Bottom-Up Neurotech: Harnessing Sensation for Transformation and Treatment

Bottom-up neurotech is proposed as a therapeutic approach for psychopathology by restoring access to sensory information and enabling predictive brain model updating. The framework ties neuroticism to a “Better Safe Than Sorry” style of information processing where threat-related priors dominate and sensory-perceptual detail is discounted, making the brain less able to revise its beliefs when prediction errors occur. The proposed solution is exposure to threat-relevant information in an attentive, open, nondefensive way, with sense foraging as an example practice that intentionally explores sensory experience to rebuild trust in sensory processing. Bottom-up neurotech is presented as a scalable, precision-controlled way to deliver tailored sensory stimulation in safe settings, including multi-sensory VR, programmable light and sound, haptics, thermal stimulation, and interoceptive awareness tools. The claim is that such interventions could help people update maladaptive predictive models without requiring direct engagement with traumatic memories or situations, potentially offering a gentler alternative path for mental health treatment.