joelsalinas

Unfortunately, as a physician, I’ve seen a fair number of people die. It’s a really a unique experience that is really worth just having a discussion on it’s own. More than anything, there’s just such a pronounced feeling of stillness. A kind of emptiness that screams that there should be something there, but it’s gone now... with the added weight of permanence. Death is something you never really get used (this is true of probably most physicians). Because of the mirror-touch I think, it also led making the experience of death extremely vivid. With each death, it’s almost as if I’ve died as well. Except, I’m not dead. I was fortunate. These experiences (and my own experiences with near-death, including a devastating car accident) have really helped me not only be grateful for every second of life, but also aware of how important it is to take the time to truly appreciate it and let it sink in. You’ve got to live with everything you’ve got.

Fortunately my optic nerves aren’t selective based on subject matter... and the MPAA doesn’t regulate my occipital cortex....

In terms of Alzheimer’s research, we’ve made some huge advances in the last few years -- molecular models (see Alzheimer's in a dish) and other treatments that involve multipronged interventions (check out the FINGER study from Finland--it’s a great leap forward in this area). There's a lot going on here and a lot to discuss. Sorry about your grandma.

You’re not alone to wonder this! It’s usually one of the first questions my friends ask as well! Be it pain, grief, happiness, or any form of physical affection -- as long as the visual stimuli enters my optic nerves, there’s no discriminating there.

I actually do think we all have some degree of mirror-touch. More specifically, at least in my own case, what I really am feeling is the absence of the mirror-touch sensations that had been ongoing (e.g., the sensation of the chest rising and falling with breaths, movements of limbs, facial expressions). When all of this halts suddenly, when there’s a constant din of mirror-touch synesthesia going on, it is very unsettling.

“Quit hittin’ yourself! Quit hittin’ yourself!” I think having someone think that they could hurt me by hurting themselves is a great strategy to win. Sun Tzu would be proud.