Intercision

Intercision is a type of fictional operation in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy that separates an individual from their dæmon. In effect, the operation separates the person from his or her soul, while (usually) leaving the person alive, though having the behavioral and cognitive characteristics often associated with the undead. The name of the procedure is derived from the Latin word inter meaning "between" and cidere meaning "to cut", in addition to this, "intercision" bears a strong similarity to "intercession", a type of prayer for others, further highlighting the negative associations of religion in the series.