An introduction to phantom limbs

[frameacloud]

Page number 6 of Theri There, originally posted on October 3, 2005.

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Image description: One page of a comic.
Narration: "A 'phantom limb' is the sensation that a limb is physically present when it's not.
"Neurological explanation: the relevant portion of the brain is still there, so it feels as if the limb is still there, too.
"Spiritual explanation: the spirit also stays intact, even if the body doesn't. This has to do with chakras and the astral plane."
The illustration shows a person with no left arm, but a phantom left arm.
"Phantom limbs are also experienced by therianthropes and otherkin. The difference is that these don't follow a human-shaped template. We may feel wings, tail, or any such thing."
The illustration shows a therianthrope with a human physical body, and a gryphon-shaped phantom outline. "We know there's no physical counterpart to these limbs. They're not visible to plain sight, and they pass right through everything, like a ghost."
The same therianthrope goes on a walk, their wing passing through the wall of a nearby building. "However, there are odd exceptions where a phantom limb responds to a physical object as if both were equally tangible." The therianthrope's wing hits a lamppost, making them stumble, saying, "Ow!?"
"There are also instances where people respond to the limbs as if they could see them."
The therianthrope stretches out a wing, and other passerby walk around it.
"Rarest of all, sometimes physical objects respond to the limb's presence."
A dragon therianthrope steps into an elevator, their phantom tail trailing behind them. The door closes on their tail. Someone else says, "Hey, what's jamming the elevator door open?"
End description.

Note from 2005: This is a short introduction to phantom limbs of therianthropes. There is much more to say about them, whether the best known kind (felt by people who have had amputations) as shown in panel 1, or the kind experienced by therianthropes. Panel 4 was suggested by a phoenix who wishes to remain anonymous. Panel 6 was suggested by a friend who had it happen as shown, and I’ve heard very few anecdotes about a paranormal phenomenon of that kind.

Note from 2015: Several folks have asked me about the phrase “phantom limbs,” which I used in my old Theri There comics. In 2005, that was the only name therians gave to that experience of theirs. Now, readers were concerned that it might be wrong to use that name for that experience. It’s a sensitive issue, but it’s also important to address, so I wrote a long blog entry about it: https://frameacloud.tumblr.com/post/731842421775859712/regarding-phantom-limbs

Note from 2023: I updated the link to that blog entry with some new commentary that I wrote today. For another thing, back when I drew this page, I thought of phantom limbs as a paranormal phenomenon. That fit with how my worldview used to embrace the paranormal. My personal worldview has changed and become generally more skeptical as I've continued to ask questions and learn. I still acknowledge that part of the range of these experiences are ones that are strange and difficult to explain.

[Edit October 21, 2023: Added local images, links, and transcript.]

Comments

Wow.

[meirya.livejournal.com]

Very nice. I'm glad my phantom limbs all correspond fairly well to my body. *heh* The worst I've got to deal with is a beak. Wings correspond with my arms, though it means my shoulders feel out of place and such... but at least they aren't catching in stuff. o_o

Though a phantom beak can be quite aggravating if you're trying to make out with someone...

Re: Wow.

[frameacloud]

Aligning your wings with your arms... that's interesting. I've heard a few people talk about aligning non-human-body-part phantom limbs with their real limbs. Someone (Grygon, I think, on alt.lifestyle.furry in the summer of 2000?) said that xe'd aligned xir tail with one of her legs, with the amusing effect that when xe was happy, xe would wag xir foot.

Though a phantom beak can be quite aggravating if you're trying to make out with someone...
Yikes! That'd be a gruesome version of the typing with talons comic. o_o;;

Re: Wow.

[meirya.livejournal.com]

It's really more a case of the anatomy aligning. I don't do it consciously; it's just how the shift manifests. It always makes no sense whatsoever to me when bird-types describe phantom limbs coming from their shoulders or shoulder blades or whatnot. Birds have four limbs; their wings are arms. If you're a gryphon or four-legged dragon, I can see where the wings-sprouting-from-the-back comes in, but if you only have two legs and a pair of wings...

Eh, anyway, it's odd. My arms won't bend the normal way when they're wings, and they'll rotate to be in the more "natural" position (for a bird anyway!) angling behind me somewhat. When I'm forcing myself out of a strong shift, it sometimes involves forcing my arms forward, and my mind's going "OW THE SHOULDER DOESN'T MOVE LIKE THAT" while my body says "Yes it does, this is normal". So I get crackling aching shoulders as a result.

Yikes! That'd be a gruesome version of the typing with talons comic. o_o;;

XD Normally it's not a problem; if I'm in a mood to be making out, bird's not manifesting very strongly. Birds just aren't that sensual; if bird's out and feeling like being close to someone, then it's a case of preening, and that's just kind of weird to humans. But sometimes I'll beak without warning, or be a little shifty, and... yeah, kissing doesn't work too well when you've got a couple inches of extra space in front of your nose/mouth. Especially if your SO is sensitive to stuff, and so can sense the beak. Eheh.

Re: Wow.

[slupine.livejournal.com]

My wings, when I have them, can't seem to make up their minds whether they belong on my arms (then phantom arms dangle from my chest, which is freaky) or on my back. Drives me up the wall some days.

Re: Wow.

[dragonzuela.livejournal.com]

I sometimes shift my phantom parts around so that I can make both bodies more comfortable. If I'm lying on my stomach I can put my tail into a leg, and then casually flick the tip of my tail/ankle. Sometimes my wings and tail come out of my human body in an anthropomorphic fashion, but if I'm in touch with my full astral form, I often put my front feet into my physical feet and have the rest of my astral body behind the physical one. I even once put my astral head into my physical hands, because I was holding hands with my boyfriend in a concert hall, and it seemed like how I would want to touch him if I were in dragon form.

Re: Wow.

[ceruleanst.livejournal.com]

My tail does that. Usually it's when I'm lying in bed, on my side; my tail becomes whichever leg is under the other, and lashes slowly back and forth in a somewhat catlike manner. I think my wings are mapped to my arms too, or at least my shoulders. I must be just too attuned to analogies and adaptations, because I've internalized everything. Just sitting here thinking about it, with my hands folded, my right thumb started making tail motions! Sometimes I think my true form, if there is such a thing, might have fewer limbs than my body does, and I have multiple redundant structures for whatever instinctive slithering I may do.

Re: Wow.

[inuki42.livejournal.com]

I know a certain wyvern friend of mine, who just discovered xir kin-ness over the past few months, instinctively mapped wings to arms. This resulted in complete inability to do things like type or hold a pen when the wings were most strongly manifest, and in a strong tendency to curl the hands into "pinching" shapes and bend the wrist all the way down - exactly like a folded bat wing.

This caused me no end of trouble, as all of a sudden I got confused. I'd previously identified with a Western type, and wings floated quite comfortably on my back/shoulderblades. Rather abruptly I started feeling different - like Aido's kendii (http://aido.furvect.com/images/guest/kaidowalk-asterroth.jpg) species, which are quadrupedal wyverns, for lack of a better word. (Aido's species, art by Asterroth - source (http://aido.furvect.com/guestart/gue-3.htm)) The explanation that a mutual friend eventually gave was that it's because the two of us are emotionally close, and somehow I was picking up on xir phantoms through that emotional bond.

Xe also likes to lie flat on xir back and float xir hands and arms up and a bit out in midair. Xe claims it's exceedingly comfortable, and has described how xir body could ground the wing-wrists for balance, and probably had some form of manipulatory digits there.

I think xe's crazy. ;)

Re: Wow.

[forestdweller.livejournal.com]

This resulted in complete inability to do things like type or hold a pen when the wings were most strongly manifest, and in a strong tendency to curl the hands into "pinching" shapes and bend the wrist all the way down - exactly like a folded bat wing.

My partner is a Phoenix and Xe does the EXACT same thing when Xe is strongly manifesting and emotional!

Usually when cuddling or begging for a bite of my food or something. It is ever so cute.

Re: Wow.

[meirya.livejournal.com]

*nod* Exactly! I've had primaries align with at least my first couple fingers more than once. Bending fingers doesn't work that well in those situations. And agreed on the walking on the balls of the feet. I also tend to pick my feet up a lot more and step much more markedly than the usual shuffle-stride used when bird is fairly well buried.

Re: Wow.

[ekevoo.livejournal.com]

> Aligning your wings with your arms...

Every other day, when I'm going to or coming from the University, I get that fantasy. I hate being transported, even if I'm the one who's driving the car, so that fantasy happens quite often.

Maybe it's theriantropy, maybe it's only wishful thinking. I usually don't go much further than the wish to be flying because I eventually have to pay attention to class and forget about all else. *sigh*

But later on I read things like your comic and at these commentaries about it and it always fascinates me... Not exactly in a first person way, but it certainly does.