We propose an explicitly testable unified framework in which (i) the emergence of definite measurement outcomes from quantum superposition and (ii) the emergence of conscious, unified experience are treated as two manifestations of the same metastability-to-stability transition in a structured pattern space. The theory is grounded in two primitives: distinction acts Ξ (elementary differentiation) and a structuring operator | (composition into persistent organization). Any realizable pattern P is characterized by an integrity functional I(P) ∈ [0,1] (internal coherence and resistance to fragmentation) and an effective coherence radius Rc(P) (correlation length in physical, neural, or semantic space). Metastable patterns are postulated to satisfy a balance law, I(P)Rc(P) = ξ0, defining a slow manifold whose deviations quantify instability and foreshadow transition events.<br><br>To encode collapse-like transitions and outcome/contents selection with minimal topological complexity, states are represented on a toroidal manifold T 2 with angles (θ, φ), where φ is a collapse (stability) order parameter (wave-like at φ = π, particle-like at φ = 0) and θ labels branch phase. A harmonic closure postulate 2R = 2πr yields R/r = π without inserting π as a fit parameter, motivating a universal residual fraction 1/π and a complementary critical integrity threshold C2 = 1 − 1/π ≈ 0.682 for robust self-referential Patterns of Experience. Dynamics are formulated as noisy relaxation of balance-mismatch, predicting critical slowing down and a universal critical angle φc ≈ 2π/3 (under the closure hypothesis). Apparent randomness is attributed to phase sensitivity and noise, with outcome probabilities expressed as basin measures in θ, providing a concrete route to Born-like statistics under contextual constraints.<br><br>The empirical program specifies operational proxies for I and Rc (with explicit calibration to [0,1]) and proposes falsifiable tests in neuroscience (EEG/MEG/ECoG; invariance of C2, early-warning signals, phase “freezing”) and quantum platforms (context engineering, weak/continuous measurement, complexity scaling of collapse times). Clear failure modes include systematic deviation from C2, absence of critical slowing down, and non-clustering of inferred φc near 2π/3.