Historical Integration of Neuropsycholoogy Concepts in TCM: The Three Levels of the Psyche

One of the most enjoyable aspects of integrating a neurologically informed approach to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is contemplating how our predecessors might have described these concepts in the classics, even without the knowledge of modern neurology. When utilizing classical texts such as the "1000 Ducats," the "Su Wen," or the "Ling Shu," it is essential to consider the perspective of the individuals who authored them. These classics were often not the work of a single individual but were compiled, edited, and expanded over time. As Jeffrey Yuen emphasizes, understanding the cultural and historical context is crucial for accurate interpretation and application.

When interpreting the understanding of mai men dong from the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing, for example, one cannot simply apply its actions or functions directly to formulas from the Shang Han Lun without acknowledging the shift in paradigms. Similarly, a modern application of TCM requires using contemporary scientific language and concepts, such as neuroscience and myofascial theory, while maintaining consistency with the traditional ideals of treating both root and branch. This approach ensures that the ancient wisdom of TCM remains relevant and effective in addressing modern health challenges.

IIn our efforts to bridge these concepts, we are fortunate to have an incredible resource in the works of George Soulié de Morant. By using his work as a bridge with modern clinical medicine and cross-referencing it with the classics, we begin to understand how to translate the descriptive language of our predecessors into the medical language necessary for effective treatment.

Soulié de Morant’s exploration of the psyche’s three levels for example—superior, middle, and inferior—provides a framework that integrates these ideas, expanding our understanding of human behavior within both historical and contemporary contexts. His descriptions of these levels, using terms such as primate, automaton, and evolved man (or woman), mirror modern neurophysiological insights.  His work offers a unique lens through which we can explore the psyche's various dimensions, bridging ancient wisdom with contemporary scientific understanding. This perspective not only enriches our interpretation of classical texts but also enhances our approach to modern clinical practices, ensuring that TCM remains relevant and effective in addressing today’s health challenges.

By the time I began primitive reflex training and vestibular work for my own spinal cord injury, I recognized instantly that Soulié de Morant was describing the emotional reactions of individuals in reactive or retained fight-flight states. The term "primate," by definition, correlates directly with the extreme primitive emotions experienced by people in fight-flight-freeze responses. When triggered, our reactions are primitive and hunkered, viewing everyone as a threat and potentially reactive or violent. This is phlegm misting the mind in action. When expanded to the collective, is creates the mob mentality as seen in the January 6th insurrection. In a group setting, primitive instincts tend to feed on themselves like a virus.

We all have these areas of primal defense because we all have an autonomic nervous system. If you don't see yourself in this description (and this is helpful for parents), imagine what you would do if someone tried to harm your child. Another example is how you reacted the last time someone tried to run you off the road. Were you sweetness and light, with patience and calm? Of course not.   Personally, there is usually a lot of middle finger action taking place under the dash and a mixture of colorful metaphors.  If in doubt, your partner or siblings will be only too happy to point yours out!  We all have an inner primate, and getting friendly with yours is the beginning of true mindfulness. 

The automaton represents a more robotic, mindless state, referring to empty-headedness. We all experience these states, such as when driving on autopilot, washing dishes while mentally arguing with a spouse, or any task we force ourselves to complete without engagement. Higher examples include government officials who blindly follow rules without compassion or thought, or poor customer service experiences where "company policy" is the default excuse. This behavior usually elicits anger because we feel powerless and without choices.

Soulié de Morant also discusses the evolved man, depicted as refined and educated. This concept embodies individuals who are cultured, sophisticated, and exhibit higher moral and intellectual standards. Soulié de Morant clearly had a preference and personal bias toward these individuals, viewing them as morally superior. While his cultural descriptions of the ideal evolved woman are dated and often amusing, the underlying concept remains. He saw the evolved man as the pinnacle of human development, someone who rises above primitive instincts and automated behaviors, embodying reason, compassion, and ethical conduct. This perspective reflects Soulié de Morant's belief in the potential for human growth and the importance of education and cultural refinement in achieving a more evolved state of being.

As we integrate the fight-flight-freeze into TCM understanding, we can qualitatively understand that his references to "primate" correspond to emotional states from retained or reactive primitive reflexes. His bias against the "laborer" or common man as rough and coarse also reflects his time's hardships, such as food scarcity and exhaustion, which contribute to retained primitive reflexes and chronic fight-flight states.

Soulié de Morant’s descriptions offer a sophisticated understanding of the brain’s functions and their impact on behavior and health. His reference to “primate,” “automaton,” and “evolved man” illustrates the connection between retained or reactive primitive reflexes and fundamental emotional states. This perspective, ahead of its time, aligns with contemporary understanding of the autonomic nervous system and the vestibular system. His portrayals of the working class reflect a cultural bias and many of these biases persist. In spite of the advances in neuropsyche, fundamental attitudes toward emotion expression and behavior have not changed much in the last 100 years, particularly in gender conditioning. With the advent of COVID-19 as a global trauma trigger, much of the planet has shifted into chronic sympathetic dominance, making it even more challenging for many to achieve the evolved state he described.

Superior Plane (Frontal Lobes) and Moral Consciousness: SHEN

The superior plane represents the evolved aspects of human consciousness, closely tied to the ventral vagal complex (VVC) in Polyvagal Theory (PVT). This plane, associated with the frontal lobes, involves moral consciousness, problem-solving abilities, and the capacity to assess consequences. It distinguishes humans from animals by their ability to engage in ethical reasoning and make thoughtful decisions. When the VVC is active, individuals experience a state of safety and connection, facilitating moral reasoning, problem-solving, and calm, socially-engaged behavior. Dysregulation in this plane, whether through insufficiency or excess, can lead to challenges in cognitive and moral reasoning, manifesting as poor concentration, anxiety, or obsessive thoughts.

• Description: The superior plane is associated with the frontal lobes and involves moral consciousness, the ability to assess consequences, and problem-solving. This plane differentiates human actions from instinctive animal behaviors and is the seat of moral consciousness, synthesis, and precise perception of reality. It represents the "evolved man," characterized by advanced cognitive functions and higher ethical and moral reasoning.

• Insufficiency Symptoms:

• Individuals may exhibit unconsciousness, amorality, and a lack of understanding of deeper aspects of reality.

• They may be obedient without understanding, easily suggestible, carefree, happy, sociable, and improvident.

• Their reality may be distorted, and they often cannot conceive viable plans, exhibit poor concentration, laziness, morning fatigue, and insomnia in the evening.

• Excess Symptoms:

• Individuals may suffer from agitated anxiety, depression, obsessive thoughts, nightmares, and excessive worries.

• They may be preoccupied with the future, have a balanced view of reality, and are often organized.

• Such individuals usually exhibit easy and prolonged concentration, moral consciousness, immediate synthesis, quick distinction between true and false, and an ability to understand questions easily.

• Neurophysiological Equivalent:

• Modern neuroscience associates the frontal lobes with executive functions, including decision-making, moral reasoning, and impulse control. This area is heavily myelinated, facilitating efficient neural communication essential for higher cognitive functions and emotional regulation.

• The development of the frontal lobes influences the inhibition of primitive reflexes such as the Palmar grasp reflex and Moro reflex as higher cortical functions take over. Cranial nerves like the olfactory nerve (CN I) play a role in the sense of smell, linking sensory input to higher cognitive processes in the frontal lobes.

Middle Plane (Automaton, Parietal Lobes) and Unconscious Memory: HUN

The middle plane, or automaton, is linked to the parietal lobes and involves both unconscious and semiconscious memory, including hereditary memory. This level governs routine actions and learned behaviors, integrating sensory information and procedural memory. It can be related to the interplay between the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the dorsal vagal complex (DVC) in PVT. Proper regulation in this plane supports balanced routine functioning and adaptability. Insufficiency in this plane may manifest as nonconformity, distraction, and a lack of respect for tradition, reflecting an inability to appropriately mobilize or integrate sensory and memory information. Excess can lead to rigid conformity, reliance on rote memory, and a tendency to act by routine without reflection. 

• Description: The middle plane, or "automaton," is related to the parietal lobes and includes unconscious and semiconscious memory and hereditary memory. The right parietal lobe commands hereditary memory and unconscious actions, while the left parietal lobe deals with conscious and semiconscious memory.

• Insufficiency Symptoms:

• Individuals may be nonconformist, attracted to unexpected enterprises, and show no respect for tradition.

• They may be victims of circumstance, have a lack of memories for words, dates, pictures, or sounds, and need to understand rather than memorize.

• They reason from facts, are mediocre bureaucrats, and may be distracted but can be great leaders in crises.

• Excess Symptoms:

• Individuals may be conformist, led by family and environment, and act by routine.

• They may be obliged to reflect before acting, speak only by quotations, and have a memory for words and dates, where words replace and conceal facts.

• They often take profit from the work of others, are good bureaucrats in second positions, and can be dangerous in high posts during serious times.

• Neurophysiological Equivalent:

• The parietal lobes integrate sensory information and are involved in spatial navigation, procedural memory, and automatic actions. They have moderate levels of myelination, which are essential for sensory integration and coordination.

• The integration of primitive reflexes such as the Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex (TLR) with sensory processing areas in the parietal lobes is relevant here. Cranial nerves, such as the vestibulocochlear nerve (CN VIII), impact balance and hearing.

 Inferior Plane (Primate, Primitive Instincts):PO

The inferior plane corresponds to primitive instincts, including coarse reproductive drives and survival mechanisms. It is associated with subcortical structures like the brainstem and limbic system and involves traits such as greediness, cunning, and egoism. This level is linked to the primal, survival-based responses mediated by the dorsal vagal complex (DVC) in Polyvagal Theory. It governs basic survival instincts and reflexive behaviors essential for immediate responses necessary for survival, representing the raw will to live without justice or compassion. Balanced functioning in this plane allows for effective management of primal needs and instincts. Insufficiency in this area may lead to vulnerability, excessive altruism, and naivety, whereas excess results in heightened fear, greed, and aggression, reflecting an overactive survival response.

Reich and Lowen describe this state as pure psychopathy, where the end justifies the means. Its favorite emotional defense is in the form of denial, arrogance and narcissism.  It is the opposite of mindfulness as  truth and meaning are secondary to getting one's way. This state is most clearly seen in a two-year-old with a temper tantrum.  It is pure grasping at pleasure and rejecting what is noxious. When children do not integrate these reactive states, it contributes to maladaptive behavior in adults, as reflected in our current political climate, for example.

• Description: The inferior plane corresponds to primitive instincts, including coarse reproductive instincts and survival mechanisms. It involves traits such as greediness, cunning, and egoism, reflecting the basic, instinctual drives associated with the lungs.

• Insufficiency Symptoms:

• Individuals may exhibit generosity, disinterestedness, altruism to the point of an inferiority complex, and indecisiveness.

• They may be naive, suggestible, detached, lack character, be easily frightened, have a confused brain, sleep too heavily, and have bad hearing.

• They may suffer from anemia, pulmonary tuberculosis, cold, intestinal worms, abundant and frequent urinary needs, and exhibit a pasty complexion without life, dry skin, weak character, cold intolerance, mental clumsiness, emotional agitation, fear, inferiority complex, failure, misanthropy, claustrophobia, lack of decision-will, and lack of cleverness.

• Excess Symptoms:

• Individuals may show greediness, envy, avarice, egoism, cunning, wily behavior, and contradictory traits.

• They may be defamatory, paranoid, suggestible, servile when confronted with strength, and sadistic when confronted with weakness.

• Such individuals often exhibit excessive character, agitation, oppressive fullness, insomnia from excess yang energy, fevers, internal heat, frequent urinary bladder irritation, spasmodic incontinence, seizures, fatty complexion, supple skin, hot intolerance, excessive urinary needs, spasmodic bladder, and severe physical and emotional pains.

• Neurophysiological Equivalent:

• Primitive reflexes and instinctual behaviors are mediated by subcortical structures like the brainstem and limbic system, governing survival instincts, emotional responses, and automatic behaviors. Myelin is less abundant in these regions compared to the cortex, which corresponds to the rapid, reflexive nature of these responses.

• Cranial nerves, such as the vagus nerve (CN X), significantly mediate autonomic responses associated with these primitive behaviors. Reflexes like the rooting reflex and the suckling reflex are essential for survival in infancy.

Bibliography

• Lowen, A. (1975). Bioenergetics: The Revolutionary Therapy That Uses the Language of the Body to Heal the Problems of the Mind. Penguin Books.
• Porges, S. W. (2011). The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-Regulation. W. W. Norton & Company.
• Reich, W. (1949). Character Analysis. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
• Soulié de Morant, G. (1994). Chinese Acupuncture. Paradigm Publications.