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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. Though degrees of temporary depersonalization can happen to anyone, chronic depersonalization is more related to individuals who have experienced a severe trauma or prolonged stress or anxiety. | 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. Though degrees of temporary depersonalization can happen to anyone, chronic depersonalization is more related to individuals who have experienced a severe trauma or prolonged stress or anxiety. | ||
====2 | ====2. Self contained separate identity==== | ||
The second level of identity can be described as feeling as if one is a consciousness located within the body or brain which is approaching and interacting with a distinctly separate external environment. This sensation is usually accompanied with a sense of free will or agency which results in one feeling as if their decision making processes are arising from an internal source which is not necessarily controlled by cause and effect in the same manner as external systems. | |||
The | |||
It is by far the most common form of identity and usually assumed by most people to be the only possible state of being. | It is by far the most common form of identity and usually assumed by most people to be the only possible state of being. | ||
==== | ====3. Identifying with specific "external" systems==== | ||
The | The third of these differing levels can be referred to as a state of “''identifying with specific "external" systems''.” It can be defined as the experience of a loss of perceived boundaries between a person’s identity and the specific physical systems or concepts within the perceivable external environment which are currently comprising their central point of cognitive focus. | ||
There are an endless number of ways in which this level manifests itself, but common examples of the experience often include: | There are an endless number of ways in which this level manifests itself, but common examples of the experience often include: | ||
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This creates a sensation which is often described by people as the experience of becoming inextricably "connected to", "one with", "the same as", or "unified" with whatever the perceived external system happens to be. | This creates a sensation which is often described by people as the experience of becoming inextricably "connected to", "one with", "the same as", or "unified" with whatever the perceived external system happens to be. | ||
==== | ====4. Identifying with all perceivable "external" systems==== | ||
The | The fourth of these differing levels of interconnectedness can be referred to as "''identifying with all perceivable "external" systems''." It is defined as the experience of a loss of perceived boundaries between a person’s identity and the entirety of their sensory input including the currently perceivable external environment. The experience as a whole is generally described by people as “becoming one with my surroundings.” | ||
This is felt to be the result of a person’s central sense of self becoming attributed to not just the internal narrative of the ego, but in equal measure to the body itself and everything around it with which it is physically connected to through the senses. Once this sensation is in place, it creates the undeniable perspective that one is the external environment experiencing itself through the specific point within it that this body’s physical sensory awareness and conscious thought happens to currently reside in. | This is felt to be the result of a person’s central sense of self becoming attributed to not just the internal narrative of the ego, but in equal measure to the body itself and everything around it with which it is physically connected to through the senses. Once this sensation is in place, it creates the undeniable perspective that one is the external environment experiencing itself through the specific point within it that this body’s physical sensory awareness and conscious thought happens to currently reside in. | ||
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It's at this level that a key component of the unity experience becomes an extremely noticeable factor. Once a person's sense of self has become attributed to the entirety of their surroundings, this new perspective completely changes how it feels to physically interact with what was previously felt to be an external environment. For example, when physically interacting with an object in daily sober living it feels very simply that one is a central agent organizing the world around itself. However, whilst undergoing a state of unity with the currently perceivable environment, interacting with an external object consistently feels as if the system as a whole is autonomously organizing itself and that one is no longer a central agent operating the process of interaction. Instead the process suddenly feels as if it has become completely decentralized and mutual across itself as the environment begins to autonomously, mechanically and harmoniously respond to itself to perform the predetermined function of the particular interaction. | It's at this level that a key component of the unity experience becomes an extremely noticeable factor. Once a person's sense of self has become attributed to the entirety of their surroundings, this new perspective completely changes how it feels to physically interact with what was previously felt to be an external environment. For example, when physically interacting with an object in daily sober living it feels very simply that one is a central agent organizing the world around itself. However, whilst undergoing a state of unity with the currently perceivable environment, interacting with an external object consistently feels as if the system as a whole is autonomously organizing itself and that one is no longer a central agent operating the process of interaction. Instead the process suddenly feels as if it has become completely decentralized and mutual across itself as the environment begins to autonomously, mechanically and harmoniously respond to itself to perform the predetermined function of the particular interaction. | ||
==== | ====5. Identifying with all presently occurring "external" systems==== | ||
The | The fifth of these differing levels of identity can be referred to as a "''identifying with all presently occurring "external" systems''." It is defined as the experience of a loss of perceived boundaries between a person's sense of self, the perceivable external environment, and all which they know to currently exist outside of this through their internally stored model of reality. This feels as if one's sense of self has become attributed to not just the external environment but all of humanity, nature, and the universe as it presently stands in its complete entirety. The experience of this is commonly interpreted by people as “''becoming one with the universe''.” | ||
When experienced, this effect creates the sudden perspective that one is not a separate agent approaching an external reality, but is instead the entire universe as a whole experiencing itself, exploring itself, and performing actions upon itself through the specific point in space and time which this particular body and conscious perception happens to currently reside within. | When experienced, this effect creates the sudden perspective that one is not a separate agent approaching an external reality, but is instead the entire universe as a whole experiencing itself, exploring itself, and performing actions upon itself through the specific point in space and time which this particular body and conscious perception happens to currently reside within. | ||
==== | ====6. Identifying with all known "external" systems==== | ||
The | The sixth of these differing levels of identity can be referred to as a "''identifying with all known "external" systems''." It is defined as the experience of a loss of perceived boundaries between a person's identity and all known external systems of behavior. This includes not just the systems as they currently stand within the present moment but at each known point of their existence throughout all timelines as defined by the person's internally stored model of reality. It can also include imaginary, hypothetical, and fictional systems or concepts. | ||
When experienced, this feels as if one's sense of self has become attributed to all of space and time including every single past and future event such as the initial creation and eventual destruction of existence. At this point, a number of commonly reported conclusions of a religious and metaphysical nature often begin to manifest themselves as profound realizations. These are described and listed below: | When experienced, this feels as if one's sense of self has become attributed to all of space and time including every single past and future event such as the initial creation and eventual destruction of existence. At this point, a number of commonly reported conclusions of a religious and metaphysical nature often begin to manifest themselves as profound realizations. These are described and listed below: | ||