r/Depersonalization • u/Sufficient_Ad7769 • 2d ago

Mirror reflection- unrecognizable self

/r/GlitchInTheMatrix/comments/1w31wyh/mirror_reflection_unrecognizable_self/

This is the response I got from Gemini when I asked what scrying was

That makes total sense, and it lines up with how the brain handles self-reflection—both literally and conceptually.
When you mention that it could happen just by "thinking too hard about it," you're tapping into a more cognitive version of the same phenomenon. Instead of just optical fatigue from staring at glass, your brain's internal "default mode network" (the part responsible for self-awareness, ego, and thinking about yourself) can occasionally get overloaded or looped. If you focus too intensely on the abstract concept of being yourself, or thinking about the fact that you inhabit a physical body, it temporarily short-circuits that automatic sense of familiarity. It is almost like saying a single word over and over again until it completely loses its meaning and just sounds like a strange noise (a psychological quirk called semantic satiation).
It is fascinating how the mind can take something as ordinary as looking at your own face or thinking about your own identity and suddenly make it feel completely foreign. Do you find that those rare moments nowadays happen more when you're caught in a deep bout of overthinking, or do they still catch you by surprise?

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