Experiencer

An experiencer is a term used to designate the subject of conscious experience—typically a person or sentient being who undergoes perception, emotion, or thought. The experiencer is distinguished from the contents of experience (such as sights, sounds, feelings, or ideas) and from the external objects or agents that may cause those experiences.

In philosophy of mind and phenomenology, the experiencer is the first-person subject of experience, underscoring the distinction between subjective experience and its objects. This focus on subjectivity is central to discussions of consciousness, intentionality, and the difference between what it is like to feel something and what is perceived as the world.

In linguistics, experiencer is a semantic role assigned to a participant who experiences an internal state or perception, such as emotion or perception verbs. For example, in "Mary felt cold" or "John heard a noise," Mary and John function as experiencers, while the stimuli or events are the experienced contents.

In parapsychology and related fields, "experiencer" is often used to refer to individuals who report unusual or paranormal experiences, including out-of-body experiences, near-death experiences, or memories of past lives. Reports are examined for patterns, though scientific consensus and methodological rigor vary across disciplines.

Overall, the term marks the subject of experience across multiple disciplines, with nuances ranging from a neutral philosophical designation to a practical label in the analysis of reports of unusual experiences.