A past that is not past – on the pathological form of sedimentation

Abstract Building on the Husserlian discourse, this article explores the pathological modification of sedimentation within the context of phenomenological psychopathology. It begins with a recapitulation of Husserl’s original account of sedimentation, which is characterized by an implicit temporal stratification of experiential contents and the harmonious nature of their return in the subsequent course of experience. I argue that this formulation faces substantial challenges when pathological phenomena come into play. Anomalous experiences demonstrate that one’s past does not necessarily sediment as truly past, and its later re-emergence is predominantly intrusive and disruptive. In order to account for such phenomena, I devise the idea of pathological sedimentation and expound its corresponding modes of manifestation. Pathological sedimentation differs from typical sedimentation in terms of (i) its disorganized stratification of the internal aspects of an experience and (ii) its dissociation from subjective consciousness. Correspondingly, pathologically sedimented contents manifest in the later course of the experience of the existentially vulnerable subject in a way that is (i) fragmentary and (ii) contrarious to ongoing intentional acts. By the end of this exposition, the conceptual gaps within Husserl’s understanding of sedimentation are provisionally addressed.