Thanks Ron.
Excellent question. I wonder if they equate. I don't mean that
idly. I think that the value of your question is manifold:
1) it demonstrates that my categories are as prone to
oversimplification as anyone else's
2) it makes us test concepts by examining actual phenomena
3) it makes us think about various erotic states of mind from a more
or less analytical standpoint
4) it makes us think about the value of knowing the answer
at least, these are the three responses it elicits from me.
One other response it elicits is the desire to know what you mean by
"immersion." While there is a risk of brutality in obsession, in my
opinion this is not an essential distinguishing characteristic of the
phenomenon, and should not be included in its definition. I think the
essential definition of of the phenomenon I'm examining is "ecstatic
surrender in the presence of another," or "in response to another," or
however I phrased it.
So I would hesitate to isolate what I was describing according to the
characteristic of brutality.
Thanks again for the note. Really made me think.