Oh man, I relate to this. I have a somewhat similar experience which I have recounted in a long comment elsewhere in this thread that you may be interested in checking out.
My conclusion is much the same as your own. In some ways, I think I had to believe that I was the same person, because otherwise, I’d be living out the rest of my life feeling like an imposter who had stolen another person’s life. I imagine it might’ve been harder to believe that I’m still me if I had experienced personality changes as people who experience head trauma sometimes do.
Windex007@lemmy.world 21 hours ago
Oh wowza, good on you for sharing that! Super interesting and I feel a bunch of what you said right to the bottom of my soul.
I really appreciate the share as well because it’s PRETTY rare to get to talk to someone with an inkling of such a bizarre life event, how it changes you, and how you grapple with (and hopefully conclude in some way on) uncomfortable questions about the nature of life and identity.
I’d always felt comfortable with where I landed on this… but I’m finding myself surprised by the relief that someone else resolved these questions in the same way I have. I didn’t think I needed… I dunno, validation? Validation that my conclusions were reasonable? Maybe I just never thought I’d get the opportunity to exchange with someone who I trusted actually understood. Not sure, either way, I feel validated and I never thought there would be a mechanism for me to feel that about this topic, and it’s a welcome surprise and I appreciate it, so thank you.