When a person with mirror touch synesthesia sees someone else experience pain, they may feel that same pain as well. Learn more about this rare ability.
"If someone was hurting, I couldn’t let it go. It hurt me too, even if I didn’t know what the other person was upset about."
Photo of Carolyn “CC” Hart, CMT by Annetta Kolzow The trees are turning all yellowy-gold here in California, and I can’t help but think of my mother. Autumn was her favorite season, and tomorrow marks her 81st birthday. She’s been gone for almost twenty years, but her impact on my life lingers on, particularly in
Mirror touch synesthesia occurs when you experience touch when you see someone else being touched. More research is necessary to really understand it.
Around 2 percent of people have what's known as mirror-touch synesthesia.
Mistaking your wife for a hat is just the beginning...
Imagine cold fingers creeping up someone’s calf. Now imagine that whenever you saw someone else being touched, you would feel the sensation on your own body. That is mirror-touch synesthesia.…
Imagine cold fingers creeping up someone’s calf. Now imagine that whenever you saw someone else being touched, you would feel the sensation on your own body. That is mirror-touch synesthesia.…
In this \"rich, fascinating portrait of extraordinary sensory awareness\" (Kirkus) , acclaimed neurologist Joel Salinas, M.D., tells his amazing true story of living and practicing medicine with mirror-touch synesthesia, a rare neurological trait that allows him to literally feel the emotional and physical experiences of other people. From the corridors of Massachusetts General to his personal life, Salinas offers readers remarkable insights about his trait, its gifts, and its often unforgiving complications, and teaches us how our brain, in all its wonder, continues to offer limitless possibilities for compassion and human potential. Beautifully written and wholly original, Mirror Touch is a moving account of an exceptional mind that challenges our understanding of what it means to be human--everything it means to think, to feel, and to be.
This week, you'll meet a woman who can physically feel what she sees others feeling. We'll also explore the ways in which all of us are connected – more literally than you might realize.
Mirror-touch is a type of synesthesia in which an individual can experience the same physical feelings that other person just by looking at it.
Mirror touch synesthesia causes a person to perceive emotional and physical sensations that others may not observe. Learn more about the possible causes, diagnosis, and more.
Unseeable forces control human behavior and shape our ideas, beliefs, and assumptions. Invisibilia—Latin for invisible things—fuses narrative storytelling with science that will make you see your own life differently.
Every day we come into contact with many other people, but how deeply do we actually connect? It isn't easy...
Synesthesia is about 3 times more common in adults with autism than in neurotypical adults.
Book Synopsis In this "rich, fascinating portrait of extraordinary sensory awareness" (Kirkus), acclaimed neurologist Joel Salinas, M.D., tells his amazing true story of living and practicing medicine with mirror-touch synesthesia, a rare neurological trait that allows him to literally feel the emotional and physical experiences of other people. From the corridors of Massachusetts General to his personal life, Salinas offers readers remarkable insights about his trait, its gifts, and its often unforgiving complications, and teaches us how our brain, in all its wonder, continues to offer limitless possibilities for compassion and human potential. Beautifully written and wholly original, Mirror Touch is a moving account of an exceptional mind that challenges our understanding of what it means to be human--everything it means to think, to feel, and to be. From the Back Cover Challenging our understanding of what it means to be human, Joel Salinas, a Harvard-trained researcher and neurologist at Massachusetts General, shares his experiences with mirror-touch synesthesia, a rare and only recently identified neurological trait that causes him to feel the emotional and physical experiences of other people. Performing a spinal tap, he feels the needle slowly enter his lower back. If a disoriented patient flies into a confused rage, Salinas slips into a similarly agitated physical state, and when a patient dies, he experiences an involuntary ruin--his body starts to feel vacant and lifeless, like a limp balloon. Susceptible to the pain and discomfort of his patients, most of whom suffer from a host of disorders and extreme injuries, Salinas uses his trait to treat their symptoms, almost as if they were his own. At the same time, in his personal life, his mirror touch blurs the boundaries between himself and those close to him until he ends up inextricably entangled, no longer able to differentiate where he ends and someone else begins. Salinas refers to his condition as a kind of compulsory mindfulness, a heightened empathic ability that offers him invaluable clues about how to see and live the world through other people's perspectives. This heightened sense of awareness is at the center of Mirror Touch. Through his experiences, both in his neurological practice and his personal life, Salinas offers readers insights about mirror-touch synesthesia and how the brain, in its endless wonder, can sometimes perform in a nearly superhuman, extrasensory way. In the process, Salinas reveals the full power and potential of his trait, as well as its thorny complications and often debilitating limitations. Beautifully written with intelligence and compassion and anchored by the latest developments in neurology, psychology, and psychiatry, Mirror Touch is an enthralling and wholly original investigation into the unexplored corners of the brain, where the foundation of human experience and relationships take root--everything it means to think, to feel, and to be. Review Quotes "Joel Salinas takes his reader into the harrowing, tender, and sometimes brutal realities of living with mirror-touch synesthesia. But the book's reach is wider and deeper than the condition. It is nothing less than a reflection on human empathy itself, a book for everyone." -- Siri Hustvedt, author of What I Loved"Vicarious and enthralling.... A rich, fascinating portrait of extraordinary sensory awareness." -- Kirkus Reviews"He writes with depth and candor and immediacy, as well as a great deal of compassion in the Oliver Sacks tradition. I laughed, I cried... I found myself nodding in recognition. I predict this book will be a classic not only in the synesthesia literature, but in all of neuroscience." -- Psychology Today"A brilliant book that elegantly combines personal narrative with insights into the underlying science." -- V.S. Ramachandran, author of The Tell-Tale Brain and Phantoms in the Brain
Joel Salinas is a doctor who can literally feel your pain.
My mother Joan Mary Crowley (far left) in her nursing school dorm room, 1955. Today, October 7th, 2015 would have been my mother's 80th birthday. While we struggled with most of the problems common to mother/daughter relationships, she was wonderfully supportive of my career in manual therapy. She encouraged me to attend a therapeutic massage
Synesthesia is about 3 times more common in adults with autism than in neurotypical adults.
Less than 2 percent of people have mirror-touch synesthesia, a unique ability to feel exactly what others are feeling.
If you've ever accompanied a friend or family member on a doctor's visit and sat in the very room the checkup ritual took place, you've likely had the fortune of empathizing with that friend or family member, watching as the stethoscope was pressed to the bare back, the reflex hammer hit the knee, or the…
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If they say they "feel your pain," they aren't just being sympathetic.
Human+ The Future of Our Senses is currently airing on Canadian television. I am beyond honored to be included in this groundbreaking collaboration, which features the human sensorium in all of its strangeness and wonder. My creative endeavors are currently focused on synaesthesia, ADHD, Tourette, and other differences that have impacted my life. After 5
Synesthesia is about 3 times more common in adults with autism than in neurotypical adults.
Mirror-touch is a type of synesthesia in which an individual can experience the same physical feelings that other person just by looking at it.
Types of synesthesia involve tasting words, seeing sounds, hearing colours and feeling the sensation that another person feels.
Imagine for a moment that you have a friend or family member who is hospitalized. This person has been through quite an ordeal, but is recovering. You call the hospital to inquire about visiting hours, and the nurse informs you that guests are welcome from 8:00AM to 6:00PM. You make plans to visit your loved
For several months, I've planned to pen a series of essays about specific incidents from my life that illustate the complexities of mirror-touch synesthesia. I've written and then obliterated multiple opening paragraphs, and I've left my computer untouched for weeks. I've told myself I just haven't had time to write; my summer's been occupied by
A neurologist with mirror-touch synesthesia says he can feel the pain of his patients.
A rare condition causes Joel Salinas to experience other people's emotions and sensations. Is mirror-touch synesthesia a superpower or a curse?
The inspiration for violinist and vocalist Concetta Abbate ’09’s new album, Mirror Touch, came from conversations with women and nonbinary people dealing with mental health issues.
Neurologist Joel Salinas experiences a rare form of synesthesia that causes him to feel the emotional and physical experiences of others. He joins us to talk about using this sixth sense to help patients.
