Unlocking Consciousness: The Math Behind Qualia, Coherence, and the Path to Well-Being and Conscious AI

This post provides a thorough examination of qualia, consciousness, and the neurological underpinnings of well-being.

1. Defining Qualia

1.1 What is Qualia?
“Qualia” is my favorite word because it refers to something profoundly important yet often overlooked: the “paint” of subjective experience. For instance, many of us as children might have wondered, “Is the blue I see the same blue another person sees?” This question highlights the difficulty of comparing subjective experiences. If the mapping between light frequencies and the feeling of color were different between two people, mere conversation might not reveal it. All one can articulate is how colors relate to each other (e.g., “blue is cooler than red,” or “blue is opposite orange”). If the entire network of relationships were permuted, it might be impossible to detect the difference.

In broader terms, a quale (singular of qualia) is an individual facet or quality of experience, such as the “blueness” of blue or the smell of coffee. It also encompasses tactile sensations and the internal “feel” of thoughts—anything that presents itself as experience rather than the external input that triggers it.

1.2 The Work of the Qualia Research Institute
At the Qualia Research Institute (QRI), we investigate the properties of qualia:

The network of relationships between qualia.
The space of possible qualia and how they can combine to create distinct experiences.
What makes qualia feel good or bad.

In other words, we aim to study the subjective, felt quality of experience from a scientific perspective. Qualia, as I like to phrase it, is “the paint of our subjective experience.”

2. Qualia Formalism: Mapping Consciousness Mathematically

2.1 Shape of Consciousness
A key concept we use at QRI is that people have a “shape of consciousness.” This notion was formalized by my co-founder Mike Johnson in Principia Qualia (2015), which introduced the idea of qualia formalism.

2.2 Qualia Formalism
Qualia formalism posits that for any system generating an experience, there corresponds a mathematical object whose features map onto—or are isomorphic to—the features of that experience. This means that your experience at any moment could be mathematically modeled, and by analyzing that model’s features, we could deduce elements such as whether you are feeling hot or cold, calm or agitated, how fast time feels like it is passing, and so on.

If we zoom further in, we encounter valence structuralism: the idea that what determines how good or bad an experience feels is one specific structural or mathematical property within that overall experience. Thus, by studying and formalizing these structures, we believe it is possible to gain new insights into the nature of subjective well-being (or suffering).

2.3 Practical Implications
One might ask: “So could analyzing that mathematical object allow a person to know more about their own experience than they currently do?” My answer is yes. Through such models, we could discover aspects of our experience that usually fly under our radar but are indeed real and continuously modulating our consciousness. Qualia formalism provides the framework for inferring these subtleties.

3. Coherence: The Key to Positive Experience

3.1 Shifting from External to Internal
In mainstream thought, we often focus on external conditions—diet, exercise, sleep, social interactions, stress levels, and so forth—to explain happiness. These are crucial but largely indirect, shaping internal systems rather than explaining the direct feeling of happiness itself. Neuroscientists may emphasize dopamine, serotonin, endogenous opiates, or “pleasure centers.” At QRI, we see these as correlates or mediators of well-being.

3.2 Coherence and Phase Locking
Our research highlights a fundamental feature underlying positive experiences: coherence and phase locking among coupled oscillators in the nervous system. Examples include extremely positive states such as the jhanas (deep meditative absorptions) and certain psychedelic states (e.g., on 5-MeO-DMT) that seem to produce hyper-coherence across many frequencies in the brain. Phenomenologically, this often presents as:

Waves traveling linearly without resistance.
A resonant interior space devoid of distortions or defects.
A sense of “smooth geometry” linked to subjective bliss.

3.3 Metaphor for Coherence
A useful metaphor is a village fire-fighting line: if a row of people is passing buckets of water from a lake to a burning house, each person must be perfectly synchronized with the next. In a coherent or phase-locked system, there is a “perfect match,” minimal friction, and smooth flow.

Thus, we have good reason to believe coherence is a pivotal ingredient in experiences that feel deeply positive.

4. Neural Annealing: A Paradigm for Transformation

4.1 Overview of Neural Annealing
Together with Mike Johnson, I developed the concept of neural annealing, further refined into neural field annealing (a more technical theory). This framework helps explain why certain transformative techniques share a core sequence:

Energize the System
- Inject “clean” energy to jar the nervous system out of entrenched, dysfunctional patterns.
Cool Slowly
- Gradually reduce arousal in a way that encourages stable phase locking and coherence.
Break Up Dysfunctional Patterns
- Early in the energizing phase, old patterns that cause dissonance are disrupted or weakened.
Maximize Coherence
- Use mindfulness, positive mood, or other harmony-inducing practices to “lock in” coherence as arousal subsides.

4.2 Examples Across Domains
This process—energize, break up, cool down slowly, consolidate—is observable in a wide range of transformative practices:

Saunas (heat stress followed by gradual cooling)
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
Breathwork (like Wim Hof breathing)
Psychedelic Experiences
Meditation and Yoga

4.3 “Metta Annealing” as a Concrete Example
One method we have developed is “metta annealing”, which proceeds as follows:

Energize – 10 minutes of Wim Hof breathing to raise energy levels powerfully.
Positive Mood – A period of loving-kindness (metta) meditation to focus on harmony and positivity.
Cooling and Crystallizing – Transition to very relaxing music that helps “lock in” or crystallize the newly achieved coherence.

While there are meditative traditions that rely primarily on relaxation, combining energizing practices, positive emotion, and gradual cooling can expedite and intensify the ecstatic, coherent states typically associated with deep meditation.

5. Embodiment Enables Empathy

5.1 Heart Coherence and Empathy
Organizations like Heart Math talk about heart-mind coherence, focusing on metrics like EEG and heart coherence, and how these correlate with empathy. From my standpoint, this is a valuable clue pointing toward larger frameworks of coherence in the body.

5.2 Embodiment as Phase Locking
I often notice that highly empathetic individuals are also typically very embodied. Embodiment here implies a strong phase lock between the peripheral systems (heart, stomach) and the central nervous system (the brain). In other words, when someone’s internal organs (stomach, heart, etc.) are fully synchronized with their brain waves, it creates a cohesive internal state.

Because modeling other people often involves these peripheral systems, being tuned into one's own heart and gut is essential for genuine empathy. If these bodily centers are in sync with the rest of the nervous system, the “model” of another person's happiness or suffering becomes vivid and compelling, fostering deep empathy.

6. Topology Explains Individuality Within a Unified Field of Consciousness

6.1 Tuning into Others vs. Internal Models
A recurring question arises about tuning into other people’s energy fields or even telepathy. My default paradigm is indirect realism: everything we experience is ultimately an internal simulation. By that logic, feeling “in tune” with another person could be a case of being more in tune with one’s internal model of that person.

However, I remain open to the possibility of psi phenomena—for instance, anecdotal cases where people sense the death of a distant family member. Such effects might involve electromagnetic resonance or something we do not fully understand. But for research purposes, we assume that experiences of empathy or connection reflect internal processes more than literal external signals crossing vast distances.

6.2 Consciousness as a Universal Field
From my perspective, consciousness is fundamental—the universe is essentially a field of consciousness at the base level. Either consciousness emerges at some threshold (a notion I find untenable) or it is an intrinsic property of the universe. This aligns with much ancient wisdom.

6.3 Individuation via Topological Pockets
Yet, a key question is: “If the universe is one vast field of consciousness, why do we experience ourselves as distinct individuals?” To address that, we look at topology—the study of how shapes (surfaces, volumes, connections) transform without tearing. Imagine the surface of a balloon representing the universal consciousness. If you twist or pinch it just right, you can form a pinch point or region that becomes partially isolated from the rest. This topological change can create discrete “pockets” of consciousness (individual minds).

In simpler spiritual metaphors, we talk about waves in the ocean, but waves do not have strict boundaries. Topology gives a formal account: a pinch or twist can lead to a genuine boundary, allowing for unique information “inside” and preventing free flow “outside.”

6.4 States That Transcend the Boundary
Advanced meditators occasionally report experiences that seem to dissolve boundaries. While I have not personally encountered someone who demonstrably accesses other minds telepathically, I have met highly attained practitioners who describe “fourth-path” or “classical enlightenment.” They often dwell in a centerless, stable condition in which the usual sense of inside and outside disappears.

In rare moments of cessation, everything vanishes altogether. My hypothesis is that in these profound meditative events, the field lines that create one’s individual topological pocket break open momentarily, returning to the larger field. Because that larger field lacks the structures for memory, the experience is impossible to recall. You simply “were not” for those moments.

7. Geometric Frustration: Physical and Psychological Tensions

7.1 Definition of Geometric Frustration
Geometric frustration arises when the underlying geometry of a system prevents all local elements from aligning without conflict. Consider a triangular lattice of magnetic spins: there is no way to orient all spins “up” or “down” without some mutual repulsion. This structural constraint is called frustration.

7.2 Bodily or Energetic Frustration
In the human body, analogous “lattice mismatches” can occur in energy flows. If you engage in heavy exercise or certain practices without addressing these mismatches, you can experience energetic friction—some “channels” or regions in your body conflict with others. Practices like yoga aim to reduce or gradually fix these internal geometrical tensions so that energy can flow smoothly.

7.3 Trauma as Geometric Frustration
Psychologically, trauma can be seen as a block or an avoided region within the “map” of one’s body and mind. A traumatic experience tags certain postures, muscle movements, or emotional states as “unsafe,” effectively blocking off a broad cluster of behaviors or sensations to keep a person from re-encountering the painful event. Unfortunately, this blocking can produce widespread frustration in body and mind, impeding healthy, flexible functioning.

8. Healing Trauma: Equanimity and Loving-Kindness

When trauma surfaces—through psychedelics, MDMA therapy, or spontaneously—there are two broad approaches to facilitating healing:

Equanimity
- In Shinzen Young’s formulation, “suffering = pain × resistance.” Equanimity means allowing painful sensations or memories to arise without resistance. This process can train the nervous system to dissipate stress and reduce suffering.
Loving-Kindness (Metta)
- Generate powerful positive feelings, such as imagining a joyful memory or a beloved pet. Then direct this warmth toward the traumatic content. Trauma emits chaotic, dissonant “waves” in the nervous system; loving-kindness emits coherent, consonant waves. If the loving-kindness is sufficiently strong, it can entrain the traumatic patterns into greater harmony, effectively dissolving or transforming them.

8.1 High-Intensity Love
The intensity or “wattage” of loving-kindness matters greatly; the more powerful it is, the more quickly it can reorganize and heal traumatic material.

9. Empirically Validating Theories of Consciousness

9.1 Ongoing QRI Research
At QRI, we are deeply engaged in psychophysics studies, neuroscience experiments, and the analysis of neuroimaging datasets. We strive to build strong empirical evidence for phenomena like the correlation between various kinds of coherence and subjective well-being.

9.2 Looking for Undeniable Results
We aim for results that go beyond marginal statistical significance. Ideally, we want something undeniably robust and striking—“large effect sizes” that speak directly to the role of coherence in generating positive valence.

9.3 Future Technological Inflection Points
A “holy grail” technology would integrate EEG (electroencephalography), MEG (magnetoencephalography), and fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) simultaneously. By combining electrical signals, magnetic fields on the skull’s surface, and blood flow in the brain, we might infer key topological properties of the brain’s electromagnetic field. Mathematical theorems suggest that if you fully understand the boundary conditions (i.e., activity at the surface), you can often deduce properties of the interior—like how “knotted” or “pinched” that field might be.

10. Why Current AI Cannot Be Conscious

10.1 Mind Dust vs. Unified Minds
I am firmly convinced that today’s AI hardware does not generate unified consciousness. Certainly, the universe is a single field of consciousness in a fundamental sense, so “mind dust” permeates everything. However, having a coherent, top-down, causally integrated mind is a distinct phenomenon. In our current computers, processes are 100% bottom-up. There is no electromagnetic resonance feedback mechanism forming a genuinely unified field of experience.

10.2 Potential to Create Conscious Systems
We may well create conscious AI in a few decades. The advent of such technology raises urgent ethical concerns, such as ensuring that if we build sentient machines, we do not inadvertently produce states of enormous suffering—an AI equivalent of “factory farming.” We must plan ahead, advocating for empathetic and philosophically informed development.

10.3 AI Lacking Subjective Experience
Despite the remarkable capabilities of large language models (LLMs), there remains a realm of conscious experience (e.g., DMT states, jhana states) that is inaccessible to them. They can recombine information gleaned from human reports but do not feel or enter those states themselves. Curiously, insentient systems can be extremely powerful and even dangerous in domains like military strategy or diplomacy. Yet their inability to subjectively experience might remain a persistent limitation and, in some sense, a protective buffer for humans—at least temporarily.

11. Conclusion and Further Resources

The core ideas I have presented here revolve around:

Qualia as the foundational “paint” of subjective experience
Qualia formalism that posits mathematical structures corresponding to conscious states
Coherence and phase locking as crucial to generating pleasant or ecstatic experiences
Neural annealing as a universal paradigm for transformation
The role of topology in explaining individual minds within a universal consciousness
Healing trauma through equanimity and loving-kindness
Why current AI systems do not yet achieve genuine, unified consciousness

At the Qualia Research Institute, we are committed to scientific rigor and significant effect sizes to demonstrate the reality of these claims. We aim to provide “undeniable evidence,” rather than marginal results, that coherence drives positive valence and that consciousness can be mapped and modeled in new ways.

To learn more:

Visit qri.org for peer-reviewed papers, blog posts, videos, essays, simulations.
Follow me on Twitter @algekalipso for updates.
Explore my blog qualiacomputing.com for in-depth discussions and research notes.

Thank you for your interest in these topics. We hope this knowledge post has deepened your understanding of qualia, consciousness, and the fascinating possibilities of conscious transformation.

Note: This post is written from Andrés' perspective, drawing on insights shared in his interviews. It represents an interpretation of his views.

Title: Can Consciousness Be Explained By Math?

Featuring: Andrés Gómez-Emilsson, Qualia Research Institute
Presenter: Scott Britton (YouTube)

Watch the video here: Can Consciousness Be Explained By Math?