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Identity alteration: Difference between revisions
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However, it is worth noting that rather than being a static, unmoving, or objective concept that it is often assumed to be, a person's identity can actually be experienced in many ways. There is no component of the human brain, body, or consciousness which can be singled out as the location of a person's individual selfhood. The self is thus speculated to be a learned and constructed concept that arises through a combination of experience, the structure of language, and social interactions with other people. This notion is in stark contrast to the common Western cultural conception that human beings each contain a tangible identity that is a real and separate system from that which resides around it. | However, it is worth noting that rather than being a static, unmoving, or objective concept that it is often assumed to be, a person's identity can actually be experienced in many ways. There is no component of the human brain, body, or consciousness which can be singled out as the location of a person's individual selfhood. The self is thus speculated to be a learned and constructed concept that arises through a combination of experience, the structure of language, and social interactions with other people. This notion is in stark contrast to the common Western cultural conception that human beings each contain a tangible identity that is a real and separate system from that which resides around it. | ||
Within traditional religions, the intrinsic nature of human identity differs depending on the specific doctrine. For example, Abrahamic religions such as Christianity and Islam use an inherently dualist approach which claims that the self is a soul which resides within the body and is intrinsically separate from its external environment.<ref>The Oxford | Within traditional religions, the intrinsic nature of human identity differs depending on the specific doctrine. For example, Abrahamic religions such as Christianity and Islam use an inherently dualist approach which claims that the self is a soul which resides within the body and is intrinsically separate from its external environment.<ref>{{cite book | veditors=((Silverstein, A.)), ((Sṭrumzah, G. G.)), ((Blidstein, M.)) | date= 2018 | title=The Oxford handbook of the Abrahamic religions | publisher=Oxford University Press | edition=First published in paperback | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IR6DCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA416&lpg=PA416&dq=abrahamic+religions+dualism&source=bl&ots=QbSwQ9NwFL&sig=DbBYFrrpk9MYJG7RDNNmu3h3dtY&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwik9K3HkvnOAhWJyyYKHZOnBWMQ6AEILTAC#v=onepage&q=abrahamic%20religions%20dualism&f=false | isbn=9780198783015}}</ref> In contrast, Eastern religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism take an approach known as monism, or nondualism which generally speaking, assumes that the separate self is illusory and that there is no difference between one's identity or soul and the "external" universe which it resides in. | ||
In regard to identity alteration, there are a total of 5 distinct levels of identity which a person can experience | In regard to identity alteration, there are a total of 5 distinct levels of identity which a person can experience. These various altered states of identity have been arranged into a levelling system that orders its different states from least to the most number of concepts one's identity is currently attributed to. These levels are described and documented below: | ||
====1. Total absence of attributed identity (depersonalization)==== | ====1. Total absence of attributed identity (depersonalization)==== | ||
{{Main|Depersonalization}} | {{Main|Depersonalization}} | ||
The lowest level of identity can be described as the sensation that there is a complete absence of having any sense of self at all. This is referred to in psychiatry as "depersonalization". It can be described as an anomaly of self-awareness that consists of a feeling of watching oneself act as one normally would, while also feeling is if they have no control over the situation. It can occur under the influence of [[hallucinogen|hallucinogenic]] substances, particularly [[dissociative|dissociatives]],<ref>Walsh, S. | The lowest level of identity can be described as the sensation that there is a complete absence of having any sense of self at all. This is referred to in psychiatry as "depersonalization". It can be described as an anomaly of self-awareness that consists of a feeling of watching oneself act as one normally would, while also feeling is if they have no control over the situation. It can occur under the influence of [[hallucinogen|hallucinogenic]] substances, particularly [[dissociative|dissociatives]],<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors=((Walsh, S.)), ((Strain, E.)), ((Abreu, M.)), ((Bigelow, G.)) | journal=Psychopharmacology | title=Enadoline, a selective kappa opioid agonist: comparison with butorphanol and hydromorphone in humans | volume=157 | issue=2 | pages=151–162 | date=1 September 2001 | url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s002130100788 | issn=0033-3158 | doi=10.1007/s002130100788}}</ref> and may persist for some time after sobriety.<ref name="Espiard2005">{{cite journal | vauthors=((Espiard, M.-L.)), ((Lecardeur, L.)), ((Abadie, P.)), ((Halbecq, I.)), ((Dollfus, S.)) | journal=European Psychiatry | title=Hallucinogen persisting perception disorder after psilocybin consumption: a case study | volume=20 | issue=5–6 | pages=458–460 | date= August 2005 | url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S092493380024145X/type/journal_article | issn=0924-9338 | doi=10.1016/j.eurpsy.2005.04.008}}</ref> During this state, the affected person may feel that they are "[[physical autonomy|on autopilot]]" and that the world has become vague, dreamlike, less real, or lacking in significance. Individuals who experience depersonalization often feel divorced from their own personal physicality by no longer sensing their body sensations, feelings, emotions, and behaviors as belonging to a person or identity. It is also often claimed by people who have depersonalization that reality seems unreal, distant or hazy. Depersonalization can sometimes be distressing to the user, who may become disoriented by the loss of a sense that their self is the origin of their thoughts and actions. However, it does not have to be an inherently negative altered state of awareness, as it does not directly affect a person's emotions or thought patterns. | ||
It is perfectly normal for many people to slip into this state temporarily, often without even realizing it. For example, many people often note that they enter a detached state of autopilot during stressful situations or when performing monotonous routine tasks such as driving. | It is perfectly normal for many people to slip into this state temporarily, often without even realizing it. For example, many people often note that they enter a detached state of autopilot during stressful situations or when performing monotonous routine tasks such as driving. | ||
In psychology, chronic depersonalization that persists during sobriety for prolonged periods of time is identified as "depersonalization disorder" and is classified by the DSM-IV as a dissociative disorder. While degrees of depersonalization are common and can happen temporarily to anyone who is subject to an anxiety or stress provoking situation, chronic depersonalization is more common within individuals who have experienced a severe trauma or prolonged stress and anxiety. The symptoms of both chronic derealization and depersonalization are common within the general population, with a lifetime prevalence of up to 26-74% and 31–66% at the time of a traumatic event.<ref>The epidemiology of depersonalisation and derealisation. A systematic review | | In psychology, chronic depersonalization that persists during sobriety for prolonged periods of time is identified as "depersonalization disorder" and is classified by the DSM-IV as a dissociative disorder. While degrees of depersonalization are common and can happen temporarily to anyone who is subject to an anxiety or stress provoking situation, chronic depersonalization is more common within individuals who have experienced a severe trauma or prolonged stress and anxiety. The symptoms of both chronic derealization and depersonalization are common within the general population, with a lifetime prevalence of up to 26-74% and 31–66% at the time of a traumatic event.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors=((Hunter, E. C. M.)), ((Sierra, M.)), ((David, A. S.)) | journal=Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology | title=The epidemiology of depersonalisation and derealisation. A systematic review | volume=39 | issue=1 | pages=9–18 | date= January 2004 | issn=0933-7954 | doi=10.1007/s00127-004-0701-4}}</ref> It has also been demonstrated that derealization may be caused by a dysfunction within the brains visual processing center (occipital lobe) or the temporal lobe, which is used for processing the meaning of sensory input, language comprehension, and emotion association.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors=((Sierra, M.)), ((Lopera, F.)), ((Lambert, M. V.)), ((Phillips, M. L.)), ((David, A. S.)) | journal=Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry | title=Separating depersonalisation and derealisation: the relevance of the “lesion method” | volume=72 | issue=4 | pages=530–532 | date=1 April 2002 | url=https://jnnp.bmj.com/content/72/4/530 | issn=0022-3050 | doi=10.1136/jnnp.72.4.530}}</ref> | ||
Within the context of [[identity alteration|identity altering]] effects, depersonalization can be considered as being at the opposite end of the identity spectrum relative to states of [[unity and interconnectedness]]. This is because during depersonalisation, a person senses and attributes their identity to nothing, giving a sense of having no self. However, during a state of unity and interconnectedness, one senses and attributes their identity to everything, giving a sense that the entirety of existence is their self. | Within the context of [[identity alteration|identity altering]] effects, depersonalization can be considered as being at the opposite end of the identity spectrum relative to states of [[unity and interconnectedness]]. This is because during depersonalisation, a person senses and attributes their identity to nothing, giving a sense of having no self. However, during a state of unity and interconnectedness, one senses and attributes their identity to everything, giving a sense that the entirety of existence is their self. | ||
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The second level of identity can be described as feeling as if one's identity is attributed to their brain and/or body. This is often said to feel as if one is a consciousness, the guiding force located within a body which is immersed in and interacting with a distinctly separate external environment. It is usually accompanied with a sense of free will or agency over all the thoughts and actions the person makes, which results in them feeling as if their decision-making processes are arising from an internal source which is not necessarily determined by cause and effect in the same manner as external systems. | The second level of identity can be described as feeling as if one's identity is attributed to their brain and/or body. This is often said to feel as if one is a consciousness, the guiding force located within a body which is immersed in and interacting with a distinctly separate external environment. It is usually accompanied with a sense of free will or agency over all the thoughts and actions the person makes, which results in them feeling as if their decision-making processes are arising from an internal source which is not necessarily determined by cause and effect in the same manner as external systems. | ||
A self-contained separate identity is by far the most common form of identity. Mainstream Western cultural notions consider this conception of the self to be the self-evident or logical way to perceive the world and the only form of identity which isn't intrinsically [[delusions|delusional]]. Despite being culturally normative, this belief has received considerable debate and criticism within modern neuroscience and philosophy.<ref>The self is an illusion: a conceptual framework for psychotherapy | A self-contained separate identity is by far the most common form of identity. Mainstream Western cultural notions consider this conception of the self to be the self-evident or logical way to perceive the world and the only form of identity which isn't intrinsically [[delusions|delusional]]. Despite being culturally normative, this belief has received considerable debate and criticism within modern neuroscience and philosophy.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors=((Stankevicius, S.)) | journal=Australasian Psychiatry | title=The self is an illusion: a conceptual framework for psychotherapy | volume=25 | issue=3 | pages=243–245 | date= June 2017 | url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1039856216689531 | issn=1039-8562 | doi=10.1177/1039856216689531}}</ref> | ||
Although drastically altered in comparison to that of sobriety, it is worth noting that hallucinatory states such as [[ego replacement]] and [[Internal_hallucinations#Perspective_alterations|2nd person perspective hallucinations]] typically still fall under the classification of this level. In both cases, a person still feels as if they are a separate agent facing the external world, but have the perception of being a different identity than their sober self. | Although drastically altered in comparison to that of sobriety, it is worth noting that hallucinatory states such as [[ego replacement]] and [[Internal_hallucinations#Perspective_alterations|2nd person perspective hallucinations]] typically still fall under the classification of this level. In both cases, a person still feels as if they are a separate agent facing the external world, but have the perception of being a different identity than their sober self. | ||
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*'''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fajfkO_X0l0 Sam Harris: The self is an illusion (YouTube)]''' | *'''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fajfkO_X0l0 Sam Harris: The self is an illusion (YouTube)]''' | ||
*'''[http://beingtheuniverse.tumblr.com/ Being The Universe (tumblr)]'''</onlyinclude> | *'''[http://beingtheuniverse.tumblr.com/ Being The Universe (tumblr)]'''</onlyinclude> | ||
===Psychoactive substances=== | |||
Compounds within our [[psychoactive substance index]] which may cause this effect include: | |||
{{#ask:[[Category:Psychoactive substance]][[Effect::Existential self-realization]]|format=ul|Columns=2}} | |||
===Experience reports=== | |||
Annectdotal reports which describe this effect with our [[experience index]] include: | |||
{{#ask:[[Category:Experience]][[Effect::Colour enhancement]]|format=ul|Columns=2}} | |||
===See also=== | ===See also=== | ||
*[[Responsible use]] | *[[Responsible use]] | ||
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===References=== | ===References=== | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:Effect]] | ||
[[Category:Cognitive]] | |||
[[Category:Transpersonal]] | |||