The collapse of the separating identity puts a stop to our ordinary processes of memory. External memory, which almost entirely replaces internal memory after that event, is a mental function that operates independently of personal motivation. It enables us to experience ourselves consciously as being part of all the contexts we are embedded in from day to day. It is now the essential value (and no longer the identity’s well-being) that determines which and how much information is retained, and also where and how it is stored and recalled in the nervous system. (See also “internal memory” and “personal motivation.”)