Do you think that the mind exists outside the body?

Question

So, I just smoked some salvia a little while ago (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvia_divinorum) and I had an expierence like never before. It was like my spirit left my body. I connected with the world like I have never been able to before. I have always been on the "the mind exists separte" side anyway but now I am convinced. What are some expierences you have had or thoughts you have which make you a agree? What makes you disagree?

Answer 1

The thing about hallucinations is that because they are generated from within your brain, that's why they seem so real. The brain is all too fallible, and the easiest way for it to be fooled is for it to fool itself.

In your case, your experiences are far from unique, and in fact scientists have been able to replicate them in the lab, both by chemical means or by electrically stimulating certain regions of the brain. There was a recent science article about scientists being able to stimulate "out of body" experiences just by using virtual reality goggles and some cleverly-placed cameras. The truth is, science has already discovered that there is a region in the brain responsible for keeping your sense of self "rooted" in your physical body. By disrupting this region chemically or electrically one can feel separate from their body as you did.

Furthermore, consider everything that makes you, you. Your memories, experiences, dogmas, personality, tastes, etc. All this we know to be stored as patterns of connections between groups of neurons in your brain. When a brain is damaged, some of these patterns are lost, resulting in lost memories or changes in personality. A few minutes after you die, your neurons shrivel up and all the information is lost.

There is a very good reason why changes to your brain affect your mind. Your brain is the hardware that runs the neural-net software that is your thinking mind. Software simply can not run without some kind of hardware for it to run on. Your mind, far from being separate from your physical brain, is entirely dependent on it for its existence. It simply can not exist separately.

Answer 2

Consciousness exists. And is immortal/infinite. Period. Your "personal portion" of it, as well. One might say your body exists within consciousness, and certainly not the opposite.

Your physical apparatus is a very small percentage of who you are in totality. A lot of meditation and/or taking appropriate entheogens will help you understand this truth. It's quite a freeing revelation :))

Answer 3

Mind is the soul/conscious awareness - interconnected with the brain/body system. Without the body you could have no perceptible experience and no evolution of soul.

Answer 4

I have had bazaar experiences in my life. Truth is, I dont understand any of it!