Complexity

We are going to talk about the neural networks and the brain in terms of complex systems theory and self organisation. Self organisation has been thought of as

a key property of matter by which individual material elements in an assembly spontaneously start to interact with each other and behave in a coherent and cooperative way to finally result in the formation of larger and more complex, stable structures which show emergent properties not possessed by the individual elements. (Romijn !""!, #"$ %omplex systems theory on the other hand is not easily definable, a useful description states, &complexity entails that, in a system, there are more possibilities than can be actualised' ((uhmann )*+,, !,$, another vital feature of complex systems is that they are characterised as open. -eaning that while the system can be thought of as individual it is actually composed of smaller subsystems, while at the same time it is a subsystem of a larger system itself and is constantly involved in a dynamic interaction with the environment. .or example, a cell is part of an organ which is part of a body which is part of a society and so on. /r more poetically

-an follows the way of the earth, 0he earth follows the way of 0ao, 0ao follows its on way. ((ao 01u$

We shall endeavour to present a theory of the brain that allows thought to transpose

the concepts taken from complexity theory onto other similar self organising systems. 2eural networks consist of a large number of interconnected simple neurons, each connection bearing a certain intensive weight, dependent on the strength of communication between neurons. 3t is the distributed pattern of spontaneously modulating weights that determine the characteristics of the network, this pattern actualises what is known as 4representational information5 (%illiers )**+$. 6 basic structure of neuronal interconnectedness consists of input units, mediating units and output units. .or example the perception of sound re7uires the auditory nerves situated in the ear to ac7uire the vibrational resonance of the melodical modulations swarming the environment, which is then channelled through the body via the limbic system, resulting in the activation of particular motor neurons that elicit some kind of response. Stimulus 4percolate5 through networks of basically similar neurons and the response enacted is governed by the patterns of weights formed during the systems distributed representation of the event.

2eural networks assemble representational formations of external multiplicities in a non linear, distributed way (%illiers )**+, 8lobus )**+$, hence the emergent patterns arise spontaneously rather than in terms of linear causality. 9ue to phenomenal complexity large networks are able to simultaneously encode an incommensurable plenum of stimuli. Whilst encoding, it is the patterns of weights, not individual neurons that constitute a distributed representation. 3mportantly, there is no difference in kind between the sensory traces entering the network and the traces that interact inside the network (%illiers )**+, +!$. 0herefore, the internal composition of the system is a direct correlation of the external manifestations that are received through sensory apprehension. The gap between internal and external disappears.

Similarly, when we implement our own complex system to perform a creative task, the distributed pattern of weights that constitutes ones frame of mind are incorporated into the patterns of organisation that constitute the implements one is working with, resulting in a psychical superpositioning of the neural pattern of emergence onto the world at large. /f course there are currents of speed and intensity 4percolating5 throughout extensive space: therefore our psychical superpositions affect the world; in;creation to a certain extent but other forces are e7ually at play in the constitution of external manifestations.

Self-Organisation

0his process is based on the electrico;chemical properties of the individual elements and some environmental conditions, such as temperature and energy supply, while it is governed by deterministic chaotic, non;linear dynamics (<auffman )**,$. We may postulate the system to be subject to a certain indeterminate;determinacy as the outcome of this proposition. 0he complex structures that are formed can be thought of as meta-stable, oscillating, low energy preference patterns (9e(anda !""!$, to which the dynamic system is attracted. =ighly susceptible to environmental influence, the oscillation patterns can easily adapt to change. 3f one or more of the environmental influences pushes the system beyond a critical level, it can jump to a new meta;stable preference pattern (Romijn )**+$. 0his is known as a Phase transition. >hase transitions are events which take place at critical moments of a systems genesis, switching it from one state to another (9e(anda !""!$, &0here is ample evidence in living cells to support an intimate connection between phase transitions and life. -any of the processes and structures found in living cells are being maintained at or

near phase transitions' ((angton )**!$ @delanda )"?A. 6t this moment, chaos and order are indeterminately;determining the form of the system, the system is poised on 4the edge of chaos5,

0he edge of chaos is where information gets its foot in the door in the physical world, where it gets the upper hand over energy. Being at the transition point between order and chaos not only buys you ex7uisite control ; small inputCbig change ; but it also buys you the possibility that information processing can become an important part of the dynamics of the system. ((angton in (ewin )**?$ Becoming;chaotically allows access to the imperceptible, beyond that which is 4in; formation5 a subtle dimension 4unthinged5 D provides the resources necessary for genesis. 0his is the novelty that a self organising system exhibits. 6 bridge between the manifest and the groundless,

Extensity as a whole comes from the depths. 9epth as the (ultimate and original$ heterogenous dimension is the matrix of all extensityF 0he ground as it appears in a homogenous extensity is notably a projection of something 4deeper5 only the latter may be called Ungrund or groundlessF (9eleu1e )**G$

Self organised systems exist on an intermediary point between absolute Groundlessness and thingedness, hence they are 4becoming5.

3n the perception and composition of music (and generally$ self organising systems evolve towards attractorsC singularities: &a large number of different trajectories,

starting their evolution at very different places in the manifold, may end up in exactly the same final state (the attractor$, as long as all of them begin somewhere within the &sphere of influence' of the attractor (the basin of attraction$' (9elanda: !""!$. 0he system intuits weights of chaotic becomings from the heterogeneous dimension of ungroundedness which conse7uences arrival at a meta;stable state, which is a recurrent topological feature within the history of the system. 2ow, behaviour in complex systems occurs via local interactions amongst constituent parts, distributed in such a way as to display 4global properties5, adding an extra layer of complex interactions to the relationship between system and environment. Within this material system of interrelated components dwells the formless, in the visible lives the invisible: &not objects, but fields, subdued being, non;thetic being, being before being' (-erleau;>onty )*+#$. 3t is the endeavour of this project to bring to light the relationships between material processes in extensive multiplicities such as the human being, consciousness and musical experience.

The Neural Specialization for Tonal Processing

Subjective experience occurs in relation to objective observable states of affairs, such as synchronised neural firings accompanying the enjoyment of a harmonious melody. By examining the brain states associated with musical perception it is hoped that we may be able to bring to light concretely, elements of our subjective experience that can be deemed philosophically important. 0o start with, it is widely agreed that 4speech and music must engage the most cognitively demanding aspects of auditory processing5 (>eret1 H Iatorre !?)$, an analysis of neuro;acoustic processing shall focus on the many trajectories encountered during musical experience in terms of 4functional speciali1ation5.

Besson and SchJn distinguish temporal, melodic and harmonic aspects as the constitutive elements of the neuro;acoustic system, they argue that we should think of each element as relative to a particular sub;module of the system and that the specific components are hierarchically organised, constantly evolving to form new properties (Besson H SchJn )***$. 0hese are maintained by individual elements of the system which interact locally, resulting in higher order global functions occurring across the network. 0he higher order processing of musical experience is attributed to =eschl5s gyrus, which allows an intensive focus of musical trajectories to culminate in a specific region. 0he right primary auditory cortex is the area where sounds are filtered according to pitch, the right temporal cortex resonates in tune with the spectral pattern organisation of the sound and the superior temporal gyrus holds tonal content in retentional and presentified memory (Besson and SchJn )***$. 0his provides us with a minute description of how a distributed pattern emerges within the neuro;acoustic network as the result of musical stimulation, unfortunately a complete delineation of the regions involved for the processing of all the elements of musical experience is

beyond the scope of this project. =owever, this information provides insight into the distributed networks that coalesce to form a representational pattern of emerged phenomena. 0hese modular networks are engaged in the ac7uisition of a patterned vibrational field that reverberates throughout the entire system, &the auditory system maintains direct connections to every organ in the bodyF. including the thymus gland, which is the main regulator in the fight against disease' (Berendt !"")$. (et it be noted that our entire body is permeated with dynamic modulations affected by sound, resulting in a two way open interaction between the brainC body;component and the environment whence it dwells.

3n terms of functional speciali1ation we can generally say that the left hemisphere processes speech whereas the right processes soundC music. 0he left hemisphere is better suited to process rapidly fluctuating acoustic formations with highly transitive energy peaks that speech is composed of, whereas, the right hemisphere is better suited to process the fine spectral differences intrinsic to pitch perception (Iatorre !""?, 0ervaniemi H Brattico !""G$. 3f either hemisphere is operating with a rapid influx of sense data then limitations imposed by working memory often impair the functional proficiency of the latent hemisphere. 0his entails an inter;hemispheric negotiation of which aspect of the perceptual flux will be accorded interpretational priority, subjective manipulation of attention influences which hemisphereC facet of experience is prioritised (0ervaniemi H Brattico !""G, Besson H SchJn )***$. 9irected attentiveness allows the subject to 4hone;in5 on either speech or sound during their simultaneous unfolding which inhibits the registration of incongruities occurring through the unattended medium.

L Experimental evidence shows a functional dissociation between the acts of monitoring sensational input and merely holding sensorial stimuli in working memory, the dorsolateral frontal areas increase in cerebral blood flow when test subjects are engaged in an auditory tonal working memory task (Iatorre !""?$. 0he dorsolateral frontal area receives input from virtually all the other modules in the brain and has been cited as the area responsible for &executive function' (9ietrich !""G$. 0he processing of tonal information occurs in the right inferior frontal areas (Iatorre !""?$, this information will be relevant when considering the

neuropsychology of exceptional phases of consciousness.

9ifferent activities result in the formation of distinct higher order functions, the system for making judgements and retaining information about pitch in music is separate from the neural architecture choreographed during the semantic categori1ation of words (Binder )**#$. 0he prevailing variation being that musical perception is mainly dependent on modules in the right hemisphere with linguistic perception mainly occurring in the left hemisphere: however a certain amount of bilateral activation during experimental studies implies that these activities are not completely independent.

0here is strong evidence to suggest that the networks activated during musical experience are present from infancy onwards (>etet1 H =Mbert !""!$, as well as that, the cochlea, with its connections running throughout the entire body, is fully formed four and a half months into gestation (Berendt !"")$. 0his implies a fundamental importance of hearing and music to the human organism as a whole.

0he strength of the connections and patterned formations corresponding to an experience show a degree of plasticity, dedicated training and practice radically rewires neural architecture. -usicians under test exhibited a !, percent increase in left brain activity compared to untrained subjects when listening to a piano piece, they also, on average, had a )?" percent larger auditory cortex (Weinberger !"",$. 0his is probably explained as a result of greater exposure to a wider variety of acoustic formations, &when the;sound evoked neuronal firing does not match the existing neural templates activated by the previous content, other neuronal populations fire F readjusting the neuronal structure for the incoming acoustic signals' (0ervaniemi H Brattico !""G$. 0hese data thus underline the existence of different modes of music cognition, partly influence by attentional listening strategies, but a significant part being independent of the allocation of attentional resources. -usical perception can be seen as a largely autonomous dynamical function of the nervous system relative to particular sub;modules but ac7uired by the entire network.

Neural Processing of Language and Music

%onsider this,

(anguage is a complex, speciali1ed skill, which develops in the child spontaneously, without effort or formal instruction, is deployed without awareness of its underlying logic, is 7ualitatively the same in every individual, and is distinct from more general abilities to process information or behave intelligently. (>inker )*+*$ 6 Noila ; -usic. 0here is no known culture that does not have music or language. Both music and language have an underlying syntactic structure that regulates creation and perception, their natural difference infers that D &language can be used to convey an unlimited set of discrete, propositional meanings, and music cannot' (.itch !"""$. -usic as an intensive force, untied from any interrelated network of significant meaning, possesses a latent ability to affect corporeality from the depths of manifestation: music 4means itself5 (-eyer )*K*$, what is it thenO 0his problem shall first be framed within neural terms before a wider investigation ensues. By examining the deep cognitive syntactical structures it is hoped that the meaning of meaning shall become more distinct.

6s outlined above the cognitive study of music divides neuro;acoustic processing into three modally related areas: these are, temporal (metre, rhythm$, melodic (contour, pitch$ and harmonic (chords$. (inguistic processing is similarly divided amongst various modules: these are, phonetic;phenomenological (phonemes, prosody$, morphosyntactic (the transition from prosody to word$, the relationships between words, and lexicosemantic (access to the meaning of linguistic structures$ (Besson H SchJn )***$. We can see that linguistic processing re7uires at least one added dimension of complexity, insofar as lexicosemantic interpretation is re7uired. -oreover it is proposed that a further level, pragmatic, situating experiential

)"

information within organi1ational and contextual factors, is necessary. 0his network will be an emergent property of the former colonies that carry the flow of modulating fre7uencies constitutive of sound experience, be it language or music. 6lthough neuroscientists yearn for each aspect outlined above to have a specific neural correlate it is recognised that a certain amount of inter;modularC inter;hemispheric negotiation of input stimuli occurs.

Experiments have shown the modular formation of the neuro;acoustic system, certain regions of the brain showing a stronger response to certain stimuli varied along the temporal, melodic and harmonic dimension than other regions (7uoted fromO$. %ertain regions such as the superior temporal sulcus, middle temporal gyrus, angular gyrus and lateral front lobe show a stronger activation for words than tones, but both stimuli activate =eschl5s gyrus and the superior temporal plane. Situated within the superior temporal plane, the planum temporale is similarly involved in the auditory processing of words and tones: the lexicosemantic categorisation of words occurring through a related broadly distributed network (0ervaniemi H Brattico !""G, Besson and SchJn )***$. 6t the neurological level it is becoming increasingly difficult to separate language from music, the main difference is that language exists as a complex network of interrelated signs that signify something, and that the brain must filter stimuli through a specific network of formed neuronal connections in order to ac7uire any meaning from an utterance, whereas music can be appreciated for what it is.

We have reached the implication of memory, an essential feature of self organising systems: when certain clusters of information that flow through the system altering

))

the pattern of weighted connections between the individual elements (neurons$ the system ac7uires a stable set of weights to represent those cluster, recurrently presented clusters will be recognised by the system (%illiers )**+$. 6 word can be presented to the system over a thousand times, each time a slight alteration of the patterned weights occurs resulting in an ever increasing web of interrelated complexity pertaining to the many different aromas one word can exhibit. -emory is the cognitive transversal of this conglomerated pattern of representation, occurring in &the same early sensory cortices where the firing patterns corresponding to perceptual representations once occurred' (9amasio )**G$. 3n a similar fashion music triggers the recuperation of episodic memories, but, freed from a system of significance and representation, music in environment composed of unknown intent, burns new pathways through the neural hyper;colony.

0he rhythmachine captures your perception as it switches from hearing individual beats to grasping the pattern of beats. Pour body is a distributed brain which flips from the sound of each intensity to the overlapping relations between intensities. (earning pattern recognition, this flipflop between rhythmelody and texturhythm drastically collapses and reorganises the sensorial hierarchy. (Eshun )***$

Symmetry breaking synthesis of sound and sensorium relays new formations among the colony, response patterns that saturate the entire distributed network. Semi; independent modules choreographed to oscillate in unison, attaining new degrees of unity, synchronising the various energies that indeterminately;determine

manifestation. 0his entrainment of biological oscillators allows them to &mesh, or form an assemblage, with the daily and seasonal rhythms of their external

)!

environment' (9e(anda !""!$. 0his way the external sounds are contracted by the system,

Sensation is excitation itself, not insofar as it is gradually prolonged and passes into the reaction but insofar as it is preserved or preserves its vibrations. Sensation contracts the vibrations of the stimulant on a nervous surface or in a cerebral volume what comes before has not yet disappeared when what follows appears. 0his is its way of responding to chaos. (9eleu1e H 8uattari )**G$

0he contraction of sensation affecting the oscillation patterns of the organism will inevitably effect the creation of sense. 3f we can accept that &the body converts a certain motor essence into vocal form' (-erleau;>onty )*K!$ then the collection of sensation will co;occur with an emission of the sense that the organism has made of the stimuli. 0he subject has an automatically formed response pattern distributed throughout the nervous network, in transmission, prior to any meta;cognitive mapping of pre;ac7uired data onto the cluster of emitted reaction. 3f we compare the act of dancing with communicative gesture a parallel emerges, &8esture is not a motor supplement to speech. 2or is it subordinate to speech, but is semantically and performatively coordinated with it' (8allagher !"",$, dancing also allows degrees of speech: many things can be said without the need for words. 0his entails that certain movements, implicitly significant, are organi1ed by the neuro;linguistic assembly before the motor neurons convert the intention into an act. So while music has the possibility of affecting us, beyond the scope of systematic signifying systems such as language, it is also a medium by which we can integrate our subjective perspective into the environment, minus the use of words.

)?

Emotional complexity of musical experience

0here is no doubt that music is evocative of emotion, but what emotions are and how they are evoked by music is a cloudy area. .or =eidegger ones emotion or more specifically affectedness attunes 49asein5 to the world, constituting an irreducible pre; theoretical background that colours our disclosure of the world, without which explicit cognition could not occur (=eidegger )*K!$. 6ffectedness is &a background that constitutes one5s sense of self, world and one5s place in the world. 3t is, 7uite simply, the rhythm of life' (Ratcliffe !""!$. 3n a self organising organism the feeling of what happens occurs globally before the system has the ability to intellectualise what is happening, emotional resonance procures a 4kind of cradle5 (Ratcliffe$ from which intellect and reasoning emerge. 0herefore the content and process of thought is antecedent to the affectedness of the thinker. 3t has been proposed that we should contemplate our affectedness in terms of valence and intensity (0rainor H Schmidt !""?$. Nalence accords with the contours of affectedness, whether or not the condition suggests a positive or negative feeling. 3ntensity is how strong the affectedness is, how much nervous excitation is generated by the situation.

2eurologically emotion can be seen as a cognitively mediated body state, which both affects and is affected by cognition, relative to specific brain regions amygdale, hypothalamus, basal forebrain, limbic system, prefrontal and somatosensory cortices (9amasio )**,$. 0his circuit has the ability to release chemical molecules into the blood that will act on various parts of the body and spread neural activation to various brain centres and muscles, musical experience has been shown to induce muscle contractions, changes in breathing and heart rate, changes in blood flow and sweating

)G

(>QI ?)!$. 6utonomous physiological changes occurring through the reciprocal relation between the body and the sound. =ighly intense excerpts of music have been seen to increase blood flow in brain regions associated with positive emotions, euphoria and cocaine administration (Blood H Iatorre !"")$. 3nterestingly the

neural networks associated with emotion are closely interrelated with the auditory networks: sound experience and affectedness are delicately woven in close proximity throughout our neural architecture (9amasio )***$. 0his is not to say that we can attribute functional supremacy in these matters to the brain, it is best to consider it as the material region with the highest concentration of activity relative to certain embodied experiences. =owever this does show that hearing plays a major role in our existential affectedness, more so than vision: just imagine watching the shower scene in the film 4>sycho5, then imagine they had replaced the piercing string sounds with &All you need is love' 0he fear dissipates and is replaced byF whatever emotion that song makes you feel. 3f you reverse this idea and watch a harmless scene with the shrill music in the background it is more than likely that the fear will return.

We can say with William Rames that an emotion 4just is5 the feeling of our body changing ()++G$. Rames Russell takes up this line of thought, for him core affect is the bodily feeling one has in the here, now. Emotions are then derived by attributing a conceptual identity to the bodily state, &there is nothing fundamental about emotion no dedicated neural centre and no elemental emotional 7ualia. 3nstead, emotion can be completely reduced to non;emotional elements' (Russell !"",$. (ike the pattern of weights that allots the distributed representation in a neural network emotion or affectedness is the total pattern of interconnections that arises out of local components interacting on minute scales, &our bodies change, and an emotion 4just is5 the feeling

),

of that change' (>rin1 !"",$. 0o understand what role affectedness plays in the self; move;ment of the flowC temporal stream of consciousness Narela and 9epra1 propose that we search the dynamics of the fold, the transition from pre;reflexive to reflexive (!"",$. 0heir main concern is &to describe the original fluctuating move, the primal asymmetric rythmicity at the core of our experience of time'. 6ffect is interrogated through co;occurent components

)$ 6 precipitating event, or trigger that can be perceptual or imaginary or both. !$ 6 4feeling of evidence5 of the precipitating events meaning, the emergence of a salience. 0his appraisal can be fleeting or detailed, deeply realistic and empathic, much of the meaning attribution is pre;reflexive and even unconscious. ?$ 6 lived manifestation of a feeling-tone along an intrinsic polar axis, the crucial and poorly understood valence dimension of affect. G$ 6 motor embodiment, especially facial and motor changes, and differential readiness activations. ,$ %omplex autonomic physiological changes, with the most commonly studied being various cardio;pulmonary parameters, skin conductance, and various muscle tone manifestations.

We have seen distributed evidence of these points throughout, properly, in musical experience the lived manifestation of the feeling-tone is the most effective element of this interrogative constellation. 0o uncover the living salience of these points we shall apply them to a phenomenal description of music experience

0oday went to concert at )), a certain heaviness in my eyelids, and a bit of a moody blues as setting. 0he musicians arrive, tune up, and settle, a short silence and then begin with the sonata of the usical !ffering, which 3 love. 3nstantly, within the first five or six notes of the main theme, the break in mood and feeling;tone arises suddenly my chest heaves a little, my skin becomes goose;bumpy and it is as if the body is bought into position. 6lmost at the same time there is a wave of beauty, of poignancy which brings sudden

)K

tears into my eyes, an intensified breathing. Without premeditation, 3 feel my eyes close and 3 lean backwards to relax my body into complete receptivity. -y mental;space seems to spread out and my ego;centre to become almost imperceptible. By the time the first variation of the musical theme starts the feeling;tone is fully formed and the first waves of thought;wandering have begun, the first being a memory of another occasion when the very same music also touched me to tears. 0he whole thing has lasted a mere fraction of a second. (Narela !"",$ 3t will be useful to read over the co;occurent dimensions of affect once more. 0his description is reminiscent of the 8reek conception of truth as STUVW, 4a self blossoming emergence5 in which there is an unveiling of the concealed depths that spring forth the phenomenal apprehension, where &the originF always contains the unopened fullness' (=eidegger in .ay )*##$. 0he music is the presencing of a 4this5 as opposed to a 4they5, implying immersion in the 4now5 as opposed to the 4whenO5, connecting the emergence of disclosure in a synchronised sway of manifestation, &the emergence of the living present is rooted in and arises from a germ or source of motion;disposition, a primordial fluctuation' (Narela H 9epra1 !"",$. 0he moot point to be made is that

Faffect precedes temporality affect implicates as its very nature the tendency, a 4pulsion5 and a motion that, as such, can only deploy itself in time and thus as timeF .irst the very original 4pulsional5 tendency just evoked. Secondly, the tendency is followed by a corresponding shift of attention that manifests as the emergence of salience. .inally, the earliest e;motion follows, including a motion that embodies it. 0hus, this primordial fluctuation cannot be separated from its complex or multifarious constitution, since all its moments are not a linear succession, but rather dimensions of co;arising. (Narela H 9epra1 !"",$

)#

0he 4depth5 from which the "reignis arises is a multifarious well of 4timeless unthingedness5 projecting a symphonic disclosure of 4ownmost;mineness5 upon the resulting harmony. .or this argument to be sustained will re7uire a deeper delve into the depths of manifestation to search for the 4originary source5 from which 3 exhumes experience. Words may not be sufficient. %hJgyam 0rungpa Rinpoche has said that 4the purpose of art is to show our non;existence in the world5 (8oguen !"",$, inspired music offers glimpses of an infinite hori1on, a 4fourth moment5 in which time is suspended and past, present and future are woven from &a limitless space of great e7uanimity that unifies and transcends all three, and in which both self and world disappear' (8oguen !"",$. =ere we find the abode of the sacred.

Neuropsychology of exceptional phases of consciousness

.ollowing on from this brief discussion of the possibility of a 1one of indiscernible temporality from which actuality spontaneously emanates; (X$ ;this exposure of the

)+

interrelated existentiality of music and conscious is going to reveal insights from the scientific community pertaining to our experience of experiencing space, time and phenomena through exceptionally conscious lenses.

6 common experience is entering into a state of flow, where life just seems to happen in &an almost automatic, effortless, yet highly focused state of consciousness' (%siks1entmihalyi )*#,$. 0he state of flow enables instantaneous recognition of salient environmental phenomena as if their occurrence had been expected whereby the appropriate response pattern is already formed prior to any deliberation. 6s if the 3 no longer existed and the orchestration of action was performed by existence itself. Sometimes excruciatingly complex tasks can be performed without the need for conscious deliberation, such as finishing an essay on the spur of the moment or conducting Beethoven5s fifth. We are going to examine the functioning of our nervous system in these instances to see how it differs from our 4average everyday5 somnambulant neural processes.

0he first thing we must see is the locality of certain everyday functions to specific brain regions, then we can investigate how symmetry breaking events can lead to phase transitions which unseat the everyday functions enacted in the brain to effect a new form of awareness altogether.

.or the sake of intelligibility we can divide the brain into two functional operating systems, emotional and cognitive ((e9oux )**K$. >resently we shall be monitoring insights pertaining to the cognitive operations occurring throughout the brain. 0he cerebral cortex &likely underlies the development of complex thought' (2ewberg H

)*

9567uili !"",$, there are several associated areas that complement the higher order functioning of the cerebral cortex, those being investigated are the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (9(>.%$, the posterior superior parietal lobe (>S>($, the inferior temporal lobe (30($, inferior parietal lobe (3>($ and the prefrontal cortex (>.%$.

0he 9(>.% &appears' to be the area where already highly processes emotional and cognitive information is fully reintegrated (9ietrich !""G$, hence this region is attributed with &executive function', that is higher cognitive functions such as a self construct, self reflective consciousness, abstract thinking, planning and theory of mind. =ere &plans and strategies for appropriate behaviour' are formulated so that the adjacent motor cortices can execute the computational product (9ietrich !""G$. 0his amounts to the most sophisticated response behaviour that the system can deploy, although all neural receptors are able to produce an effective response, as we see in reflex actions such as the typical knee jerk response. Because the 9(>.% holds working memory (.uster !"""$, temporally integrates information (<night H 8rabowecky )***$ and implements sustained directed attention (8ivens H Bruno !"")$ it provides &the infrastructure to compute complex cognitive functions by actively attending to information, providing a buffer to hold that information in mind, and order it in space;time' (9uncan H /wen !"""$. 3t is also able to inhibit activation of other regions in a function known as deafferentation (2ewberg H 9567uili !"",$. 3t seems plausible to say that the 9(>.% is the region that most embodies egoic activity.

0he >S>( is involved in the analysis and integration of higher order sensory information, the right >S>( is involved in general locali1ation and the sense of spatial

!"

coordinates, whereas the left exerts influences in regard to objects that may be grasped and manipulated. Some neurons in the left >S>( respond to items within grasping distance whereas some respond mostly to objects beyond grasping distance (2ewberg H 9567uili !"",$. 0heir hypothesis is that the self;other dichotomy evolved from the primitive division of space into the graspable and non graspable.

0he 3>( is located at the confluence of the temporal, parietal and occipital lobes (0/>$, an &association area of association areas' (2ewberg H 9567uili !"",$, the 0/> neurons are primarily devoted to perception, the primary sensory cortices of all sense modalities are located in 0/> (9ietrich !"",$. 0he 3>( is &generally regarded as responsible for the generation of abstract concepts and relating them to words' (2ewberg H 9567uili !"",$, so here we can see how conceptualisation is applied to the entire stream of perceptual data coursing through the labyrinths of cognition, &concepts are centres of vibrations' (9eleu1e H 8uattari )**G$.

With this brief summation of salient neural modules aside it remains to be seen how they relate to the phase transition which occurs to conse7uence arrival at a new meta; stable state, known as the flow state, and what this entails phenomenologically. .urthermore we shall explore the possibilities of going beyond the experience of flow to arrive at a state where all boundaries collapse and time stands still, throughout music shall appear as the attractor which instigates the phase transition.

0he most remarkable element of the flow state is that immensely complex tasks can be performed without deliberation, the proposed reason for this is that the body has already re7uired a complex pattern of response patterns that are not dependent on the

!)

apprehension of explicit rule based learning for activation (9ierich

!""G$.

0hroughout our lives we ac7uire knowledge through the interpretive mode (insert = 7uote here$, this entails the channelling of experience through the explicit system which is tied to our conscious awareness, hence to a certain degree the 9(>.% and other prefrontal regions (6shby H %asale !""!$. We are also able to function without the need of an interpretive framework, through the implementation of implicit learning which &takes place largely independently of conscious attempts to learn and largely in the absence of explicit knowledge about what was ac7uired' (Reber )**,$. 6n example of this is the ac7uisition of language by children which is the result of an intuitive understanding. 0he implicit system is the presence of a sub symbolic memory of connection strengths or weights that a specific situation will induce the system to presence (%illiers )**+$.

0he interal structure of a connectionist network develops through a process of self organisation, whereas rule;based systems have to search through pre; programmed options that define the structure largely in a priori fashion, therefore learning is implicit in a neural network. (%illiers )**+$ 0herefore the explicitly created egoic;strategical;interpretative frame of mind which is commonly applied to situations appears an unnecessary counterpart to what could otherwise be a fluid spontaneous existence,

/ptimal performance involving a real;time sensory;motor integration task is associated with maximal implicitness of the tasks execution. 8iven that the explicit system is subserved by prefrontal regions, it follows from this

!!

proposal that a flow experience must occur during a state of transient hypofrontality that can bring about the inhibition of the explicit system. (9ietrich !""G$

0he ac7uisition of the flow experience certainly involves deafferentation of the neural modules appropriating reflective consciousness, by a sustained direction of focus upon extractions from the perceptual flux that are arising from present nowness this is able to occur,

F the universal form of all experience, and therefore of all life, has always been and will always be the present. 0he present alone always is and ever will be. Being is presence or the modification of presence. (9errida )*#?$

0he problem one faces is that the mundane reality generally apprehended is not much to focus upon. =ence, hyper intensive vibrations of pandemonial sonority, which defy conceptualisation, capture your perception, thus entraining the mechanics of embodiment to oscillate in unison with the &presencing of what is present' (=eidegger )*#,$. 0he 9(>.% and explicit system is bypassed and the neural modules responsible for processing pure sensorial information function automatically (LSee p.#$. 0he music is moving and we are moving with the movement. 0he now is too much for reflection to reflect upon, phase transition occurs, system pushed toward greater vibrational fre7uency). So, immersion in a positively charged sonorous
)

Nalerie =unt has developed an electromyograph that detects the fre7uency of oscillations in the human energy field which condense at the areas associated with the chakras. 0he majority of people emit vibrational fre7uencies no higher than !," cps, but some mystical people submitted to the test were shown to emit fre7uencies as high as !"",""" cps. 0he scale is relative to the person5s attunement. 0his is a broad spectrum. (0albot )**)$

!?

environment can overcome the state our somnambulant selves are often found in. What is most interesting is that upon arrival at this 4strangely attractive5 state our selves disappear, &self;consciousness is a meta;representation of the highest order and probably one of the first phenomenological subtractions to manifest itself in flow' (9ietrich !""G$. Receptivity is the key,

Ynless existence dances in you there is no possibility of any danceF Remove yourself so that you don5t come in between you and existence. >ut the ego, the very idea of 435, aside and be utterly empty, receptive. 6nd the moment your emptiness is total, the whole starts showering millions of joys and millions of flowers upon you. 0he splendour is infinite. (/sho Rajneesh )**)$

/ften, the focus of attention is upon the 435, the whorl of manifestation revolving around an ideal construct maintained within our thought;forms. We can see that there is no place for an 435 in self organised systems, only parts and the whole. 2ow we are going to see the neuropsychological processes that accompany experiences of oneness and emptiness and how sonority can act as the attractor for this state.

When the body is affected by vibrations in space the fre7uency patterns entrain either the ergotropic or trophotropic system depending on their valence and intensity. 0he ergotropic system innervates the body: it is the motivation behind our &fight or flight' response in the face of environmental stimuli. 0he trophotropic system 7uiesces the nervous system and is responsible for maintaining homeostasis, it functions to conserve body energy (8elhorn )*K#$. Below is an example of how musical

!G

stimulation can effect a profound phase transition.

Both the ergotropic and trophotropic systems are connected to the brain via the hypothalamus. 0he combined activation of the neural modules associated with perception of music and the ergotropic system, which is entrained by environmental sonority results in a reverberation loop occurring in the systems most affected by the fre7uency patterns of the rhythm (2ewberg H 9567uili !"",$. 0he reverberation loop increases in intensity as progressive onslaughts of power course through the systems distributed representation of the event, it is important that the rhythm ensnaring the perception of the system be repetitive and intense, elevating as much force from the depths as is possible!. 0his will result in what has been called the hyperergotropic state,

0his results in an extraordinary state of unblocked arousal and excitation and is associated with keen alertness and concentration in the absence of superfluous thought or fantasy. (%1iks1entmihalyi )*#,$

6t a certain point the intensity of the situation can lead to maximum stimulation of the ergotropic system which results in a 4spillover effect5 (=ughdahl )**K$ thus stimulating the trophotropic system. 6t this point there would be maximal stimulation through the limbic structure to the left and the right >.%, 2ewberg and 9567uili &postulate that this ultimately results in a progressive deafferentation of certain parts of the >S>(' (!"",$. 0he blocking of input into the left >S>( will result in the loss of differentiation between self and other, hence boundaries collapse and the autochthon
!

Bohm one fraction of space contains more energy than occurs in the know universe.

!,

is &becoming;music', synchronised with the sonorous unfolding. /n the other hand, as 4the right >S>( is involved in general locali1ation and the sense of spatial coordinates5 total deafferentation of the right >S>( is most likely associated with the loss of usual orientation with regards to space and time. 3f all input into this structure is blocked the experience will be of &complete nothingness' (6hZ$. 0otal blockage of both the left and right >S>(5s &should result in the merging of the self with all that is' (2ewberg H 9567uili$. &3 have lost myself in the cosmos. 3 am no more.' (/sho Rajneesh )*++$.

0his result is generally achieved through meditation as opposed to music, meditation innervating the higher order cognitive functions to issue a &top;down' reaction, whereas music issues a &bottom;up' innervation of the nervous system. /ne hypothesis for this being the case is that the mental formation is always a &direct result' of the external forces surrounding the system, therefore it is proposed that as long as there is some kind of positive content in the acoustic domain manifestation will occur, whereas ignoring the external world and focusing upon the silent depths within implies the possibility of no positive mental content to be presenced. 0he interesting point is that these experiences seem to imply some kind of &depth'. (ike Narela5s conception of affect determining the constitution of temporality or 9eleu1e and 8uattari5s &plane of composition' and &plane of immanence'. 3t seems that harmonic fre7uencies affect humanity at a &deeper level', &it penetrates to the centre of our soul', >lato says &and gains possession of the soul in the most energetic fashion', there must be a fundamental fact about our existence that gives reason for this, indeed for Schopenhauer &the man inhabited and possessed by this intruder, the man robbed of a self, is no longer himself he has become nothing more than a

!K

vibrating string' (RankMlMvitch

)*K)$. .or the sake of conclusiveness the

investigation must now turn to the empirical domain of 7uantum physics to reach a more &primordial' understanding of the composition of extensive forces and the nature of their effectiveness, particularly in regards to consciousness.

!uantum Turn

4self directed neuroplasticity5 4music is an image of a soul5 providing a sonorous avenue for self exploration and exploration of 4other5 depths. COSM"C CONSC"O#SNESS M N$

!#