Eigenmodes of the deep unconscious: the neuropsychology of Jungian archetypes and psychedelic experience

Journal article : Review

This article presents a neuroscientific interpretation of Carl Jung’s theory of archetypes and their experience in altered states of consciousness. We begin by rehearsing the Free Energy Principle and Predictive Processing as foundational frameworks that subserve and inform the thesis that follows. The following sections examine three aspects of archetypes: the affective core rooted in subcortical systems, archetypal imagery emergent in altered states such as psychedelic experiences, and archetypal stories encoded in higher cortical areas. Specifically, we propose a trilogical interplay between the high-level cortex, the low-level cortex, and subcortical/affective systems in instantiating these archetypal phenomena. We then explore how archetypes may be transmitted between individuals, developing into a collective unconscious through social learning and subsequent attunement. Throughout, we provide syntheses of Jungian psychology with contemporary neuroscience, offering testable hypotheses regarding the neurological bases of archetypal phenomena. We conclude by discussing implications for both psychoanalytic theory and neuroscientific research. By bridging these disciplines, we aim to lend construct validity to Jungian concepts and encourage further empirical investigation of archetypes and the collective unconscious.

Authors: McGovern, H; Aqil, M; Atasoy, S; Carhart-Harris, R

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Journal: Neuroscience of Consciousness
• Volume: 2025
• Issue: 1
• Article number: niaf039
• Publication date: 2025-10-18
• Acceptance date: 2025-09-26
• DOI: 10.1093/nc/niaf039
• EISSN: 2057-2107
• ISSN: 2057-2107
• Language: English
• Keywords: archetypes; psychedelics; cognition; Jung; beliefs; predictive processing
• Subtype: Review