RE: Non-sensory experiences

From: Amara Graps (Amara.Graps@mpi-hd.mpg.de)
Date: Tue Nov 06 2001 - 13:15:34 MST


Natasha:

>In the SDT your skin reacts to the water
no muscle sensation

>and your eyes recognize the darkness.
no light

>There is also sound, however minimal

I would guess that differences would be here, depending on where you
go for the sensory-deprivation tank. I don't think that music is
always present.

>, and smell, however scant.
salty

>What the SDT is actually doing is producing an environment that allows
>the mind to relax away from much of the world's noise, images,
>etc. (that detract and derail us) by infusing a different type of
>sense environment.

I think that the SDT:

- Helps the mind accept the notion that the body does not exist.

- Body pain that was present is now lessened.

>This does not mean that this experience is a non-sensory environment.

So then my view is that if less physical pain means less sensation,
then it's going in the direction of 'sensory-deprivation'. So then,
'non' probably is incorrect, but 'less' would apply.

Natasha, are you saying that the mind is subsituting other sensations
for the 'missing' pain? Phantom limb effect here, then, but how much
do we know about the phantom-limb mechanism? We need some pain doctors
to tell us more of the mind-body link I think.

Amara

-- 

************************************************************************ Amara Graps, PhD | Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kernphysik Heidelberg Cosmic Dust Group | Saupfercheckweg 1 +49-6221-516-543 | 69117 Heidelberg, GERMANY Amara.Graps@mpi-hd.mpg.de * http://www.mpi-hd.mpg.de/dustgroup/~graps ************************************************************************ "Never fight an inanimate object." - P. J. O'Rourke



This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Sat May 11 2002 - 17:44:17 MDT