AbstractThis paper presents a theory of consciousness grounded in the Five Principles framework.Qualia supervenes on cascade dynamics across attractor landscapes carved by evolution,species-typical development, culture, attachment, and individual experience. AutonomicBond-Sign traffic is causally necessary for phenomenal experience (supervenience + causalnecessity, not strict identity). The theory explains when qualia occurs and what determinesits character, while acknowledging the residual hard problem of why any configuration hasphenomenal character. We offer falsifiable predictions, clinical implications, and a researchdesign for testing maternal-fetal transmission of regulatory state. This paper is thephenomenological companion to SIP-PHI-01 (The Sentience Functional), which provides thestructural threshold index
Smith et al. (2026) studied this question.