Memory suppression: Difference between revisions

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===Ego death===

At level 4, the most profound aspect of all-encompassing long-term memory suppression is the way in which it obliterates one's ability to recall or even feel a general sense of their own name, identity, me-ness or selfhood. The experience of this is colloquially known as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ego_death ego death]. ~~It results in the profound experience~~ that ~~although one is not unconscious~~, ~~there is no longer an “I” experiencing current~~ sensory input~~; there is just the input as~~ it is ~~and by itself~~. ~~This allows~~ one to ~~experience concepts from~~ a ~~perspective which~~ is ~~completely untainted by prior~~ experience ~~and memories due~~ to the ~~accompanying presence~~ of ~~simultaneous [[personal bias suppression]]~~.</onlyinclude>

At level 4, the most profound aspect of all-encompassing long-term memory suppression is the way in which it obliterates one's ability to recall or even feel a general sense of their own name, identity, me-ness or selfhood. The experience of this is colloquially known as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ego_death ego death]. Rhetoric around "ego death" suggests that people are capable of "experiencing" ego death, as though it were possible to experience raw sensory input without any concept of self or reference point. Since experiences must be experienced by a subject, it is not possible to experience anything without subjectivity (i.e. without a concept of one's self).

"Ego death" often refers to such a radical change in one's concept of self that their old self has "died," in a sense. For example, on high doses of dissociative drugs, users have described losing all familiar subjective reference points, such as forgetting their name, when they were born or even their species.

However, it is not possible to experience complete ego loss because it is not possible to have experiences without any subjectivity (experiences have to happen <i>to</i> something - experiences don't float around waiting to be collected as though they are things in an of themselves). It is possible to have experiences through a radically altered, minimal concept of self but the idea of being able to experience without subjectivity is a contradiction and thus impossible.</onlyinclude>

===Psychoactive substances===

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 ===Ego death===
-At level 4, the most profound aspect of all-encompassing long-term memory suppression is the way in which it obliterates one's ability to recall or even feel a general sense of their own name, identity, me-ness or selfhood. The experience of this is colloquially known as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ego_death ego death]. It results in the profound experience that although one is not unconscious, there is no longer an “I” experiencing current sensory input; there is just the input as it is and by itself. This allows one to experience concepts from a perspective which is completely untainted by prior experience and memories due to the accompanying presence of simultaneous [[personal bias suppression]].</onlyinclude>
+At level 4, the most profound aspect of all-encompassing long-term memory suppression is the way in which it obliterates one's ability to recall or even feel a general sense of their own name, identity, me-ness or selfhood. The experience of this is colloquially known as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ego_death ego death]. Rhetoric around "ego death" suggests that people are capable of "experiencing" ego death, as though it were possible to experience raw sensory input without any concept of self or reference point.  Since experiences must be experienced by a subject, it is not possible to experience anything without subjectivity (i.e. without a concept of one's self).
+"Ego death" often refers to such a radical change in one's concept of self that their old self has "died," in a sense.  For example, on high doses of dissociative drugs, users have described losing all familiar subjective reference points, such as forgetting their name, when they were born or even their species.
+However, it is not possible to experience complete ego loss because it is not possible to have experiences without any subjectivity (experiences have to happen <i>to</i> something - experiences don't float around waiting to be collected as though they are things in an of themselves).  It is possible to have experiences through a radically altered, minimal concept of self but the idea of being able to experience without subjectivity is a contradiction and thus impossible.</onlyinclude>
 ===Psychoactive substances===