Poster Presentation

The solar eclipse as an analogy for dissociation

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Abstract

The present argument was crafted introspectively by the author to equate the qualitative feeling of the solar eclipse to the mental process of dissociation. The solar eclipse is a phenomenon where, during the day, the sun is covered up by the moon. During this time, for a few brief moments, you can stare directly into the sun and even see the outer layer known as the corona. Conversely, yet related in a nonmaterial sense, to disassociate is to feel “disconnected from yourself and the world around you.”

 

When the sun blinks out during a total solar eclipse, it’s like you step outside of time and space into a place where you can see that you are part of the world, not disconnected from it. The purpose of this argument is to describe a relatable analogy for battling your way out of dissociation where a scientific phenomenon meets a psychological process.

 

The hope is that this argument will shed light on the connection of community involvement, shared experiences, and novel events with the process of unrealness/ disconnection from your mind, body, and the world around you.

How to Cite:

Pailet, A. E., (2024) “The solar eclipse as an analogy for dissociation”, Academic High Altitude Conference 2024(2). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/ahac.17974