The mind-body-world unity: The predictive mind and the allostatic paradigm as a bridge between neuroscience and traditional Chinese medicine. A conceptual review

This article explores areas of conceptual alignment and functional similarity between Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and contemporary neuroscience, particularly the models of allostasis and the predictive mind, by comparing different theoretical frameworks to highlight heuristic analogies in the understanding of the human mind as a dynamic, embodied, and regulatory process. In TCM, Qi represents the vital energy that animates and connects physiological and psychological functions; in predictive neuroscience, mental activity emerges from the continuous interaction between predictive models and sensory signals, integrating perceptions, emotions, and bodily states to promote flexible and proactive adaptation to the environment. Both perspectives propose a systemic view in which mind and body co-emerge from the dynamic interaction between the individual and the environment. In the predictive mind model, persistent prediction errors can consolidate into dysfunctional patterns and contribute to the accumulation of allostatic load, thereby compromising multisystem regulation and promoting the development of chronic conditions; a functional analogy emerges in TCM, where imbalances in Qi reflect states of altered adaptation. In both views, illness arises from a dysfunction of regulatory processes. Healing aims to restore the dynamic balance of the mind-body-environment system, intervening before chronicity sets in. Mind-body practices are interpreted in light of contemporary neurobiology as tools for regulating communication between the brain and internal organs, reducing the allostatic load caused by chronic stress, and fostering adaptive psychophysiological balance. • TCM and predictive neuroscience view psyche-body-world as a complex, dynamic unity. • Qi and allostasis reflect circular, adaptive models of mind-body-world dynamics. • Both allostatic overload and Qi imbalance reflect chronic adaptation failure. • Both models link illness to dysregulation in mind-body-environment interactions. • Healing requires integrative, holistic care blending TCM practices and biomedicine.