Total sensory absence can feel generative rather than merely frightening

Evidence

The overall feeling is one of great potential because the underlying fact is darkness, an absence of visual input; something that, despite the pyrotechnics in my eyelids, I can fill with what I want. My body will fill it with the colors and motions of its own and singular life. — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 496

Categorization

• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute…, 496
• recurring: this claim recurs 2 times within its source
• XREF: connects to: Extreme near-total silence can trigger panic, disorientation, and physical illness — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute…, 474; Deep silence can feel like a sensory presence rather than mere absence — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute…, 35; Creative thought requires an initial silence that clears prior mental assumptions — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute…, 453 (+32 more)

Library Connections

• Deep silence can feel like a sensory presence rather than mere absence #corroborates (0.85) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 35
• Total silence can overwhelm the mind as an alien, unbearable presence #contradicts (0.82) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 222
• The brain amplifies internal noise so total silence cannot be perceived #contradicts (0.80) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 609

Broader Connections

• Silence is a positive presence rather than mere absence #corroborates (0.85) — Gordon Hempton, John Grossmann, One Square Inch of Silence- One Man’s…, 1294
• Creative thought requires an initial silence that clears prior mental assumptions #exemplifies (0.75) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 453
• The idea of an absolute silence functions as a necessary reset point for thought #expands (0.72) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 531
• The act of hearing itself makes total sensory silence unattainable #contradicts (0.70) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 526
• Extreme battlefield noise can annihilate thought and reduce a person to helpless reflex #responds-to (0.68) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 424
• Sensation anchors awareness in immediate present presence #qualifies (0.65) — Pauline Oliveros, Deep Listening, 242
• Distant wind can be heard across intervening stillness without being felt #complicates (0.50) — Schafer, Murray R, The Soundscape- Our Sonic Environment…, 79