The sci-fi series Severance imagines a world where a chip implanted in your brain splits your consciousness in two—one part lives your office life, the other remembers everything outside of work. Now, as neuroscience and brain-computer interfaces advance, fans and futurists alike are asking: could the severance procedure actually become reality?
The Science Behind Severance-Inspired Brain Chips
While the severance chip remains fictional, the science behind it is rooted in real research. At institutions like NYU Langone Health and Johns Hopkins, brain specialists are pioneering minimally invasive neurosurgery to implant devices into deep areas of the brain. These chips interact with neurons, sometimes using electrical stimulation to treat neurological disorders like epilepsy or Parkinson’s disease.
Companies like Neuralink are already developing implantable brain chips that can control computers or restore movement in people who are paralyzed. These chips are inserted via skull base and minimally invasive procedures and interface with parts of the brain responsible for motor and cognitive functions. But the kind of chip that could split memory and identity—the severance chip—is another level altogether.
Work-Life Balance And Ethical Concerns
The idea of using brain surgery to achieve perfect work-life balance is as ethically complicated as it is compelling. Could a chip implanted into the brain to erase or sever work memories actually help office workers become more focused? Would it be fair to create a version of yourself who only exists from 9 to 5?
Brain specialists like Dr. Vijay Agarwal, an assistant professor and skull base neurosurgeon, say the concept is technically far-fetched. The areas of the brain responsible for memory and emotion—like the hippocampi and the amygdala—would have to be precisely manipulated. Severing both hippocampi, for instance, can knock out short-term memory entirely. No medical procedure can currently isolate memories so cleanly between “innies” and “outies.”
Neurosurgery And The Limits Of What Could Happen In Real Life
The severance procedure would need to affect multiple areas of the brain to work as shown on the series. In real-world brain surgery, procedures that alter brain function—like corpus callosotomy—are used to treat severe epilepsy. These surgeries disconnect the two hemispheres, creating effects similar to the cognitive split seen in Severance. But even these drastic measures don’t create true dual identities.
Doctors are already implanting devices to stimulate specific parts of the brain, and electrodes in the brain are being tested for mood disorders. However, the idea that a chip could split a person’s memory into two distinct streams—separated cleanly between inside and outside of work—is far from what these medical centers currently offer.
Severance Season Two And The Cultural Moment
Severance season two has sparked renewed interest in brain chips and the science behind mind control. With director Ben Stiller at the helm, the series leans into a speculative fiction space that teases what might be just over the horizon. While the technology shown in the series hasn’t happened in real life yet, its plausibility adds to the eeriness.
The show also serves as a cautionary tale. By implanting the severance chip, Lumon Industries essentially owns part of an employee’s mind. That raises red flags not only about personal autonomy but about how far workplace surveillance and productivity culture might go. The ethical concerns surrounding a real-life severance procedure go well beyond the technical challenge of making the chip work.
Could The Severance Chip Ever Become Reality?
The severance chip might never become a real medical device, but its conceptual framework is influencing how we think about brain technology. As chip technology advances and more procedures are offered at cutting-edge medical centers, some aspects of Severance could offer a glimpse into our neural future. But brain specialists agree: we’re nowhere near the ability to split consciousness with a chip.
For now, separating work from life is still a matter of calendar invites, office boundaries, and team building activities—not brain surgery.