Ross Ashby, in his book Design for a Brain,30 enunciates the principle of hyperstability, which we paraphrase as follows:
Any complex feedback system of sufficient connectivity and sufficient size reacts to an induced change in any part of itself in such a way as to attenuate/negate the effects on itself of any similar induced change in each and every part of itself at any future time.
An additional principle can be stated as follows:
A hyperstable state occurs in a large complex system as the system grows, experiences and ages. In becoming hyperstable the system achieves sufficient connectivity and size, sufficient experience of varied environs and sufficient age for full integration of its own history/memory of past encounters with disturbances.
A hyperstable state is weakened or disappears when a sufficiently large new change is induced in it by transients of sufficiently large amplitude. During the response to the transient, the system can go through several kinds of changes of state (damped, oscillatory, step–change, etcetera). After the response is finished, the state of the system can be (1) the previous state before the response, (2) a new state above the previous one, (3) a new state below the previous one, (4) destruction of the hyperstable state into a randomly or repetitively changing series of states or (5) destruction of the system, as such.
A sufficiently rapid series of large amplitude transients occurring in the surrounds of the system induces a series of changes in the system that builds up the total changes in the system. Such net accumulation of changes forces growth in the system that may evolve it to new levels of organization of hyperstability or may regress it into a nonintegrated set of subsystems or may destroy it.
These principles can be applied to the human mind alone and in groups in terms of (1) psychedelic substances and their induced changes, (2) physical and social isolation, (3) induction of “higher states” of consciousness by physical/mental/spiritual exercises or (4) innovative techniques in government /advertising/movie scripts/TV shows/etcetera.
An individual person, a single C.N.S., is such a hyperstable system. An organization of individuals can become a hyperstable system. Consensus reality is that aspect of past organizations of individuals reflecting a large hyperstable system known as culture/society/government. The feedback to each individual from the larger whole in which each is imbedded from birth reflects the hyperstable nature of human organizations. The control of individual action/being/feeling within the organization is a reflection of the hyperstable nature of the organization. Each such system records/remembers its past transient responses and its past states consciously/unconsciously. Each such system reacts to changes in the surrounds and within its own structure so as to minimize the effects within itself.
An individual socially isolated is out of direct here–and–now feedback with other persons and with his/her society. As a hyperstable system the individual responds to the beginning of the isolation period in phase of reaction to the feedback cutoff. The phenomena experienced are those of the transient responses to the cutoff. This phase may last a few minutes, a few hours, or a few days. After this initial response, new phenomena appear characteristic of the internal reality and the simulations of the external reality in its social aspects (including “creations” of persons not present or dead, memory of past encounters, e.r.’s, etcetera).
In complete physical isolation in addition to social isolation, the transient responses are more marked, of higher amplitude, and more fascinating to the person. The new steady states after the transient response tend to be more out of touch with the previous steady state immersed in the social reality. The new states are more uniquely individualistic and seem to be more characteristic of that individual’s essential organization. New and unique phenomena occur, not predicated on consensus reality programs previously experienced.