Human self-regulation depends on the continuous coordination of three interdependent sensory–regulatory domains: the proprioceptive field (form), the interoceptive field (state), and the exteroceptive field (world). These fields jointly shape posture, autonomic tone, affective experience, environmental interpretation, and the maintenance of a coherent sense of self. This tri-field architecture reflects a structural–energetic–informational triality common to adaptive biological systems and is implemented through recurrent neural circuits linking the cerebellum, insula, anterior cingulate cortex, hypothalamus, and brainstem.
Coherence arises when these fields remain in dynamic alignment; dys-coherence occurs when field coupling is disrupted, producing patterns such as anxiety, collapse, chronic pain, dissociation, and hypervigilance. Regulation is inherently rhythmic and unfolds across multiple timescales, from rapid sensorimotor adjustments to developmental shaping across early relational experience. Co-regulation is central to this process, and trauma is understood not as dysfunction but as adaptive coherence fixation under constrained conditions.
The model clarifies why cognitive interventions often fail when attempted before somatic and autonomic stabilization, and provides a sequencing principle for repair: Form → State → World → Meaning. It offers a unified framework for integrating medicine, psychology, physiotherapy, trauma therapy, developmental science, and relational practice into a coherent approach to restoring human regulatory capacity.
