Re: George Boyer & phantom & stump sensation
george boyer
Description
Collection
Title:
Re: George Boyer & phantom & stump sensation
Creator:
george boyer
Date:
5/17/1999
Text:
Not to disparage Mr. Trower, but in his effort to foster understanding he
demonstrates that his understanding is eclipsed, in that he uses the point of
view of trashy tabloid editors to caption my personal anguish. But of course he
can be forgiven that because he is not a psychotherapist. For that matter, he
is not an amputee either, to the best of my knowledge :-) I am not loath to talk
about my personal problems here but do not think it appropriate or necessary.
For those who want further information about the debilitating problem of
paraphiliacs I urge access to clinical material (eg Dr. John Money) rather than
the internet effusions of the 'wanabes', which seem to have been Mr. Trower's
source. Also, anyone is welcome to write me privately if they wish.
To correct some of his errors: For 55 years (after the age of 12) I suffered
unremittingly from an obsession with becoming an amputee, not a 'desire'....I did
not 'decide' to injure myself but was driven to it in the grip of an episode of
extreme
emotional upheaval and depression in which the alternative action was suicide.
Further in error, Mr. Trower completely misreads what I wrote. My position over
the years since my amputation is that new amputees especially are made vulnerable
to unnecessary greater suffering because we do not distinguish or emphasize the
varieties of sensation experienced after an amputation. I do not say that
phantom sensation is sexually stimulating. I do report, along with many other
leg amputees that stimulation of pelvic areas may assuage stump and phantom pain
and discomfort; Ramachandran also points this out in his paper. (Fortunately,
Mr. Trower has no personal experience of this.) I do indeed challenge the
monochrome and unthinking use of the term 'phantom pain' because for the relief
of amputees' suffering pain must come to be viewed as one of a variety of
sensations experienced. The semantic cleansing I mention means that there must
be an effort toward the use of phantom and stump sensations as the general
term, instead of the ubiquitous 'phantom pain'.
As I said, it is not my wish to disparage Mr. Trower but rather to avoid having
the list membership here be led into misunderstanding of my message by his
errors. I think my message is important.
George Boyer.
Ted A. Trower wrote:
> At 12:43 AM 5/16/99 -0400, you wrote:
> >Ms. Parris - The first thing I would suggest (as a thoughtful amputee of some
> >seven years)
>
> >The promiscuous use of the term stump pain is the greatest
> >generator of confusion about what the amputee is experiencing, because the
> >fear and anxiety surrounding the amputation experience results in defining
> >every unusual sensation as pain. Sensation does not equate to pain.
> >
>
> >Cheers, George B.
>
> For the benefit of the listmembers who do not participate in the amputee
> listservs some additional information is needed here. Mr George Boyer is an
> extremely intelligent gentleman who is very knowledgeable about the issues
> of amputation surgery and phantom pain. This is true because he has
> suffered from a lifelong desire to be an amputee and has researched the
> matter extensively. Seven years ago he decided to stop waiting for an
> accident and intentionally blew his own leg off with a shotgun at a level
> above the knee.
>
> While his knowledge of phantom pain theory is excellent, his interpretation
> of phantom sensation as pleasurable and sexually stimulating appears to be
> unique to him. None the less he persistently challenges anyone who
> describes phantom pain as a problem issue and attempts to redefine phantom
> pain as phantom sensation.
>
> I do not write this to disparage Mr. Boyer. He has a role to play in
> increasing our understanding of amputee issues. I only wish to help the
> list membership understand the point of view from which he presents his
> opinions.
>
> Ted A. Trower C.P.O.
> A-S-C Orthotics & Prosthetics
> Jackson, MI, USA
Ted A. Trower wrote:
> At 12:43 AM 5/16/99 -0400, you wrote:
> >Ms. Parris - The first thing I would suggest (as a thoughtful amputee of some
> >seven years)
>
> >The promiscuous use of the term stump pain is the greatest
> >generator of confusion about what the amputee is experiencing, because the
> >fear and anxiety surrounding the amputation experience results in defining
> >every unusual sensation as pain. Sensation does not equate to pain.
> >
>
> >Cheers, George B.
>
> For the benefit of the listmembers who do not participate in the amputee
> listservs some additional information is needed here. Mr George Boyer is an
> extremely intelligent gentleman who is very knowledgeable about the issues
> of amputation surgery and phantom pain. This is true because he has
> suffered from a lifelong desire to be an amputee and has researched the
> matter extensively. Seven years ago he decided to stop waiting for an
> accident and intentionally blew his own leg off with a shotgun at a level
> above the knee.
>
> While his knowledge of phantom pain theory is excellent, his interpretation
> of phantom sensation as pleasurable and sexually stimulating appears to be
> unique to him. None the less he persistently challenges anyone who
> describes phantom pain as a problem issue and attempts to redefine phantom
> pain as phantom sensation.
>
> I do not write this to disparage Mr. Boyer. He has a role to play in
> increasing our understanding of amputee issues. I only wish to help the
> list membership understand the point of view from which he presents his
> opinions.
>
> Ted A. Trower C.P.O.
> A-S-C Orthotics & Prosthetics
> Jackson, MI, USA
demonstrates that his understanding is eclipsed, in that he uses the point of
view of trashy tabloid editors to caption my personal anguish. But of course he
can be forgiven that because he is not a psychotherapist. For that matter, he
is not an amputee either, to the best of my knowledge :-) I am not loath to talk
about my personal problems here but do not think it appropriate or necessary.
For those who want further information about the debilitating problem of
paraphiliacs I urge access to clinical material (eg Dr. John Money) rather than
the internet effusions of the 'wanabes', which seem to have been Mr. Trower's
source. Also, anyone is welcome to write me privately if they wish.
To correct some of his errors: For 55 years (after the age of 12) I suffered
unremittingly from an obsession with becoming an amputee, not a 'desire'....I did
not 'decide' to injure myself but was driven to it in the grip of an episode of
extreme
emotional upheaval and depression in which the alternative action was suicide.
Further in error, Mr. Trower completely misreads what I wrote. My position over
the years since my amputation is that new amputees especially are made vulnerable
to unnecessary greater suffering because we do not distinguish or emphasize the
varieties of sensation experienced after an amputation. I do not say that
phantom sensation is sexually stimulating. I do report, along with many other
leg amputees that stimulation of pelvic areas may assuage stump and phantom pain
and discomfort; Ramachandran also points this out in his paper. (Fortunately,
Mr. Trower has no personal experience of this.) I do indeed challenge the
monochrome and unthinking use of the term 'phantom pain' because for the relief
of amputees' suffering pain must come to be viewed as one of a variety of
sensations experienced. The semantic cleansing I mention means that there must
be an effort toward the use of phantom and stump sensations as the general
term, instead of the ubiquitous 'phantom pain'.
As I said, it is not my wish to disparage Mr. Trower but rather to avoid having
the list membership here be led into misunderstanding of my message by his
errors. I think my message is important.
George Boyer.
Ted A. Trower wrote:
> At 12:43 AM 5/16/99 -0400, you wrote:
> >Ms. Parris - The first thing I would suggest (as a thoughtful amputee of some
> >seven years)
>
> >The promiscuous use of the term stump pain is the greatest
> >generator of confusion about what the amputee is experiencing, because the
> >fear and anxiety surrounding the amputation experience results in defining
> >every unusual sensation as pain. Sensation does not equate to pain.
> >
>
> >Cheers, George B.
>
> For the benefit of the listmembers who do not participate in the amputee
> listservs some additional information is needed here. Mr George Boyer is an
> extremely intelligent gentleman who is very knowledgeable about the issues
> of amputation surgery and phantom pain. This is true because he has
> suffered from a lifelong desire to be an amputee and has researched the
> matter extensively. Seven years ago he decided to stop waiting for an
> accident and intentionally blew his own leg off with a shotgun at a level
> above the knee.
>
> While his knowledge of phantom pain theory is excellent, his interpretation
> of phantom sensation as pleasurable and sexually stimulating appears to be
> unique to him. None the less he persistently challenges anyone who
> describes phantom pain as a problem issue and attempts to redefine phantom
> pain as phantom sensation.
>
> I do not write this to disparage Mr. Boyer. He has a role to play in
> increasing our understanding of amputee issues. I only wish to help the
> list membership understand the point of view from which he presents his
> opinions.
>
> Ted A. Trower C.P.O.
> A-S-C Orthotics & Prosthetics
> Jackson, MI, USA
Ted A. Trower wrote:
> At 12:43 AM 5/16/99 -0400, you wrote:
> >Ms. Parris - The first thing I would suggest (as a thoughtful amputee of some
> >seven years)
>
> >The promiscuous use of the term stump pain is the greatest
> >generator of confusion about what the amputee is experiencing, because the
> >fear and anxiety surrounding the amputation experience results in defining
> >every unusual sensation as pain. Sensation does not equate to pain.
> >
>
> >Cheers, George B.
>
> For the benefit of the listmembers who do not participate in the amputee
> listservs some additional information is needed here. Mr George Boyer is an
> extremely intelligent gentleman who is very knowledgeable about the issues
> of amputation surgery and phantom pain. This is true because he has
> suffered from a lifelong desire to be an amputee and has researched the
> matter extensively. Seven years ago he decided to stop waiting for an
> accident and intentionally blew his own leg off with a shotgun at a level
> above the knee.
>
> While his knowledge of phantom pain theory is excellent, his interpretation
> of phantom sensation as pleasurable and sexually stimulating appears to be
> unique to him. None the less he persistently challenges anyone who
> describes phantom pain as a problem issue and attempts to redefine phantom
> pain as phantom sensation.
>
> I do not write this to disparage Mr. Boyer. He has a role to play in
> increasing our understanding of amputee issues. I only wish to help the
> list membership understand the point of view from which he presents his
> opinions.
>
> Ted A. Trower C.P.O.
> A-S-C Orthotics & Prosthetics
> Jackson, MI, USA
Citation
george boyer, “Re: George Boyer & phantom & stump sensation,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 8, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/211778.
