The Bottom-Up Path: Meditation, Hypnosis and the reversal of Control

Image: Buddha Resisting The Demons of Mara, 19th century lithograph

In our everyday lives the psyche tends to operate via a top-down processing - we draw upon stored memories, expectations and inner models to make sense of the world. This predictive mode of the mind allows us to move through experience easily, guided by what we already know. Were we to rely only on bottom-up processing - constructing perception directly from the raw data of the senses - we might move as slowly as a snail through the forest of stimuli, building reality from each sensation anew. Yet perhaps in those quieter and slower spaces consciousness loosens its grip on prediction and returns to immediacy.

From a neuroscientific standpoint, these two modes describe distinct yet interwoven streams of information flow. Bottom-up processing refers to the sensory-driven transmission of data from lower brain regions (like the thalamus and primary sensory cortices) towards higher areas for interpretation. Top-down processing involves the brain’s higher cortical areas, the prefrontal and parietal regions, sending signals downwards to modulate perception based on prior knowledge, expectations and goals (Gilbert & Li, 2013). The brain constantly negotiates between these flows - the bottom-up stream bringing the world to us and the top-down stream shaping the world into meaning. Yet the brain prefers efficiency - it often bypasses the slow grind of raw sensation in favour of quick interpretation (Pando-Naude et al., 2021).

When we sit in meditation, we cultivate the capacity for bottom-up awareness, we suppress the usual top-down interference, reducing the dominance of narrative and letting sensation and presence come forward. In meditative awareness, the dominance of top-down control can soften, allowing a bottom-up openness to arise. Studies have shown that during mindfulness and contemplative states, activity in the prefrontal cortex which is the seat of executive control often decreases, while sensory and interoceptive networks become more active (Tang et al., 2024). In Jungian language, this might be seen as a symbolic descent from the rational ego towards the deeper strata of the Self where perception and being are one and the same - where we cease to interpret the world and begin to participate in it.

Before diving into meditation, it is helpful to understand how your body naturally regulates itself through breath. The sympathetic nervous system (responsible for arousal and alertness) is activated during inhalation, while the parasympathetic nervous system (responsible for rest and relaxation) becomes more active during exhalation (Jerath et al., 2006). This means that even a few mindful breaths before you begin can shift your body into a calmer, more balanced state, preparing you for practice.

There are many forms of meditation, not just the well-known single-pointed focus practices. Some emphasise bodily awareness such as body scan meditations, while others guide you through visualisations or affirmations. During single pointed meditation, the attention is steadily anchored, often on the breath. This approach helps quiet the mind and can train focus over time. Belly breathing, also known as diaphragmatic breathing, is especially effective for deepening relaxation and supporting attention during meditation (Ma et al., 2017).

When starting your practice, it is often best to close your eyes, although some traditions recommend a soft, unfocused gaze. There is no universal right or wrong, what matters is finding the method that allows you to stay present. Across cultures and traditions, one consistent recommendation is to maintain a straight spine while meditating. A stable posture not only supports physical comfort but may also help sustain alertness and energy (Tang, Hölzel, & Posner, 2015). If you are unsure where to begin, you can explore different postures - sitting cross-legged, kneeling or even sitting on a chair.

Guided meditation bridges structure and surrender. A facilitator’s voice, music or imagery uses language and metaphor to invite inner experience. Through suggestion and imagery, it activates associative networks in the brain, especially within the default mode network (DMN) which is linked to imagination and autobiographical thought. Yet as the practice deepens, those top-down cues help dissolve narrative control, guiding awareness into more embodied, bottom-up states. Jung might have seen guided meditation as a form of active imagination - a dialogue between consciousness and the unconscious, where symbols, images and feelings rise organically from within. In this way, guided meditations are less about instruction and more about initiation and dialogue with images, figures or archetypes that arise spontaneously.

Self-hypnosis, often misunderstood, shares a surprising kinship with meditative states. Both involve focused attention, relaxation and a shift in awareness. Neuroscientific studies show that during hypnosis, as in meditation, activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate cortex - key hubs of the DMN - tends to decrease, corresponding with reduced inner chatter and heightened sensory presence (Jiang et al., 2017). Where meditation encourages an open awareness, self-hypnosis uses intentional suggestion - a purposeful resculpting of inner experience. Yet both move through similar neural gateways - they quiet top-down control, enhance interoceptive processing and engage the parasympathetic system to cultivate calm and receptivity.

The methods differ but the destination is remarkably similar. Ultimately, meditation, guided meditation and self-hypnosis are about creating a space where you can explore awareness. Whether guided or self-directed, single-pointed or body-based, the most important step is to begin is to allow the practice to evolve with you. Psyche’s dialogue between control and surrender, intellect and intuition, top-down and bottom-up where is where alchemical process happens. Whether we call it mindfulness, trance or imagination, the essence remains - a return to direct participation in the living mystery of consciousness.

And most importantly do not be discouraged if thoughts continue to surface as you practice. This is the evidence that you are a human. When thoughts arise, simply notice them, acknowledge their presence and let them drift by. Each time you return to your breath, to sensation, to the simple fact of being here, you are already practicing. Meditation is not the absence of thought - it is the art of returning again and again to yourself.

References

Gilbert, C. D., & Li, W. (2013). Top-down influences on visual processing. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 14(5), 350–363. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3476

Jiang, H., White, M. P., Greicius, M. D., Waelde, L. C., & Spiegel, D. (2017). Brain activity and functional connectivity associated with hypnosis. Cerebral Cortex, 27(8), 4083–4093. https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhw220

Jerath, R., Edry, J. W., Barnes, V. A., & Jerath, V. (2006). Physiology of long pranayamic breathing: Neural respiratory elements may provide a mechanism that explains how slow deep breathing shifts the autonomic nervous system. Medical Hypotheses, 67(3), 566–571. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2006.02.042

Ma, X., Yue, Z. Q., Gong, Z. Q., Zhang, H., Duan, N. Y., Shi, Y. T., Wei, G. X., & Li, Y. F. (2017). The effect of diaphragmatic breathing on attention, negative affect and stress in healthy adults. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 874. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00874

Tang, Y. Y., Hölzel, B. K., & Posner, M. I. (2015). The neuroscience of mindfulness meditation. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 16(4), 213–225. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3916

Pando-Naude, V., Patyczek, A., Bonetti, L., & Vuust, P. (2021). An ALE meta-analytic review of top-down and bottom-up processing of music in the brain. Scientific Reports, 11(1).

Tang, Y-Y., Lan, M., Fan, M., Yang, L., Li, S., Zhang, Y., … Posner, M. I. (2024). Long-term mindfulness meditation increases occurrence of sensory and attention brain states: Evidence for bottom-up shifts in cognition. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 18.