In the search for the physical source of consciousness, neuroscientists have long looked to neurons—the brain’s billions of electrically active cells—as the likely answer.
However, a provocative new theoretical paper challenges that assumption, arguing that our experience of reality may not arise directly from neurons firing in the brain. Instead, it could emerge from a hidden wave deep within the brain, acting as a holographic model of the world.
Published in Frontiers in Psychology, Robert Worden of the Active Inference Institute proposes what he calls the “projective wave theory of consciousness,” a hypothesis that suggests our conscious experience arises from a wave-like excitation inside a small but critical brain structure known as the thalamus.
Though unconventional, if confirmed, the idea could upend decades of neuroscience and fundamentally reshape how scientists understand the biological basis of awareness.
“This paper is an initial conceptual outline of a projective wave theory of consciousness, in which phenomenal consciousness arises solely from a wave excitation in the thalamus,” Worden writes. “Neuronal activity maintains the wave, but has no direct link to consciousness.”
A Radical Proposal: Consciousness as a Wave
For decades, most scientific theories of consciousness have focused on neural computation—the idea that patterns of electrical signals in the brain generate subjective experience. But Worden argues that this approach faces a fundamental problem rooted in how information works.
In computers—including the brain—information is encoded. Neural signals consist of spikes, patterns, and timing relationships. But encoded data alone does not inherently contain meaning. Instead, meaning arises only when encoded information is interpreted or decoded.
This creates what Worden describes as a “decoding problem.” Consciousness presents us with direct spatial experience—seeing the edge of a table or the position of an object—without requiringconscious decoding of neural signals.
“The physical events inside a computer do not define what it computes,” Worden writes, arguing that neural firing patterns alone cannot fully explain conscious experience because they lack intrinsic meaning without external interpretation.
To resolve this paradox, Worden proposes that consciousness does not arise directly from neural firing.
Instead, he suggests that neurons may help generate and maintain a physical wave—similar in principle to a hologram—that serves as an analogue model of the surrounding world.
At the heart of the projective wave theory is the idea that the brain contains an analogue model of surrounding space stored as a wave excitation, possibly within the thalamus, a central hub deep in the brain that connects sensory and motor systems.
“The wave stores information in a Fourier transform of space, like a hologram,” Worden writes. “Neurons couple to the wave, and the wave is the source of consciousness.”
In this model, neurons do not directly produce conscious experience. Instead, they interact with the wave, feeding information into it and reading information from it. The wave itself becomes the underlying framework of consciousness.
Such a system could allow the brain to maintain a continuous, integrated model of the world—combining sensory inputs from vision, touch, hearing, and other senses into a unified spatial experience.
The Thalamus: A Prime Suspect
The most likely location for this wave, according to the theory, is the thalamus—a small, roughly spherical structure located near the center of the brain.
The thalamus already plays a well-known role as a sensory relay station, connecting diverse brain regions involved in perception, movement, and cognition. But Worden argues its central location and shape may hint at a deeper function.
“The mammalian thalamus has many nuclei, with weak or non-existent connections between them, ” Worden notes, arguing that it is ideally positioned to integrate spatial information from multiple senses.
Its nearly spherical geometry may also be significant. Waves behave differently depending on their environment, and a rounded structure would allow wave patterns to form in all spatial directions—potentially creating a three-dimensional internal model of the external world.
According to the theory, neurons could interact with this wave, extracting and updating spatial information in real time. If such a wave exists, it could serve as a dynamic model of the surrounding world, constantly updated with incoming sensory data.
This wave-based representation could help explain how the brain integrates information into a single coherent experience—a longstanding mystery in neuroscience.
A Biological Hologram of Reality
One of the most striking aspects of the theory is its use of principles borrowed from physics—specifically, Fourier transforms, mathematical tools used in holography.
In holograms, waves store information about three-dimensional objects, allowing the original image to be reconstructed later. Worden suggests the brain may operate in a similar way, with the thalamic wave acting as a holographic storage system for spatial information.
This could explain one of the most puzzling features of consciousness: why our perception of space feels so accurate and seamless.
“The wave is like a holographic model of reality,” the paper explains, enabling conscious experience to mirror the geometry of the physical world.
According to the theory, everything we experience—from sights and sounds to thoughts and emotions—may be represented as patterns within this wave.
Why Consciousness May Have Evolved This Way
Beyond explaining consciousness itself, the theory also offers a potential evolutionary advantage.
Animals must constantly track objects in their environment—predators, prey, obstacles—to survive. A wave-based spatial model could provide a highly efficient system for integrating sensory information and guiding behavior.
“A primary requirement for any animal brain is to know where food is, so as not to starve,” Worden writes. “Here, the important word is ‘where’—the animal needs to know precisely where food is relative to itself, to reach and get it. Spatial cognition is the core of most animal cognition—a vital tool for survival at all moments of the day.”
Unlike neural firing patterns, which are limited by speed and noise, waves could store information with greater precision and efficiency.
This could help explain why consciousness evolved in the first place—not as an accidental byproduct of neural complexity, but as a functional feature of a spatial modeling system.
A Theory Without Direct Evidence—Yet
Despite its bold claims, the theory remains entirely speculative.
No direct evidence for such a wave has yet been detected in the brain. However, Worden argues this absence may simply reflect limitations in current measurement tools.
The wave, if it exists, may operate at extremely low energy levels or involve exotic physical states not easily detectable with conventional neuroscience techniques.
“There are possible physical mechanisms and anatomical locations for a wave excitation in the vertebrate brain,” Worden writes. However, identifying its precise nature will require further research.
Importantly, Worden emphasizes that the projective wave theory of consciousness is scientifically testable. If a wave of this kind exists in the thalamus, he says, future experiments should be able to detect it. If no such wave is ever found, the theory would be proven wrong.
That makes it scientifically valuable, even if it ultimately proves incorrect. However, if confirmed, the implications could be enormous.
It could reshape neuroscience, challenge prevailing assumptions about artificial intelligence, and provide new insights into one of science’s greatest mysteries: how physical matter gives rise to subjective experience.
Worden acknowledges that much work remains to be done. However, he argues the theory offers a promising new direction.
“The projective wave theory is not just a theory of consciousness. It is a cognitive theory of how the brain works, and it differs radically from current pure neural theories,” Worden writes. “The concept of consciousness arising from a wave excitation in the thalamus has sufficient potential for agreement with the evidence… that the theory merits further investigation.”
Tim McMillan is a retired law enforcement executive, investigative reporter and co-founder of The Debrief. His writing typically focuses on defense, national security, the Intelligence Community and topics related to psychology. You can follow Tim on Twitter: @LtTimMcMillan. Tim can be reached by email: tim@thedebrief.org or through encrypted email: LtTimMcMillan@protonmail.com