Phantom Limbs & the Brain’s Echo

🩻 Overview

Phantom limb syndrome is a condition where amputees continue to feel sensations — including pain, itching, or movement — in a limb that no longer exists. It's not just psychological: it reflects how the brain “remembers” the missing body part and continues to process signals as if it were still there.

🧠 Neural Weirdness

The somatosensory cortex (the part of the brain that processes touch) doesn’t immediately “erase” the missing limb. Instead, nearby areas on the brain map may invade the missing limb's zone. In experiments, touching an amputee’s face can cause sensations to be “felt” in the ghost limb — because the face and hand are neighbors in the brain's body map.

🩸 Creepy Facts

• Some patients report the ghost limb being “stuck” in a painful position, like clenched in a fist forever.
• Mirror therapy — using a mirror to trick the brain into “seeing” the missing limb — can reduce pain or unfreeze it.
• People born without limbs can still feel phantom limbs. That means your brain has a default map — even without the body part ever existing.