Identity alteration

Identity alteration can be defined as the experience of one's sense of self becoming temporarily changed to feel as if it encompasses different concepts than that which it previously did. For example, if one usually feels that they are exclusively their body or "ego", this may suddenly change to feel as if their sense of identity now includes the external environment or an object they are interacting with. Alternatively, they could feel as if their sense of self no longer identifies with anything at all which is an experience commonly referred to as depersonalisation.

One's self-concept is made up of self-schemas, and their past, present, and future selves.

The concept of identity itself can be defined as an essential or at least near universal component of human perception that provides people the experience of feeling as if they are a separate system that is intrinsically differentiated from that which is around them. This feeling is commonly referred to as one's sense of identity, ego or selfhood. In general conversation, it is referred to through the use of pronouns such as "I", "me", "mine" and "myself" as a tool for contrasting one's self from other people or any other system which is not felt to be them.

However, it is worth noting that one's identity is not a static, unmoving or objective concept and that it can be experienced in many different ways. There is no component of the human brain or body which can be singled out as the part of a person which is inherently where they as an individual are located. 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 cultural conception that human beings each contain a separate physical 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 its 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 inherently separate from its external environment. In contrast, eastern religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism take an approach known as 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 regards to identity alteration, there are a total of 5 distinct levels of identity which a person can experience during this state. These various specific alterations have been arranged into a levelling system that orders its different states from least amount of concepts one's identity is attributed to, to most amount of concepts one's identity is attributed to. These levels are described and documented below:

1. Total absence of attributed identity (depersonalization)

Main article: 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 having no control over a situation due to the loss of the feeling that one has an identity attributed to any part of themselves.

This state of mind can occur under the influence of hallucinogenic substances, particularly dissociatives, and may persist for some time after sobriety. During this state, the affected person may feel that he or she is "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 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 one'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. Though degrees of temporary depersonalization can happen to anyone, chronic depersonalization is more related to individuals who have experienced severe trauma or prolonged stress or anxiety.

Within the context of 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.

2. Self-contained separate identity

The second level of identity can be described as feeling as if one's identity is attributed to their brain or body. This is often said to feel as if one is a consciousness located within a body which is approaching and interacting with a distinctly separate external environment. It 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.

A self-contained separate identity is by far the most common form of identity. It is typically considered by mainstream cultural notions to be a factual or logical way to perceive the world and the only form of identity which isn't intrinsically delusional. However, this notion has received considerable debate and criticism within modern neuroscience and philosophy.

3. Identifying with specific "external" systems

The third level of identity alteration can be described as feeling as if one's identity is attributed to specific external systems or concepts within the immediate environment, particularly those that would usually be considered as intrinsically separate from one's own being.

The experience itself is often described as 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. This creates a sensation of becoming inextricably "connected to", "one with", "the same as", or "unified" with whatever the perceived external system happens to be.

There are an endless number of ways in which this level manifests itself, but common examples of the experience often include:

• Becoming unified with and identifying with a specific object one is interacting with
• Becoming unified with and identifying with another person or multiple people (particularly common if engaging in sexual or romantic activities)
• Becoming unified with and identifying with the entirety of one's own physical body
• Becoming unified with and identifying with large crowds of people (particularly common at raves and music festivals)
• Becoming unified with and identifying with the external environment, but not the people within it

This level of identity alteration most commonly occurs during intense states of focus, meditation or under the influence of hallucinogens such as psychedelics.

4. Identifying with all perceivable "external" systems

The fourth level of identity alteration can be defined as feeling as if one's identity is attributed to the entirety of their immediately perceivable external environment.

The experience itself is often described as a loss of perceived boundaries between a person’s identity and the entirety of their sensory input or their currently perceivable external environment. It creates the sensation that a person has “become one with their 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 perception happens to currently reside in.

It is at this point that a key component of the high-level identity alteration 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 one is not in this state and are interacting with a physical object, it typically feels as though they are a central agent organizing the separate world around themselves.

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, and harmoniously respond to itself to perform the predetermined function of the particular interaction.

This level of identity alteration most commonly occurs during intense states of focus, meditation or under the influence of hallucinogens such as psychedelics.

5. Identifying with all known "external" systems

This symbol depicts the universe as a "self-excited circuit". It was originally created by the late theoretical physicist John Archibald Wheeler in his 1983 paper Law Without Law.

Main article: Unity and interconnectedness

The fourth level of identity alteration can be defined as feeling as if one's identity is simultaneously attributed to the entirety of their immediately perceivable external environment and all known concepts that exist outside of it. These known concepts typically include all of humanity, nature, and the universe as it presently stands in its complete entirety. This feeling is commonly interpreted by people as “becoming one with the universe.”

When experienced, the 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. Many people who undergo this experience consistently interpret it as the removal of a deeply embedded illusion with its destruction often described as some sort of profound “awakening” or “enlightenment.”

Although they are not necessarily correct in any way, it's worth noting that 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:

• The sudden and total acceptance of death as a fundamental component of life. This is because death is no longer felt to be the destruction of oneself but simply the end of this specific point of a greater whole, the vast majority of which has always existed and will continue to exist and live on through everything else in which it resides.
• The subjective perspective that one's preconceived notions of "god" or deities can be felt as identical to the nature of existence and its contents, including oneself. This typically entails feelings that if the universe is the all powerful, all knowing sustainer and creator of existence then on either a semantic or literal level the universe and its contents could be viewed as god
• The subjective perspective that one is personally responsible for the self-designing, planning, and implementation of every single specific detail and plot element of one's personal life, the history of humanity, and the universe as a whole. This naturally includes personal responsibility for humanity's sufferings and its flaws but also includes its acts of love and achievements.

This state most commonly occurs during intense states of well-practiced meditation or under the influence of hallucinogens such as psychedelics.

Similar concepts

Similar accounts of the experience of unity with the universe and the apparent illusory nature of the self can be found across a surprisingly large variety of independent religious, philosophical, and psychological sources. A number of these have been collected and listed as a set of documented examples below:

• Egolessness is a documented emotional state within psychology where one feels no ego (or self) and no distinct sense of self apart from the world around oneself. This is often described as feelings of oneness and being inextricably woven to the fabric of one’s surroundings or environment.

• Monism is a philosophical position which argues that there is only one thing which all things are not separate from and it works together as a unified system of behavior.

• Oceanic feeling is a state within psychology which is described as a sensation of an indissoluble bond of being connected with the external world in its integral form.

• Nondualism is a philosophy found within many religions which states that there is no difference between the concept of the external environment and the self.

• Alan Watts is a philosopher who spoke extensively about the illusory nature of the self. His lectures can be found for free on the Pirate Bay and in parts within many videos across YouTube. His book “The Book on the Taboo of Knowing Who You Are” is dedicated to a formal explanation of the philosophies and logic behind this perspective and can be found within the form of a free PDF.

• Interconnectedness is a philosophical concept which defines itself as part of the terminology of a world view which sees a oneness in all things. This is based upon the idea that all things are of a single underlying substance or reality and that there is no true separation deeper than appearances.

• Samadhi is a Buddhist concept described as a state of mind in which the consciousness of the experiencing subject becomes one with the experienced object.

• The Ego-Tunnel: The science of the mind and the myth of the self is a scientific book which discusses the concept of an illusory self from the perspective of modern neuroscience and psychology.

• Overview effect is a cognitive shift in awareness reported by some astronauts and cosmonauts during space flight, often while viewing the Earth from orbit or from the lunar surface.

• How LSD Makes Your Brain One With The Universe (NPR.org)
• Sam Harris: The self is an illusion (YouTube)
• Being The Universe (tumblr)

See also

• Responsible use
• Unity and interconnectedness
• Depersonalisation
• Ego death

External links

• Self-concept (Wikipedia)