A Minimal Test of Cross-Level Interoceptive–Neural Coupling in Consciousness

This paper proposes a minimal experimental test of the claim that conscious coherence depends on cross-level coupling between neural and interoceptive processes. The Integrative Field Model (IFM) predicts that selective disruption of interoceptive–neural coupling degrades conscious coherence even when large-scale neural integration remains intact. A within-subject design uses non-pharmacological interoceptive perturbation, EEG-based measures of neural integration, and phenomenological assessments of temporal continuity and self-presence. The critical outcome is a dissociation between neural integration metrics and experiential coherence. If observed, this result challenges the sufficiency of neural integration accounts of consciousness; if not, the IFM multi-level necessity claim is falsified.