Unity and interconnectedness: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 22:58, 24 December 2015

Unity and interconnectedness can be described as an alteration in the cognitive rules which define both what one's sense of self or identity is attributed to and what it is felt as separate from. For example, most people feel that the self is inherently separate from their external environment and could not possibly extend into it. On top of this, many people feel that the self is specifically limited to not even the physical body as a whole, but exclusively one's internal narrative or thought stream and the image of their own personality as built up through social interactions with other people.

When experienced, this subjective effect directly changes that which one's self is currently attributed to so that it becomes capable of including systems which were previously perceived as separate to one's identity or being. The experience of this alteration results in intense and inextricable feelings of unity or interconnectedness between oneself and specific or multiple "external" systems.

Many people who undergo this experience consistently interpret it as the removal of a deeply embedded illusion, the destruction of which is often described as some sort of profound “awakening” or “enlightenment.” Depending on the degree to which this supposed illusion has been lifted, it can lead onto five possible levels of differing intensity and degrees of interconnectedness.

These are listed and described below:

1. Unity between specific external systems

The lowest and least complex level can be referred to as a state of “unity between specific external systems.” This is the only level of interconnectedness in which the subjective experience of unity does not involve a state of interconnectedness between the self and the external. Instead, it can be described as a perceived sense of unity between two or more systems within the external environment which in everyday life are usually perceived as separate from each other and from one's identity.

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

A sense of unity between specific living things such as animals or plants and their surrounding ecosystems
A sense of unity between other human beings and the objects they are currently interacting with
A sense of unity between any number of currently perceivable inanimate objects.
A sense of unity between humanity and nature
A sense of unity between literally any combination of perceivable external systems and concepts

2. Unity between the self and specific external systems

The second of these two levels can be referred to as a state of “unity between the self and 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:

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

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.

3. Unity between the self and all perceivable external systems

The third of these five differing levels of interconnectedness can be referred to as "a state of unity between the self and 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.

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.

4. Unity between the self and all presently occurring external systems

The fourth of these five differing levels of interconnectedness can be referred to as a "state of unity between the self and 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.

5. Unity between the self and all external systems

The fifth of these five differing levels of interconnectedness can be referred to as a "state of unity between the self and the creation of all external systems." It is defined as the experience of a loss of perceived boundaries between a person's identity and all 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.

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:

A perspective which feels 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 culpability for humanity's sufferings and its flaws, but also includes its acts of love and achievements.
The sudden and total acceptance of death as a fundamental component of one's life. This is because death is no longer felt to be the destruction of oneself but simply the end of this specific point of conscious awareness, the vast majority of which has always existed and will continue to exist and live on through everything else in which it resides.
The realization that one's preconceived notions behind the definition of their concept of “god” or “god-hood” can now be felt as identical to the nature of existence and to that of one's self. This realization is generally reached through the subconscious conclusion that the usually differing concepts of god-hood, existence, and self are each now identically defined as that which is the all-encompassing, all-powerful creator and sustainer of this existence.

Similar concepts

Similar accounts of the experience of unity and the illusory nature of the self can be found across a surprisingly large variety of independent religious, philosophical, and psychological sources. 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 behaviour.

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.

Cosmic Consciousness: A Study in the Evolution of the Human Mind is a 1901 book by Richard Maurice Bucke, a Canadian psychiatrist. In this book, he explored the concept of Cosmic Consciousness, which he defined as "a higher form of consciousness than that possessed by the ordinary man."

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.

Experience reports

Anecdotal reports which describe this effect within our experience index include:

... further results

Psychoactive substances

Substances which may cause this effect include: