# Psychosomatic Wounds: Real or Fictional?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychosomatic-wounds-real-or-fictional/160811>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 12, 2003, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychosomatic-wounds-real-or-fictional/160811 "2003-03-12T13:42:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychosomatic-wounds-real-or-fictional/160811/1 "2003-03-12T13:42:04Z")

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As a general fan of the occult, bizarre, and odd, I’ve come across some odd stories in my time. As an amateur fan of all things medical, something I’ve read about a few times has stuck in my mind: Pyschosomatic wounds, or the supposed process of the mind creating physical wounds in the body.

Stigmata comes to mind, but I understand most instances of stigmata anyone has seriously studied, as opposed to credulously accepting as a miracle, have been debunked.

Non-religious psychosomatic wounds include stories of the deeply hypnotized being burned by a cool stick they’ve been convinced is a lit cigarette. I doubt that, too.

So, what’s the Straight Dope? Is it really all in their heads? 😉

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**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychosomatic-wounds-real-or-fictional/160811/2 "2003-03-12T15:04:33Z")

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As best I can remember from a minor in psychology: yes, it is really “all in their heads”, but that doesn’t make it any less real. A psychosomatic injury (called Somatoform Disorder in the DSM-IV) is one that has no physical cause; rather, some sort of mental stress, trauma, or anxiety is manifesting itself through the body, like a person with post traumatic stress disorder having excruciating headaches or back pain with no discernable physical cause. The two situations you describe don’t seem to fit the bill, though.

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**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychosomatic-wounds-real-or-fictional/160811/3 "2003-03-12T15:08:04Z")

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**pravnik** , so the DSMs only recognize psychosomatic pain? Interesting. Pain is, in fact, a product of the mind and it isn’t surprising that it can be manufactured by a mental illness.

I suppose it’s a rather strong argument against the reality of pyschosomatic _wounds_.

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**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychosomatic-wounds-real-or-fictional/160811/4 "2003-03-12T15:35:32Z")

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Ah, I see now what you mean, I think. You mean like actual skin burns and actual blood an observer can see? That, I dunno. Here’s what [El Maestro Perfecto](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_237.html) has to say about it.

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**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychosomatic-wounds-real-or-fictional/160811/5 "2003-03-12T16:53:17Z")

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Yes. When I spoke of burns, I meant actual tissue damage and blistering, not merely a burning sensation. Stigmata is bleeding on the palms or wrists and feet in the manner of crucifixion wounds.