Lee Lac, off 💜

When you’re completely engrossed in a book for extended periods, several things happen neurologically. Your brain becomes so focused on processing the narrative and imagery from the text that it reduces attention to physical sensations and spatial awareness. You might lose track of your body’s position, the passage of time, or even your immediate surroundings.

This can create that strange “floating” or detached feeling where it almost feels like your consciousness is separate from your physical form – especially if you’ve been sitting in the same position for hours. Your proprioception (sense of body position) can become dulled, and you might feel like you’re existing more in the world of the book than in physical reality.

It’s similar to what happens during meditation, intense gaming, or other highly focused activities. Some people describe it as feeling like they’re “living” in the story rather than just reading it, or feeling like they’ve temporarily stepped outside their physical self.

This is generally considered a positive experience – it shows you’re achieving that coveted state of complete absorption that makes reading so rewarding.

Viv has it the other day while playing games on his tablet. Hence this research and post.