You think that's you? No, that's something else entirely.

[jackshoegazer]

Watching The Brain Switch Off 'Self'

Everybody has experienced a sense of "losing oneself" in an activity--whether a movie, sport, sex, or meditation. Now, researchers have caught the brain in the act of losing "self" as it shuts down introspection during a demanding sensory task.

The researchers--led by Rafael Malach and Ilan Goldberg of the Weizmann Institute of Science reporting in the April 20, 2006, issue of Neuron--say their findings show that self-related function actually shuts down during such intense sensory tasks. Thus, an "observer" function in the brain does not appear to play an active part of in the production of our vivid sensory experiences. These findings go against common models of sensory experience that assume that there is some kind of "homunculus", or observer function in the brain that "looks at" sensory brain areas. Thus the finding, they said, has significance for understanding the basic nature of consciousness and perception.

So, who are you when you're not you, when you're not on?

(x-post  thelunarsociety)

Comments

[gamine3.livejournal.com]

bizarre. this phenomena is exactly what I *just* wrote about...heh.

[bhairava-chan.livejournal.com]

that would "scientifically" explain Metaprogramming and Gnosis

[spatz0r.livejournal.com]

that's fascinating

[gutzilla.livejournal.com]

That's good to know!

[antarcticlust.livejournal.com]

I feel intuitively that it's less of a disappearance and more of a parallel ring of consciousness...the intermediary rings stop working, and the central "you" core and the outer "function" core don't need those connectivity pathways anymore.

[atomic-goo.livejournal.com]

*blink*

Where'd I go?!

Dang, that is bizarre.

[bettyentel.livejournal.com]

That is intriguing.

I just added you as a friend btw. I thought I ought to let you know. You seem interesting, and who doesn't like interesting?

[choogy.livejournal.com]

i just just just sat through a lecture a week or two ago on this very subject but in regards to poetics. [school talk forthcoming, sorry!!] there is huge backlash on this kind of "absorption" that avant garde art (like L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E poetry) constantly fights against. i think that's funny because to me, the mark of something being "good" is that i completely lose myself in it, no questions asked. (you could argue the mark of something being "good" is that it makes you think- and that is what i mean by anti-absorption] but there is a huge amount of perception that takes place on a subcon level, especially sensory (since it's "basic" functioning)- i mean shit, we all know that. it's nice that biopsych is finally catching up to art though, huh? haha

[shaktipat.livejournal.com]

My god, what a finding! Too bad all they had to do was think to ask the Buddhists, who figured that one out 2,500 years ago. But of course, they just wouldn't have thought to ask.

Once the homunculus straw man is scattered, there is only the Silence, and then the RING.

Western civilization is as fucked up as it is because the post-Socratics bought into the egoistic delusion, and look where it's gotten us.