which receives the various signals and initiates the necessary forces through the Active Subsystem to achieve and advance to new levels of spinal stability.
Loss of spinal stability may be the result of injury, degeneration, and/or pathology of any of these subsystems. The Neural Control Subsystem, if not affected, perceives these deficiencies (acute or chronic) and attempts to compensate by initiating action through the Active Subsystem. Although stability may be acquired through this process, the consequences may be deleterious to the individual components of the spinal system, e.g., degeneration, chronic muscle spasms, injury, and fatigue.

This classification of subsystem interaction is applicable to the spinal integrity model of NSA, with the addition of the meninges as a part of the Neural Control Subsystem. NSA advances the idea that adverse tension in the spinal cord, nerves, and the meningeal dura negatively affect spinal stability, which translates into subsystem responses producing the necessary compensatory (adaptive) changes. It is further suggested that the deep spinal muscles are involved in defense posture; although, part of the Active Subsystem may create the tension and lack of compliance found in the Passive Subsystem. As a result of clinical observations, NSA also proposes another subsystem, the Emotional Subsystem. It is hypothesized, in accordance with the concept of ubiquity of "informational substances," that the Emotional Subsystem occupies portions of the same anatomical and physiological space as the other three subsystems proposed by Panjabi. Moreover, it is also hypothesized that the Emotional Subsystem reflects the potential range of oscillation and baseline (or resting) tension within tissues. In this regard, while oscillation represents the pulsatile range of motion of the tissues, tension is viewed as the stored energy of the system.

While the relationship between emotional expression and cognition remains a subject of debate within the behavioral sciences (Zajonc, 1996 and Lazarus, 1996), substantial research has linked the release of tension to emotional expression (Smiling, 1996, Strouf, et al., 1976, and Schultz and Zigler, 1970). In consideration of the current body of knowledge and recent advances in the neurological sciences (Holstege, 1992), it is suggested that the experience of emotions may provoke or be provoked by actions of the Passive, Active, and Neural Control Subsystems when altering tissue oscillatory patterns. This would be in association with an amplification of the signal produced by the oscillators separately. This would also involve a new product created by the resulting combined interference pattern. In this case of entrainment, the internal signal would become stronger and increasingly more difficult to interrupt by external stimuli.

For example, when there is adverse tension (excessive stored energy) on the ligaments, tendons, fascia, or dura, energy cannot be adequately dissipated; the ability of these tissues to oscillate (discussed below) and, thus, serve as a source for Respiratory and/or Somatopsychic Waves™ (Epstein, 1996) is impaired. Under these circumstances, the excessive energy may be transferred to, or released through, the Emotional Subsystem. It is further hypothesized that this subsystem then acts as a transducer for the Neural Control Subsystem to facilitate energy release or its storage. Since the Emotional

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