2023-01-16, 11:35 PM
I can't say this is a paranormal experience, but it is an experience of consciousness - the other day, I had to go in for a procedure that required anesthesia (propofol, to be specific). As always, it knocked me out within seconds. But when I came to, it was with a strong degree of conscious clarity, more than I almost ever have when waking up from sleep for example. So I decided to test a few things out. In my head, I rattled off a couple of tough tongue twisters from Dr. Seuss and Gilbert and Sullivan. I had perfect recall. When I tried to say any of them out loud, the result was sluggish and unsure. Everything was in place in my head, but it wasn't translating to my mouth. The same story when it came time to get up and go back out to the lobby; I consciously knew where to go and how to move, but my body was unsteady.
This reminded me of the few times in my life I've been seriously drunk, where an odd case of splitting seems to go on inside my head. Half of my mind, the part responsible for walking, talking, emotions, and certain decisions, is clearly thrown for a loop by the alcohol. But the other half becomes almost hyper attentive and logical, keeping careful track of where I am, what's around me, and what I'm saying or doing, acting as a check on loosened impulses.
I'm not sure what all this amounts to, but I have often wondered what it's like inside the heads of people who suffer from amnesia, dementia, or conditions like face blindness - if perhaps, if consciousness is not just neural activity, the issue may be more that everything is there in their minds but unable to be properly translated into words or behaviors. Without diminishing serious disabilities, experiences like this make me wonder even more if that's the case.
This reminded me of the few times in my life I've been seriously drunk, where an odd case of splitting seems to go on inside my head. Half of my mind, the part responsible for walking, talking, emotions, and certain decisions, is clearly thrown for a loop by the alcohol. But the other half becomes almost hyper attentive and logical, keeping careful track of where I am, what's around me, and what I'm saying or doing, acting as a check on loosened impulses.
I'm not sure what all this amounts to, but I have often wondered what it's like inside the heads of people who suffer from amnesia, dementia, or conditions like face blindness - if perhaps, if consciousness is not just neural activity, the issue may be more that everything is there in their minds but unable to be properly translated into words or behaviors. Without diminishing serious disabilities, experiences like this make me wonder even more if that's the case.