associated with the experience of extreme positive or extremenegative emotions, well beyond the range of normal feelings, we have labeled them as hyper-states. Evidence of such a phase shift can clearly be seen as an abrupt reduction in amplitude anda corresponding increase in frequency in the waveform patterns showing the movement fromPsychophysiological Coherence to the Emotional Quiescence, a positive hyper-state (Figure 9,Appendix A) and also in the movement from Psychophysiological Incoherence to ExtremeNegative Emotion, a negative hyper-state (Figure 10, Appendix A).INTEGRAL REVIEWDecember 2009Vol. 5, No. 2Two dimensions common to the phenomenon of psychophysiological interaction provide thebasis for differentiating varieties of emotional experience in the typology. As evident in the termpsychophysiological, there is a psychological element and a physiological element. 7 Forpurposes of simplification, we have superimposed the relevant psychological and physiologicalvariables on the axis representing each dimension in the figure.8 One dimension is the degree ofemotional arousal (high to low), which is known to be covariant with ANS balance. Thus, duringshort-term emotional experiences, the relative balance between the activity of the sympatheticand parasympathetic branches of the ANS is driven by the degree of emotional arousal.Accordingly, we have mapped emotional arousal and ANS balance together on the vertical axisin Figure 4.The second dimension is the valence (positive or negative) of the emotion, which isrepresented by the horizontal axis in Figure 4. Again for purposes of simplification, the valenceis assumed to be covariant with the degree of activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal(HPA) axis, which controls the release of cortisol. For short-term emotional experiences, there isan increase in cortisol during negative emotional states and a decrease in cortisol release duringpositive emotional states.HRV patterns can be distinguished on the basis of amplitude, frequency, and degree ofcoherence. Empirical findings show that the two elements of the psychological dimension in ourscheme play a predominant role in determining the characteristics of the HRV pattern. Theamplitude of the HRV waveform is modulated by both the degree of emotional arousal (whichcorresponds to ANS activation) and emotional valence. In general, greater degrees of arousalwithin normal heart rate ranges produce waveforms of greater amplitude.9 However, as heart rateincreases, the amplitude of the HRV waveform decreases in linear relationship to heart rate untilit reaches a point beyond which the amplitude of the HRV waveform is compressed. This is dueto a biological constraint known as the cycle-length dependence effect. In terms of emotionalvalence, the amplitude of the HRV waveform increases during positive emotions, while itdecreases during negative emotions. The frequency of the HRV waveform is influenced by thepattern of ANS activation; increased parasympathetic activity leads to higher-frequency (faster)changes in the heart rhythm, while increased sympathetic activity is associated with lower-frequency, higher-amplitude (slower) changes. Finally, the degree of coherence of the HRVwaveform is largely determined by the emotional valence, with positive emotion increasingcoherence and negative emotion decreasing coherence. Different patterns of HRV can thereforeAlthough the psychological component involves at least three factors for a given emotionalexperienceemotional arousal, emotional valence, and the degree of cognitive engagementwe haveexcluded cognitive engagement to avoid the enormous complexity introduced when all three factors areconsidered simultaneously.8In reality the relationship is much more complicated.