The detailed dissection or analysis of one's own body, processes, or psychological state in an introspective or scientific manner.
From auto- (self) + vivisection (surgical dissection of living organisms). A 19th-20th century metaphorical term blending medical terminology with psychological self-examination.
This term beautifully captures what writers and scientists do when they obsessively analyze their own thoughts and feelings—turning themselves into both researcher and subject, which is simultaneously enlightening and a bit unhinged.
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