PSYC3338 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Phantom Limb, Daniel J. Siegel, Sensory Cortex
Document Summary
Came to see ramachandran brain is sending signals to the arm trying to clench it, and messages go back to the brain saying you are clenching too much. But the patient has no feedback because there is no arm, so the brain sends more signals to clench painful! Patient knows that it is an illusion. Put the remaining arm in a mirror box and the stump on the other side behind the mirror. Move the remaining arm and look into the mirror and you will see the phantom limb moving. Many patients say that it tricks the brain into thinking that the hand is there and that it is unclenched, signaling to the brain that there is feedback and stopping the pain. Shows how even pain can be a construct of the mind. Interesting to think that you can literally trick the mind to stop pain. You can use brain facts reading as a supplement.
