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The Primary Cell Model: Linking Prenatal Development and Intracellular Biology to Psychology and Consciousness

Kirsten Lykkegaard, Mary Pellicer, Grant McFetridge

Journal of Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health November 28, 2024 DOI: 10.62858/apph241204 (opens in new tab)

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AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed
Citations 2
Key points Proposes a "primary cell" model in which a single totipotent cell, said to form at the fourth cell division after conception and persist for life, carries sensations, feelings, and perceptions superimposed on ordinary bodily experience. The authors argue this links psychology to intracellular biology and has implications for evolutionary biology and the biology of consciousness.

Abstract

In this paper, we introduce an entirely new model of psychobiology. Unexpected discoveries are often made by combining different fields of knowledge. Here, prenatal psychology was combined with developmental and cell biology to yield a surprisingly simple yet profoundly important intracellular (subcellular) psychobiology theory. Like many discoveries, this one took us completely by surprise. It explained many puzzling observations in psychology and medicine and has led to effective therapeutic applications. Our breakthrough was realizing that the sensations, feelings, and perceptions inside a single, unique totipotent cell are superimposed on our everyday bodily experience. We have called this unique cell the primary cell. It forms at the fourth cell division after conception and remains with us our entire life. Thus, this cell links psychology to intracellular biology, and its existence has profound implications in both evolutionary biology and understanding the intracellular biology of consciousness itself. This paper presents part one of a three-part series, sharing real-life experiences that ultimately resulted in the development of the primary cell model. By utilizing various viewpoints and techniques from different fields, some of which are not widely known, we aim to provide insight into the key moments that shaped our decade-long journey of discovery. These stories will help you understand how we made our observations and conclusions. Keywords: Prenatal developmental psychology, subcellular psychobiology, primary cell, intracellular biology, epigenetic, RNA trauma