I don't know about the dream analysis stuff in there ^ since it seems it is one of many possible such interpretations, but the gist of it is probably most significant...
I second the notion that ketamine can be like heroin as in: for me throughout years it is probably the drug that has disappeared least from my mind as an escapist answer, and I have tried very many things and have had a handful of addictions although fortunately none
very chronic.
It seems hard to say what kind of justifications, confabulations, memory modifications have gone on in the mind of the TS, to give rise to this delusion of sorts. It is hard to reconstruct with a lot of broken or distorted pieces of memorized information.
By the way I think this thread certainly is interesting. The jokes (well ridicule even) aside, or the question of whether we can ultimately help and convince the TS... it starts discussions about pretty interesting topics more or less relevant to this matter. It's the same reason why I often don't care about interesting troll threads: if interesting posts result from it, it often doesn't matter to me whether the OP was serious or not. Not that I really question whether this thread is serious by the way, that is not the point at all.
Anyway if you think this thread is garbage, I don't think you are looking at it in the right way.
Questioning reality, delusions or normal time-space continuity on their own seem like a fascinating thing and a challenge to address. Who can imagine that kind of struggle? I have had enough mental issues in the past to have respect and understanding for that type of thing and it goes beyond just the TS. There are many other people with such 'existential' or ontological issues to whom this might be relevant.
Perhaps even harder is to put certain beliefs to discussion that are irrational. By definition you are at a great disadvantage to someone who has convictions that are problematic. If there is an immense willingness to sustain those beliefs or convictions while confusion, fear and anxiety among other things may be associated with letting go of them... even truly having someone question whether it is right to keep them is a big achievement and someone letting go of them a minor miracle.
None of this is about crusading some 'truth' by the way. I mean I weep for the wars fought over combinations of disagreement and intolerance regarding beliefs + convictions, but I don't set out to bother people with my mentality, the whole point is kind of that nobody should bother others with that. But if someone is struggling and asking for help, now that's different right away.
"Devolved" into a metaphysical discussion, hm I don't know about that - it doesn't seem like it is hijacking a potentially different discussion with a more actively participating strangelove... more like filling the vacuum in the absence of that. I could be wrong.
Also, consciousness and body are not the same thing at all in my opinion. Consciousness vs mind would be more difficult probably. Body vs mind duality is a difficult thing.
I would say that no metaphysical model is necessarily the right one over another, some merely have the 'best fit' for a certain problem but not all.. if anything some are more complete or concise etc. Similarly I would say that in some cases it is more helpful to talk in differences between body and mind, but in other cases it is more helpful to emphasize the continuity between them as they seem to be things that just exist on another level.
I seem to recall that this is an interesting talk on consciousness:
https://www.ted.com/talks/david_chalmers_how_do_you_explain_consciousness
Consciousness goes beyond one mind though, like the sea that a persons's mind exists in, one system or pattern within a larger one just like our body are a part of the world. That's how I would say they relate to each other...
Or if that 'sea' is really not a good comparison considering the question of what is the water between the islands of minds, consciousness is the mode or dimensionality of minds and minds emergent systems manifesting from bodies.
It does not seem like it's 'just as possible' that the physical reality manifests out of consciousness or minds. We have an abundance of evidence telling us that physical processes go on independently of our minds. At least if we accept intersubjectivity rather than solipsism (no relation). While you cannot prove nor reject solipsism when it comes down to it, it is also an immature stance as many things go on to collaborate an intersubjective world while nothing really continues to collaborate solipsism. There are a lot of "plot holes" to that story, it is like having to reject billions of things in order to accept only a few or even just one.
Whatever you believe about that, it seems like a mistake to suppose that they are symmetrical or equal. NOT the same things or inverse things need to be accepted vs rejected, it's ultimately much more complicated than that and lopsided.
We see minds developing, but physical reality?? Not so much or we couldn't calculate with it. Such differences go on to imply different things about them, etc etc.
