves in the world, and we now want more choices in our response repertoire.
My intention is not to ride the coattails of these intellectual giants but rather to extend their work with fresh insights by standing on their shoulders and sturdy foundations. Physics, biology, spirituality, and psychology are vantage points, and often, the genesis of our inquiry lies at their harmonizing intersection.
We start this intellectual voyage with two distinct facets: exploring the structural differential and examining the enriching dimensions brought forth by quantum physics.
The First Part
Let's begin with recognizing a fundamental concept—there is only one substance.
“Finding out who you are is not about being more, doing more, having more, manifesting more, creating more, being the best you can be, finding out your imagined mission or purpose in life, or having financial success. Finding out who you are is the realization that everything is made of the same substance, and you are that one substance.”
An essential oneness, a singular substance, echoes through various forms of spirituality, and it is often expressed as an assertion that we are all interconnected. There is an interdependent web of which we are all a part. If we believe that everything emanates from the divine or with less spiritual conviction, that consciousness pervades all existence.
However, we must recognize that these are mere linguistic symbols; they serve as labels for an ineffable essence. The nature of this essence resists description, for any attempt to articulate it inevitably falls short, leaving us with the ability to define only what it is not. In essence, there exists but one singular substance, an indescribable core. In the courses I teach on the Realization Process, created by Dr. Judith Blackstone, we can feel this “substance.” If this sounds far-out or too far-fetched, I encourage you to try it, see for yourself, and not take my word for it. “It is experienced as a blend of emptiness and presence and some element that defies language and feels like existence itself.”—Dr. Judith Blackstone (p. 19 The Fullness of the Ground) To attune to "fundamental consciousness" or the one substance, we must go "beyond our habitual, constructed templates of experience."–Dr. Judith Blackstone (p. 5 The Fullness of the Ground.)
A parallel narrative unfolds in the domain of yoga, where this primordial substance is believed to condense. We are all forms of condensed emptiness, so to speak. The yoga sutras, for instance, expound on the idea of contraction within this primordial substance—a transformation that begets what we commonly term consciousness.
It is worth emphasizing that various spiritual traditions, not just Buddhism and Hinduism, echo this narrative of creation—the emergence of diverse forms from a singular substance.
In the realm of science, this notion finds resonance in the theory of the Big Bang—a cosmic event wherein the universe, emerging from this singular substance, underwent a spectacular division. It unfolded as a symphony of cooling and heating, with the cosmos fragmenting into myriad components. In the language of physics, we could also characterize this as a cooling process. An illuminating book titled "The First Three Minutes" meticulously documents the cosmic symphonic ballet that transpired within the initial moments when the universe was an undivided whole that gradually diversified into many.
I unearth these concepts not merely as abstract musings but to underscore the robust scientific foundation underpinning these metaphysical ideas.
At this juncture, the initial step is to contemplate how to perceive this singular substance, which lies at the crux of our exploration. I do not intend to convince you of anything; with obviousness, what we are discussing is completely foreign to the conceptual mind. So, you must make up your mind about this one substance.
I found the words, as pointed out by Dr. Blackstone in her latest book, The Fullness of the Ground p. 14, of an Indian teacher helpful, “First you are in the light, then the light is in you, then you and the light are the same.” We are ultimately considering the third stage of understanding.
Here is where Alfred Korzybski takes center stage. He introduces a concept that he aptly terms the "process level," a designation we call the "quantum level." It is pertinent to note that these designations do not constitute a profound distinction. Instead, they encapsulate the essence of a pivotal transformation—a contraction. Within this contraction, we encounter something profoundly intriguing. As the Buddha said, "Form is emptiness, emptiness is form. Form and emptiness cannot be separated." As Albert Einstein said, E=mc2 (E=energy m=mass c=speed of light). The Big Bang was when energy became matter. One of Einstein's most extraordinary insights was realizing that matter and energy are different forms of the same thing. Matter can be turned into energy and energy into matter.
Within this narrowing scope, the word "energy" emerges, enveloped in conspicuous quotations by Korzybski. What he describes is not energy in the conventional sense. The quotes around the term "energy" emphasize its elusive nature. Instead, it is a subtle substance that has assumed the perpetual motion or dance—transforming, shifting, and ever-evolving. This subtle substance, born from the contraction, embarks on a journey of constant movement.
Everything moves. Our thoughts and emotions move, our cells and blood, and our circumstances move. We find ourselves in a realm where ceaseless motion prevails, a departure from the initial stillness. Everything moves except this one substance. That one substance is continuous, remaining in confident stillness. It is a comforting space of union with increasing interpenetration of everything, including "you" and "me," to a level of universal sameness or oneness that permeates all dynamic motion.
As we traverse deeper into the terrain of this process level, a subsequent contraction leads us to what Korzybski appropriately christened the "microscopic level." Here, the landscape transforms into the world of space, atoms, nuclei, electrons gracefully orbiting their nuclei, and the presence of protons and neutrons. Our left brain can finally rest here because this is "known territory," as the very elements are familiar to students of science and grace the pages of our well-worn science books.
In this diminutive realm, if we wore an electron microscope or a quantum lens, the macroscopic world of chairs, people, bookcases, and coffee cups would dissolve into a mosaic of particles and space. In this microscopic domain, one cannot discern the presence of a distinct "self." The concept of "you" remains unorganized or elusive. So, beginning with that singular substance, there exists no concept of "you." At this embryonic stage, no entity or identity stands separate from this overarching essence or one substance. The very act of declaring "I Am" or delineating anything as "this" or "that" remains an exercise in futility, for true separation is an illusion.
As we progress further into the process level and, subsequently, the microscopic level, or quantum level, much is left behind in our rearview mirror. This is crucial to grasp as we traverse these levels from the undivided, nondual substance into the process level. This profound truth persists that there is no "I" or "you." What emerges is a formless substance in perpetual motion.
To offer a glimpse of the starkness of this revelation, imagine adorning yourself with that quantum lens we discussed just a moment ago. Even if this quantum lens could grant you the power to peer into the subatomic realm, where particles, atoms, and electrons performed their minuscule ballet, gazing outward, you would discern no chairs, no people, no bookcases, no coffee cups. Even the most ordinary objects would comprise the identical particles and waves that made everything. Even your very arm. Instead, all that would unfurl before us is a realm dominated by space and particles, where atoms engage in their intricate choreography. The truth of the matter is everything is composed of 99.9999999996% space. “As Gertrude Stein put it, ‘There is no there, there.’”—Dr. Blackstone (p. 13 The Fullness of the Ground).
We may perceive these objects as slower, more crystallized, and denser energy versions, but they would not be the objects we could label with any quantitative knowledge. Even in extending this contemplative scrutiny inward, seeking the very essence of "you" at this profound level, the concept of a separate self dissolves into the grand tapestry of existence. Thus, whether we stand at the threshold of the singular substance, the process level, or the microscopic level, the conclusion resounds with unwavering clarity—you are not.
Well, you are before anything you have ever known about who you are. Without using your thoughts, memory, emotions, associations, perceptions, attention, or intentions, are you "YOU," not "YOU," or neither?
As the contraction persists, a further pivotal revelation shared by Korzybski surfaces, leading to what Wolinsky terms the "I AM nonverbal state." A blank canvas devoid of linguistic constructs. So, we journey from the amorphous essence, or the one substance, to the process level, onward to the quantum level, and ultimately into the microscopic realm. At each transition, a remarkable shedding occurs. Layers of complexity are cast aside, and only a meager residue persists. This transformation can be likened to the work of an abstract artist whose craft involves the art of omission.
Picture a scenario in which an abstract artist collapses the entirety of an ordinary morning scene to fit within an 8x10 frame. A 45-minute sequence of someone’s morning routine into a single work of art. Waking up to an alarm clock, stepping into the shower, putting on a bathrobe, brushing teeth, descending the stairs, savoring a cup of coffee, and tuning into the unfolding news of the day. To achieve this, the artist must omit, distill, and select, abstracting only a fraction of the plethora of details that transpired during this brief interval in time. Herein lies the essence of abstraction—a structural differential, if you will, to extract and preserve only the quintessential elements to distill the importance of an experience.
Here is what AI generated for us
This is a great start, minus that they both appear to only have one leg. And they never made it to the kitchen.
I regenerated the photo in Van Gogh style, and here is what we get…
The subject in this artwork appears confused, lost, and given up, stuck between the worlds of kitchen and bathroom.
Not that AI-generated art compressing time gives us a glimpse into the framework of what we call our "mind," but it does. We can start to see how much is left behind. And only a fraction of the original substance endures.
As the contraction process continues, we move forward from the nonverbal I AM, a state akin to a blank canvas, bereft of linguistic constructs, into a profound metamorphosis. A corporeal form materializes—a physical body replete with a nervous system—ushering in a tangible sense of existence. Within this realm, the "I AM" is no longer a mere abstraction but a visceral, palpable reality, and the sense of self manifests. We can gather a sense of being in relation to someone, something, or some other. Therefore we exist. Right?
If you think your thoughts matter, or are solid and convincing, go back the way you came, re-discover the I AM and beyond, and return to the one substance. It might help you let them go, or pass on by without feeling like you need to grasp onto them, or even believe them.
To be clear, this is not a teaching of nonexistence. We are not going back the way we came to not exist. It is quite the opposite. Paradoxically, when we let go of our grip on ourselves and attune to the realization of the "blissful expanse" that “Longchenpa and many other Hindu and Buddhist teachers point to"(Dr. Judith Blackstone p. 33), we come more fully into existence. This does not erase our personality, it uniquely frees us to be more of ourselves, and we become more accessible to know who we really are. In my experience, it is a braver act to exist. To take a chance to be fully seen as an uncontrived, unmasked, no facades YOU. But only when we let go of our constraints, and open ourselves up to that genuine self-esteem and confidence that we are not separate from that one substance, will we truly live and experience our fundamental nature.
So, go back the way you came. In this way, you can trace back and deconstruct every thought, hostile action, and harmful construct, unraveling them to their most fundamental levels—the microscopic, the process level, and the one substance, the essence itself. This act of self-reflection and rediscovery serves as a profoundly moving and brilliant response to intricate and complex situations.
Don't let go of YOU. In fact, do whatever you can to HOLD ON TO YOURSELF, maintaining your authentic self with an uncontrived, unforced self-possession. Simultaneously, release your hold on external distractions and body-mind constrictions that are not serving you. Paradoxically, this non-attachment amplifies the depth of your inner connection, bridging you to your true self and the abundant world that surrounds you, including every being and facet it encompasses.
The Second Part: The Nervous System
Continuing down the rabbit hole, we now have an identifiable "I." And when we incorporate a nervous system, things get even more interesting.
“The reason the world appears to be solid is because the nervous system makes things appear that way. Moshe Feldenkrais said, ‘The purpose of the nervous system is to organize chaos.’ The nervous system takes the alleged chaos of EMPTINESS and organizes it into what we see as the world and ourselves. But prior to this organization, everything is only ONE SUBSTANCE.”
A fascinating narrative unfolds as we continue with Korzybski's structural differential. As we increasingly identify with our "solid" sense of self and attach to our identities, formulate hardened constructs of ego, we fall, in a sense, continue falling through a sieve.
Here is a diagram of Korzybski's structural differential.
At the process level, we are inundated with abundant information, an intricate dance of particles and forces playing out in a symphony beyond our sensory perception. It would be too overwhelming for our human experience. Think Fantasia, on steroids, while on drugs, after drinking 5 Red Bulls and staying up for 6 days straight.
As we transition to the object level, a profound condensation occurs, and even more information is artfully omitted from our conscious awareness.
The human body, marvelously complex yet inherently oblivious to the minuscule constituents of matter—electrons, protons, and neutrons—navigates this condensed reality. It grapples with substances it cannot fathom, much less perceive. In this transition, a subtle erosion of the nonverbal nuances of existence begins.
Herein emerges a duality: the corporeal form on the object level and the intricate conductor known as the nervous system. In this transformative stage, we are not yet what we conventionally define as "ourselves"; we are embryonic, akin to the nascent flame of self-awareness.
Further contraction ensues, a relentless winnowing of the elements. More and more materials are deliberately discarded, left to the shadows of obscurity. To illustrate this concept, Dr. Wolinsky has us consider a simple act—a gaze out the window where your car rests in the driveway. For you to behold this scene, the nervous system orchestrates a masterful feat of omission, sieving through a ceaseless deluge of stimuli. Billions upon billions of sensory inputs are sieved through a fine mesh, allowing only the tiniest fraction to surface in your conscious perception. Otherwise, there would not appear to be a car there.
In this orchestration, the nervous system engages in creative artistry. It presents a selectively tailored reality and is meticulously pruned to render the coherent, comprehensible world you experience. Yet, it is essential to understand that what is presented is but a semblance, a carefully constructed mirage. It is a reality that exists solely within the nervous system's perception confines. Suppose you have a nervous system riddled with trauma, chronic stress patterns, globally high activation, etc.. In that case, it has collapsed even further, offering only a glimpse through a significantly narrowed lens of survival. This is not living with fullness. I could say much about trauma and the nervous system here, but for now, it is just enough to know what your nervous system is doing. Omitting grandiose data under the guise of “efficiency” and “safety.” This paper more broadly focuses on how the nervous system functions and acts upon our brains' perception and will leave the discussion of the intricacies of trauma for a later date.
Thus, with each unveiling of this curated reality, we must acknowledge the profound subjectivity of our existence. What we perceive is not a universal truth but a unique rendition—a tapestry woven by the neural loom of our individuality (thank you chat gpt for that sentence). It is a testament to the exquisite, yet inherently limited, lens through which we observe the universe. Everything we see is but an internal subjective perception of our own reality. And, therefore, everyone we encounter sees the world through their own lens and internal subjective perception of their own reality. This is not hard to understand, especially if you have ever spent time with a three-year-old, or a teenager.
Ultimately, we traverse through layers of reality to see a world and live an existence that makes sense. To our individual selves. Even if the world doesn’t make sense, we will attempt to make it make sense by saying things like, “Everything happens for a reason.” Or, “God has a plan.'“
But if we zoom out, scientifically under the umbrella of quantum physics, we can see our journey begins from infinitesimal to the comprehensible. Traveling from the enigmatic dance of particles unseen and below the naked eye to the orchestrated symphony of consciousness. It is a journey where information is shed, and selective omission becomes the hallmark of perception. Our existence, at its core, is a testament to the remarkable artistry of the nervous system, sculpting an actual reality, not to the universe, but solely to the intricate wonder of the individual mind.
We can see now how our intricate nervous system orchestrates our perception. And it unfolds as an exquisite series of abstractions. It deftly selects from the vast sea of stimuli, distilling millions and billions into a mere fraction. This nuanced dance gazes upon what is not merely a car but a realm of categorization. And, oh, how we love labels and categories. Our left brain chomps them up like Pac-Man because they make sense. We love the Container Store, where everything has its own proper place. How satisfying it is in there.
We shall appropriately call this the "label level." Or what Korzybski christens the "label level." (curiously not mentioned in the graphic above taken from the internet, but is in the book.)
At this label level, a transformation occurs, for self-awareness awakens, clothed in identities such as "Jennifer" or "woman." Yet, in the deeper strata of existence—the substance level, the quantum level, the microscopic level—I am not truly present with any label. As I perceive it, my essence coalesces as something much more primordial.
In the realm of the object level, which occurs at a much later juncture, I manifest as "I AM." I cast my gaze upon the world, and there, amidst the driveway, behold a car—an entity I readily label comfortably and satisfactorily. It is worth noting that I am a passive observer in this grand narrative. The nervous system, the silent maestro, orchestrates this symphony of perception. Thank God, or we might all be lost in space. Quite literally.
Once again, the nervous system performs its alchemy at the label level. Billions of stimuli are tenderly curated, sieved through the fine mesh of consciousness, and emerge as "car." Like a Neanderthal first grunting sound. But this is but the beginning.
The nervous system then ushers us to the descriptive level. Here, nuances unfurl. I perceive the car as black, as purposeful, carrying me to and fro. The nervous system is relentless and ushers us further into the realm of inference.
At the inference level, complexities emerge. "My car is good." Or it proclaims, "My car belongs to me." Rapidly, the inference level cascades into "inference #2." Inferences about inferences. "My car is a Subaru, and people who drive Subaru's are environmentally conscious and therefore good people." Now, we tread upon the domain of judgments about judgments. Inferences about inferences about inferences. "People who buy Teslas are extravagant and support Elon Musk, and therefore are questionable people at best."
With each ascent to a new inference level, the understanding weave grows more complex yet abstract. We step further away from the essence of "what is" and into the dangerously biased web of "what it means." Ideas spiral into cascades of interferences, layer upon layer until the core substance becomes a distant memory or vanishes entirely from our mindset.
Here is an example of how this might play out.
Depending on how your lens of life is, here is another example.
A gradual shedding of information occurs in this perpetual ascent from level to level. We select but a minuscule shard from the boundless universe of stimuli. What rests at the bottom of this structural differential is an expansive "etcetera." This makes me chuckle for some reason. As astute and scholarly as Korzybski is, and he concludes with a gigantic “etcetera.”
Here, we delve into the dark arts. Making inferences about inferences, about inferences, etc. Recursive thoughts, biases, and harmful prejudices, or making something so simple into something entirely too complex. Enter the human race. Mountains and molehills. Many of our inferences lie dormant and unconscious, which makes them even more egregious and dangerous because we act impulsively from something unknown or sub-conscious. As Korzybski aptly stated, "You can always say more about what you said." This might provoke concern too, as we construct hardened belief systems, prove that we are right with defiance, and believe what we see is the truth, and find a lot more to say about it when we don’t really know what we are talking about. But in reality, all inferences are so far from the truth that it is incomprehensible.
The journey of perception is a mesmerizing odyssey, a tale of abstraction and omission. It is a narrative written by the eloquent hand of the nervous system, wherein what we perceive is a delicate symphony of levels, each revealing a fraction of the truth, each taking us further away from the enigmatic essence of "what is."
So, with kindness, conviction, and compassion, I suggest we go back the way we came.
To take a closer look at how your brain and nervous system omit pertinent data and obstruct your view of reality, you might be interested in taking my on-demand course Seeing What Others Miss: An Application of Quantum Mechanics to Improve Therapeutic Effectiveness (this course is not exclusive to therapists, but is open to all)
