Intercorporeality at the limits of one's own body: An approach from somatoparaphrenia
Maria Clara Garavito Gomez
National University of Colombia
March 6, 2025, 2 p.m. UTC // March 6, 2025, 2 p.m. in UTC
Somatoparaphrenic experiences (in which a patient perceives a limb as alien) are a rare psychopathological phenomenon that philosophers use to explore the intricacies of self-awareness, particularly the sense of ownership inherent in all mental experiences, and its relation to bodily spatiality. The main focus of these philosophical reflections is on the reports of patients experiencing alienation; the limb is no longer part of their own experience. I extend the discussion to a specific aspect of this experience that differs from simply losing ownership. Similar to other experiences—such as the delusion of thought insertion—some patients report that the limb belongs to someone else. In this presentation, I reflect on the implications of having an intercorporeal experience that challenges the limits of the proper body. This experience resonates with phenomenological ideas about sharing experiences with others and the role of others in constituting our self-awareness.
