Archetypes & Harmonics

Archetypes and Harmonics: A Neurobiological Glimpse into the Deep Unconscious

What if the deepest symbolic patterns of the mind—mythic imagery, universal motifs, and archetypal stories—could be understood not just metaphorically, but mathematically? In our recent paper Eigenmodes of the Deep Unconscious, we explored this question by weaving together Jungian depth psychology, modern neuroscience, and the mathematical framework of connectome harmonics.

Central to this work is the idea that the brain’s structural wiring gives rise to a set of intrinsic spatial patterns—connectome harmonics—that serve as fundamental building blocks for brain dynamics. These harmonic waves, shaped by the geometry of the connectome, offer a unifying framework through which diverse mental states can emerge. Beneath the complexity of mental life lies an ordered geometry—a harmonic architecture—that may encode the symbolic language of the unconscious.

We proposed that archetypal phenomena—such as symbolic visions, mythic themes, and universal narratives—may emerge when the brain resonates in specific harmonic modes. Under ordinary conditions, predictive processing maintains tight constraints on how information flows through the brain. But in altered states like dreaming or psychedelics, these constraints can loosen, allowing latent harmonic patterns to rise into awareness—often experienced as vivid, emotionally charged symbols or stories.

Different archetypal patterns may correspond to different spatial frequency modes—distinct “notes” in the brain’s harmonic repertoire. In this way, archetypes could reflect stable, evolutionarily conserved attractors in the brain’s functional landscape.

This interdisciplinary work not only reframes archetypes as emergent properties of the brain’s harmonic architecture—it also opens new doors for empirical testing. For instance, can we identify specific harmonics associated with particular archetypal images under psychedelics or during dreams? Can we map how narrative archetypes like the “hero’s journey” unfold across harmonic transitions?

By integrating depth psychology with harmonic neuroscience, we offer a new way to think about the collective unconscious—not as a metaphysical construct, but as a shared resonance space within the brain. Archetypes, in this view, are not simply inherited stories—they are structured patterns of brain activity shaped by the geometry of the connectome, ready to unfold when the usual boundaries of consciousness give way.

This work emerged through an interdisciplinary collaboration with Hugh McGovern, Marco Aqil and Robin Carhart-Harris.

If you want to dive deeper, see the related publications below and watch the selected talks:

• McGovern, H., Aqil, M., Atasoy, S., & Carhart-Harris, R. (2024). Eigenmodes of the deep unconscious: The neuropsychology of Jungian archetypes and psychedelic experience. PsyArXiv