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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 13, 2026

Observing the Transformation of Bodily Self-consciousness in the Squeeze-machine Experiment

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Published on: March 8, 2019

The bilocated mind: new perspectives on self-localization and self-identification.

Tiziano Furlanetto¹, Cesare Bertone, Cristina Becchio

¹Dipartimento di Psicologia, Centro di Scienza Cognitiva, Università di Torino Torino, Italia.

Frontiers in Human Neuroscience

|March 14, 2013

Summary

Mental bilocation, the experience of being in multiple places at once, is a genuine phenomenon supported by cognitive neuroscience. This complex experience arises from distinct components of self-representation and occurs more often than assumed.

Keywords:

autoscopic phenomena mental bilocation minimal phenomenal selfhood perspective taking virtual reality

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Neuroscience
Neurology
Experimental Psychology

Background:

Mental bilocation is the subjective experience of self-location in multiple places simultaneously.
Evidence suggests this phenomenon is more common than typically recognized.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore the components of mental bilocation, including self-localization, self-identification, and perspective duplication.
To examine the conditions and contexts in which mental bilocation occurs.
To investigate the potential role of mental bilocation in social interaction.

Main Methods:

Review of evidence from neurology, cognitive neuroscience, and experimental psychology.
Analysis of pathological conditions (e.g., heautoscopy).
Examination of experiences in virtual environments and social interactions.

Main Results:

Mental bilocation is a complex experience composed of distinct representational elements.
Different combinations of these components can lead to various forms of mental bilocation.
Evidence spans pathological states, immersive technologies, and everyday social contexts.

Conclusions:

Mental bilocation is a multifaceted phenomenon rooted in self-representation.
Understanding its components is key to explaining its occurrence.
Self-localization in multiple places may facilitate the creation of shared social spaces.