Vertical Resonance as a Control Parameter: Integrating a Phenomenological Self-Model into the Criticality of Active Inference

This theoretical paper proposes a novel synthesis of the neurodynamic framework of active inference with phenomenological and systemic models of psychological change. Building on the "criticality of consciousness" hypothesis (Tucker et al., 2025), consciousness is understood as the balanced interplay of an excitatory (E) predictive and an inhibitory (I) corrective limbic system. To imbue this formal architecture with content, concepts from the Resonance-Inference Model (RIM) are integrated (Leidig, 2025a) to describe the brain's generative model as a phenomenological self-pattern. The principles of synergetics (Haken, 1983) are applied to model psychological transformation as a non-linear phase transition. The central contribution is the thesis that the highest level of the self-pattern—the spiritual self (Leidig, 2025b)—acts as a synergetic control parameter governing the entire neurocognitive dynamic. Based on the slaving principle, a mechanism of downward causation is articulated, whereby a change in this high-level parameter directly modulates the precision-weighting of the neurodynamic E/I balance. The model offers a plausible, non-reductionist explanation for how mental states like meaning and belief can have causal effects on brain dynamics. It builds a bridge between computational neuroscience and humanistic psychology, providing a unified framework for understanding psychopathology and therapeutic change.