This paper proposes the Two-Stage Evacuation Model, a neurobiologically grounded theoretical framework reframing Depersonalization/Derealization (DP/DR) as a predictable, hierarchical autonomic shutdown sequence in individuals with disorganized attachment histories. Stage 1 (Somatic-to-Cortical Flight) involves evacuation of interoceptive awareness via anterior insula hypoactivation, forcing...
Paper 20 in the ABM Blueprint Independent Research Series. This paper formalizes the PAG-PFC Gating Hypothesis: pathological anxiety and recurrent nightmares are functionally identical neurobiological states, differing only in the status of the prefrontal gate over the periaqueductal gray (PAG). During wakefulness, the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) provides a GABAergic brake that constrains...