Ben Alderson-Day
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The Marathon Monk of Billingham
in Presence
Chapter DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7765/9781526173515.00015
Online Publication Date:
21 Mar 2023
Abstract only
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In this chapter, the author explores the nature of loneliness and isolation, and what this might tell us about presence. He discusses the ultrarunner Paul Burgum’s experiences of feeling that a spirit had joined him on his epic run in Italy and suggests that this illustrates an important point: if you go seeking inspiration, actively looking for companions and putting yourself into states that blur the boundaries of self and other, you might not always get to choose what happens next. A presence could be invited in, but who or what they are isn’t always up to you – the process might even require you to give up that kind of control. And it might be shaped by others around you. This chapter expands on the complexity of presence.
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Presence

The strange science and true stories of the unseen other

eISBN:
9781526173515
Publisher:
Manchester University Press
Cover Presence
Subjects:
Psychology
Page Count:
15
Publisher:
Manchester University Press

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Cover Presence

Presence

The strange science and true stories of the unseen other

Book

Publication History:

Online Publication Date:
21 Mar 2023
Subjects:
  1. Psychology
Available In:
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This book follows a psychologist's quest to understand one of the most curious experiences known to humankind: the universal, disturbing feeling that someone or something is there when we are alone. What does this feeling mean and where does it come from? When and why do presences emerge? And how can we begin to understand a phenomenon that can be transformative for those who experience it and yet almost impossible to put into words? The answers to these questions lie in this tour-de-force through contemporary psychology, psychiatry, neuroscience and philosophy. Presence follows Ben Alderson-Day's attempts to understand how this experience is possible. The journey takes us to meet explorers, mediums and robots, and step through real, imagined and virtual worlds. Presence is the story of whom we carry with us, at all times, as parts of ourselves.