Severe trauma can sever a person’s felt continuity with their own life
Evidence
he leaned over until his nose was almost pressing against the mirror—but the shadow remained vague, eaten away by the darkness: life did not connect with itself: there was nothing but this approximate confrontation with a dim shadow he could not really make out. — Julien Gracq, Balcony in the Forest, 510
Categorization
- corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Julien Gracq, Balcony in the Forest, 510
- XREF: connects to: Extreme fear can shrink a person’s presence to something almost weightless — Julien Gracq, Balcony in the Forest, 427; Wartime disorientation can dissolve into a feeling of self-sufficient freedom rather than fear — Julien Gracq, Balcony in the Forest, 423; Extreme near-total silence can trigger panic, disorientation, and physical illness — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute…, 474 (+13 more)
Related
- Extreme fear can shrink a person’s presence to something almost weightless (similarity 0.81)
- Being alive feels like existing within a nightmare. (similarity 0.79)
Broader Connections
- Prolonged legal battles can leave a person questioning if their life had meaning
#exemplifies(0.75) — Jonathan Harr, A Civil Action, 3123 - Wartime disorientation can dissolve into a feeling of self-sufficient freedom rather than fear
#exemplifies(0.70) — Julien Gracq, Balcony in the Forest, 423 - Extreme urban noise can override a person’s own self-image and defenses
#exemplifies(0.70) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 32 - Extreme near-total silence can trigger panic, disorientation, and physical illness
#exemplifies(0.65) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 474