The production, by suggestion, of a third-degree burn, with blistering is a remarkable phenomenon in the demonstration of the power of the psyche over the body. This astonishing experiment was first published in 1886 (Bernheim, 1886). It has since been regularly replicated in different countries and the eminent Léon Chertok described it precisely in his book "The Non-Knowledge of the Psy" (Chertok, 1979) : this third-degree burn is produced by the sole hypnotic suggestion that a burning coin be placed on a person’s forearm. The coin, of course, is at room temperature. The burn appears where the coin was placed. A video of this experiment can be viewed on YouTube : simply type "Chertok" and "burn" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGmPDzxWjNE).
For over a century, people have wondered how this is possible. How can the psyche have such an impact on the body ?
Many other observations support this "organic plasticity," for example, the fact that depending on the identities a the same person experiencing Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), organic parameters can be different : depending on the "switches" (changes in identity), the different "alters" (i.e. the different identities of the same person) can be right-handed, left-handed, capable of running a marathon, or very tired. Certainly. But, depending on the identities, the distribution of blood flow in the brain can also be different (Reinders, Nijenhuis, Paans & Al. 2003), as well as intraocular pressure or corneal curvature (Birnbaum & Thomann, 1996) : the body is different depending on the identities of the same person.
On this topic, here is a third study (De la Fuente-Fernández, Ruth, & al., 2001) : one of two randomly selected groups of Parkinson’s disease patients was given a placebo. The other group was given a real drug, levodopa. All participants underwent an MRI to observe brain activity.
The results showed that in the placebo group, dopamine releases in the striatum (a key area for movement) was similar to that in the drug group.
What can we deduce from all this ? That the body is capable of plasticity, that it is able to adapt, create, and produce under the influence of psychic suggestions or circumstances.
"Organic plasticity" is not a standardized or widely recognized term in contemporary science. This expression could refer to the body’s (including the brain’s) ability to adapt, transform, or reorganize itself, in response to experiences within situations, a concept broadened compared to neuronal plasticity.
If the body is capable of such profound organic plasticity, what about our illnesses and organic dysfunctions ? There is no simplistic and unequivocal answer to this question, and caution is essential. But at the very least, we, as psycho-organic analysts, must be aware of this dimension and attentive to it. The connections between body and psyche constitute one of the fundamental areas of our work. Paul Boyesen named them and gave them a central place in his "topique," that of the "organic connection." This "organic plasticity" seems to me to cast an intense light on this area, and we must be aware of it, particularly when treating people suffering from organic illnesses or symptoms.
Bibliography
Benedetti, F., Durando, J., Giudetti, L., Pampallona, A., & Vighetti, S. (2015). High-altitude headache : the effects of real vs sham oxygen administration. Pain, 156. (11), pp. 2326-2336.
Bernheim, H. (1886) De la suggestion et de ses applications à la thérapeutique. Paris : Doin
Birnbaum, M. H., & Thomann, K. (1996). Visual function in multiple personality disorder. Journal of the American Optometric Association, 67, 327-334.
Chertok, L. (1979). Le non-savoir des psy. Paris : Payot
De la Fuente-Fernández, R., Ruth, T. J., Sossi, V., Schulzer, M., Calne, D. B., & Stoessl, A. J. (2001). Expectation and dopamine release : mechanism of the placebo effect in Parkinson’s disease. Science, 293, pp. 1164-1166.
Reinders, A. S., Nijenhuis, E. R., Paans, A. M., Korf, J., Willemsen, A. T., & den Boer, J. A. (2003). One brain, two selves. Neuroimage, 20, pp. 2119-2125.