anoesis

[an-oh-ee-sis]

noun

1. a state of mind consisting of pure sensation or emotion without cognitive content.

Other Word Forms

• anoetic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of anoesis¹

First recorded in 1900–05; a- ⁶ + noesis

When To Use

What is anoesis?

Anoesis is a state of mind that perceives sensations, stimuli, and emotional signals without understanding or cognitive content.Anoesis is a state of mind that is studied in psychology in relation to emotions and subconscious understanding of emotional reactions. A person in a state of anoesis doesn’t understand how they interact with their surroundings, but they can recall similar experiences.Anoesis is a rare term, even in the study of the subconscious. The adjective form anoetic is more often used, especially in phrases like anoetic mind, anoetic thought, and anoetic consciousness. Anoetic consciousness, sometimes called mental time travel, is the subconscious’s ability to recall memories from the past and predict how previous memories may reflect future interactions.Example: When children are born, their subconscious and cognitive abilities have not yet developed, so they are in a constant state of anoesis.