Drug-induced body disownership

The chapter examines whether ordinary experience includes a distinct feeling of owning one's body, known as the phenomenology of body ownership. Proponents argue that reports from pathological conditions and bodily illusions support this view, but those reports are open to interpretation. The author considers drug-induced experiences in which healthy subjects report disownership of body parts or the whole body, obtained under controlled conditions. Reports of subjective transitions between owning and disowning one's body provide tentative evidence that ordinary experience may involve a phenomenology of ownership that can be disrupted. While not definitive, such evidence suggests the debate would benefit from closer attention to drug-induced states and disentangling the multi-faceted bodily effects of psychoactive compounds.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Abstract This chapter examines the debate on the phenomenology of body ownership—the putative experience of one’s body as one’s own. Proponents argue that this phenomenology exists and that it explains reports from pathological conditions and bodily illusions, but these reports face interpretative challenges. In this chapter, drug-induced experiences wherein subjects report ‘disownership’ of their body parts or whole body are considered. Unlike patient reports, these are from healthy people, with detailed descriptions obtained in controlled settings. Reports that describe subjective transitions between the experience of owning and disowning one’s body provide novel tentative evidence for the view that ordinary experience involves a phenomenology of ownership that can be disrupted. While such evidence is not definitive, the debate could benefit from paying closer attention to drug-induced states. Disentangling the multi-faceted bodily effects of psychoactive compounds could further illuminate whether body ownership is a component of ordinary bodily awareness.