"I can't tell whether it's my hand": a pilot study of the neurophenomenology of body representation during the rubber hand illusion in trauma-related disorders.
Daniela Rabellino, Sherain Harricharan, Paul Frewen, Dalila Burin, Margaret C Mckinnon, Ruth A. Lanius
European Journal of Psychotraumatology 2016 DOI: 10.3402/ejpt.v7.32918 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case series Pilot study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 3 |
| Population | Individuals with the dissociative subtype of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) |
| Intervention | Rubber hand illusion |
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Body ownership Autonomic arousal Consciousness Depersonalization Derealization Dis-embodiment Multi-sensorial integration |
| Citations | 25 |
| Key findings | The rubber hand illusion elicits distress, depersonalization, derealization, tonic immobility, and autonomic responses in individuals with the dissociative subtype of PTSD. |
Abstract
Early traumatic experiences are thought to be causal factors in the development of trauma-related dissociative experiences, including depersonalization and derealization. The rubber hand illusion (RHI), a well-known paradigm that measures multi-sensorial integration of a rubber hand into one's own body representation, has been used to investigate alterations in the experience of body ownership and of body representation. Critically, however, it has never been studied in individuals with trauma-related disorders. To investigate body representation distortions occurring in trauma-related disorders in response to the RHI. The RHI was administered to three individuals with the dissociative subtype of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and subjective, behavioral, cardiovascular and skin conductance responses were recorded. Participants' subjective experiences of the RHI were differentiated and complex. The illusion was induced following both synchronous and asynchronous brushing and variably evoked subjective distress, depersonalization and derealization experiences, tonic immobility, increased physiological arousal and flashbacks. The present findings point towards the RHI as a strong provocation stimulus that elicits individual patterns of symptom presentation, including experiences of distress and dissociation, in individuals with trauma-related disorders, including the dissociative subtype of PTSD. The rubber hand illusion (RHI) elicits distress, tonic immobility, depersonalization and derealization, and autonomic responses in individuals with trauma-related disorders, including the dissociative subtype of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). RHI effects related to body misrepresentation may trigger altered experiences related to body ownership. The RHI represents a promising paradigm for studying the neurophenomenology of body distortion in individuals experiencing trauma-related altered states of consciousness (TRASC).
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on philosophy of mind, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| How does it feel to lack a sense of boundaries? A case study of a long-term mindfulness meditator. A single long-term mindfulness practitioner (S) with 40 years of practice in... | 2015 | Qualitative case study | n = 1 |
| An extended case study on the phenomenology of sequence-space synesthesia Single adult with sequence-space synesthesia | 2014 | Phenomenological case study | n = 1 |
| Neurophenomenology of an Altered State of Consciousness: An fMRI Case Study. A single research participant with self-proclaimed ecstatic Kundalini meditative... | 2016 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Multimodal neurophenomenology of advanced concentration absorption meditation: An intensively sampled case study of Jhana. One advanced meditator with over 23,000 hours of meditation practice | 2024 | Case study | n = 1 |
| The phenomenology of psychosis associated with complex partial seizure disorder. Treatment-refractory patients admitted to a state hospital with previously undiagnosed... | 1997 | Review with case series | n = 10 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 7
- Altered Sense of Body Ownership and Agency in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Its Dissociative Subtype: A Rubber Hand Illusion Study Frontiers in Human Neuroscience May 1, 2018
- Superior colliculus resting state networks in post‐traumatic stress disorder and its dissociative subtype Human Brain Mapping November 13, 2017
- Agency in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: Implications for Therapy April 5, 2023
- Relating different dimensions of bodily experiences: Review and proposition of an integrative model relying on phenomenology, predictive brain and neuroscience of the self. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews May 1, 2023
- Accounting for Subjectivity in Experimental Research on Human Olfaction. Chemical senses 2021
and 2 more in the library
Cites 4
- Trauma-related dissociation and altered states of consciousness: a call for clinical, treatment, and neuroscience research European Journal of Psychotraumatology May 19, 2015
- Latent profile analysis and principal axis factoring of the DSM-5 dissociative subtype European Journal of Psychotraumatology April 7, 2015
- Full-body illusions and minimal phenomenal selfhood. Trends in Cognitive Sciences December 6, 2008
- Depersonalization in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy and the Organic Psychoses The British Journal of Psychiatry April 1, 1965