Doctor Who Feels Patients’ Pain - Literally!

Neurologist Dr. Joel Salinas joins The Doctors to discuss the fascinating condition of mirror-touch synesthesia, which causes some individuals to experience the same sensation that another person feels.
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The Doctors is an Emmy award-winning daytime talk show hosted by ER physician Dr. Travis Stork, plastic surgeon Dr. Andrew Ordon, OB-GYN Dr. Jennifer Ashton, urologist Dr. Jennifer Berman and family medicine physician and sexologist Dr. Rachael Ross.
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[@hometheme]

No thankyou. My own pains are enough.

[@itzsusanx3]

I feel bad for anyone that has this condition. I've read so many articles on this in the past few months :( yikes.

[@NicolesNaturals]

I actually have this. I feel a burning pain in the backs of my legs whenever I see anyone in pain. I had to look away when watching those stunts.

[@hazeld8016]

Only in the back of your legs though? I thought mirror synesthesia was when you felt pain in the same place as another person

[@autumnbray8790]

Hazel D it is, she doesn’t have it, her mirror touch may be a little more sensitive than others, but it’s definitely not mirror synesthesia.

[@ras_krystafari3333]

Nah but heres a comment for your ego...

[@theabentzon9907]

Me too. I “suffer” from the normal type of synesthesia also, which means I see colors when I listen to music and I see and taste numbers, fx. I taste an orange and think of the color pink whenever I think of the number 4... Unfortunately, the ‘‘ mirror touch” thing can at times make it unbearable for me because it hurts so much. I get weak and dizzy all the time because of it :(

[@gracecleveland680]

I didn't feel anything I just laughed. Who the fuck jumps on fuckin thumbtacks

[@origamigirl95]

A masochist? XD

[@kaylaray151]

I didn't feel anything either

[@Botbxtch]

Grace Cleveland haha😂😂

[@watchgoose]

same kind of person who would walk on live hot coals

[@Beaneabean]

I cant laugh at that. Its too painful to watch

[@gillianfraser1820]

he looks like ken in the barbie doll show

[@Funczar]

Black mirror just got real

[@chiloveradiouncut]

Dedbite yesssss

[@blueberree8498]

exactly what i was thinking

[@TransparentLabyrinth]

I think this raises some interesting questions about stuff like "out of body" experiences. If a brain can simulate the pain that someone else is feeling, surely a brain can detach from its own sensations as well, creating an illusion of being outside of one's body.

[@reneesnextchapter3874]

Oh my gosh that's so terrible 😱😔😔

[@feelingsexy2745]

He's a medical intuitive, "psychic ability". Lots of people have it, but pretend not to, to fit in. People some times even feel mad and its not their anger but anothers emotions they happen to be channeling

[@SandraLovesRoses]

Feeling Sexy so true! I have to be very careful with who I’m around. I couldn’t be a doctor.

[@cornholio5318]

I keep reading this as DOCTOR WHO feels patients pain

[@itzsusanx3]

Technically he does, if a needle was being pinned on one of his patients, he would feel them. If someone is sad in the room, he could feel them too. It's literally so crazy.

[@cornholio5318]

Susan Yu #British

[@rottierumbles9451]

I got ya Corn :-)

[@marykacyy6802]

Yo thats fcking awsome, No one can lie to him!!!! I want that power!!!

[@gamingfreak5913]

That's what I thought it said? time to read it again

[@kaistockman6443]

Watching those videos was very painful. I think I have a slight version of this. Even remembering seeing something in my mind gives me pain. Last year I cut my finger really really bad. When I looked at my own finger I got sharp pains throughout my body it was worse almost then the pain of the cut. I don't know how he can be a doctor. I could never do it.

[@noahcannaday2670]

this isn't the doctor I was looking for ! dang it I thought this was the doctor who's 1000 years old and can regenerate! this is not the doctor I thought it was XP

[@cheesecake7274]

I didn't know other people had this too!

[@Sassy_Alaskan]

Anneloes Barth me neither!!

[@JANELLEFUCKINGPIERZINA]

Anneloes Barth You might be an empath. Google it! 😊

[@marleyme1381]

that doctor has serious botox

[@domopenguin5688]

I don't have a full blown case of mirror touch synesthesia, as I can't empathize every type of pain. But I've had times where I've actually feel pain, when for example someone breaks a bone, gets a scrape, laceration of any sort, and it really makes my hand twitch and my nerves really get sensitive. It really feels weird.

[@origamigirl95]

Incredible!

[@cherylhenson2720]

Great doctor especially one that feels for us!

[@liwest511]

So happy they're talking about synesthesia! I have a few types, but even though I don't have this one, I really love that it's being talked about on such a good show. Not a lot of people know about it, but it's a very common thing to have of some sort. It can be sound to color, sound to taste, numbers and letters with color and personality... pretty much anything that can be crossed over if I'm not mistaken. I only know about the type I have, so I can't say too much for certain about it.

[@carolynmmitchell2240]

Li I wonder what LSD would be like having that condition.. people on LSD have it to some degree sometimes, so I wonder what would happen if you already have it.

[@ras_krystafari3333]

carolyn mmitchell correction, all people experiencing psychedelic substance's have temporary synesthesia. If you already have it then its exaggerated.

[@liwest511]

@@carolynmmitchell2240 Hi, I have since had a fantastic experience tripping on shrooms! It was very brilliant and very colorful, and now I've discovered shrooms make me see color when I touch things. There is a tree in my yard that feels blue. I never thought I'd have a development update in reply to your comment, but here we are. Woohoo! Yay psychedelics!

[@youtubesuckss7058]

Lovely doctor

[@jessgrieger6010]

My feet started warming up. Lol

[@arianasmith5975]

A little off topic, but, I burst out laughing when I saw the other Dr's face (the guy in the suit next to Dr Salina), either it's the botox or that Guy is giving Dr Salinas the "I'm not buying the B.S. you're selling" look..*LoL*...

[@cynthiacastaneda6687]

Ariana Smith omg. Mee too! Not sure if n e one else caught that hahahahaha

[@nothingspecial2332]

black mirror

[@cellogirl11rw55]

I have wondered if people who have Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) also have a heightened sensitivity to others' pain. I have SPD, and, sometimes, I have to look away scenes in movies where someone is getting beat up or stabbed because it is physically painful to watch, especially if it's a character that I really like. I also experienced this even more so when my two dogs had to have oral surgery, with one losing all of her teeth. I literally felt their pain in my mouth, and, when I learned that one lost all her teeth, I cried, and my teeth hurt so bad that I couldn't eat for several hours because I was thinking about how painful having all those rotten teeth must have been for her, the fact that she wouldn't be able to eat normally ever again, how strange it must have felt to not have teeth, and how sore her mouth must have been when she woke up from anesthesia. I was also with my other dog when he woke up from anesthesia, and I had to walk out of the room because, every time he moaned, it made me hurt, too, and I didn't want to make him anxious by crying.

[@chonkayyy]

My foot definitely tingled at the thumbtacks.

[@jadeeeen]

my shoulder hurts from watching those videos

[@usaresident8181]

I don't quite have the mirror thing where I feel the exact pain another person is feeling, however, I do feel this very strong gut-wrenching feeling in the pit of my stomach when I see a wound or injury on another person. I wanted to be a nurse, but I am way too sensitive because of the feeling of others' pain in the pit of my stomach. I wouldn't consider that the mirror thing he was talking about, but I'm guessing there is a name for what I go through. I'm a very empathetic person as well, so maybe it's part of the empathy I feel for others.

[@shadiahaliya512]

oh my, he's beautiful

[@humfyb2544]

OMG, that's insane!

[@g.willikers1376]

Being extra anything can be painful. Most people think of Starbuck's as a happy place to gather. Not me. Without fail, every time I use the bathroom at Starbuck's I hear a pounding sound in my head - not always right away, I have to wait for it sometimes, but no matter how long it is I wait, there it is, every time. But even worse is that every time I hear the pounding, when I leave the bathroom I suddenly have the ability to see the pain of others. Depending on the number of people, it can be overwhelming. It's mostly in their eyes and shoulders, and frequently the neck and jaw area. It's heartbreaking. The world is filled with so much pain, and anger too. Not just at Starbuck's. Everywhere I go.

[@rachelw6227]

I would love to buy this book! Sounds interesting! Has anyone here read it and can tell me if it's good? And where can I buy it?

[@coconutsadface6979]

This just made me think of the black mirror episode

[@Guenter34]

"I feeled it in my body" 😂😂

[@XxHUNT3RN4T0RxX]

The real Dr. Dawson from Pain Addict in Black Mirror. But without the helmet.

[@davidconjefferson]

I have grapheme Synesthesia, colored note Synesthesia, and chromesthesia... I'm worried I have or have developed touch-emotion Synesthesia, involuntary emotions associated with every texture and surface I touch (or can't touch). HELP?!

[@littlejarofhopes]

I know this is irrelevant, but his skin is glowing ✨✨

[@kyokusei]

I also have mirror touch synesthesia, along with several other types.

[@amberleecg]

I have it but sometimes it gets that bad that I cry, I’ve been to doctors bc of my mothers concerns

[@jackpez]

Why did I hear a crunch as the guy jumped into the thumbtacks?

[@TwitchyMoth]

I have mirror touch synesthesia and watching crime shows is something I love to do but it also Fucks me up badly

[@Rosiehamilton49]

Can a lots people stop to my friend i know him . I'm chapter 7 of his book and yes mirror touch is a real thing Because his brain is different and since happens in1.6 percent of people and lot of people don't have it. and too me he's not just the doctor that feel your pain but a great and kind man and very lucky to know him so stop being mean to my friend. as humans need more Empathy and kindness towards each other.

[@caitlin1912]

WAIT this is like that episode from Black Mirror

[@carbonaracrack9705]

Wow I think

[@gwen2221]

What the fuck

[@itzsusanx3]

My reactions when I first heard about it. I was watching a show and they mentioned it, I was so lost but like, it's insanity because you're always in some sort of pain especially considering if you're in a hospital looking at a patient and they're sick or something, you feel it.

[@oriusthecentaur8736]

Gerard Way How did Gerard Way fans end up here?

[@tessabiggs2917]

Boy I wish lived this doctor was in Australia.

[@dovestone_]

BLACK MIRROR. Nuff said.

[@carolynmmitchell2240]

Katie Ahronson do the majority of younger females watch that shit or something?

[@dovestone_]

carolyn mmitchell what do you mean

[@summerdais325]

I wish I could see him.

[@mckaylawalczak2706]

Why wasnt there a paper cut video, those hurt

[@gamingfreak5913]

I thought that he recreates what his patients go through and does it to himself lool

[@dolphinswilltakeover]

He probably never watched a horror movie in his life

[@danicat5956]

I don't feel pain when I see it, maybe slightly. For me it's like if I see cigarette smoke on tv I can feel it on my face, or wind blowing on tv it can feel it. Water?? I feel it too. Someine brushes there hair outta there face i feel it. It doesn't happen all the time but when it does it's super startling. I thought everyone did it.

[@rosettawilliams9133]

He is a high level emathic doctor

[@lincheahall8571]

I get the pain in my lower abdomen upper pelvic area.

[@mashthebanana]

ARGHHH! NO! I'm literally heaving from those thumbtacks ;-;

[@attyyyehuiii4062]

Black mirror

[@AJ-dj2bj]

2:15 Feeled

[@Codemanlex]

Being a doctor is cool.. Lol Too bad i wasn't the type to take my book so serious ..

[@repentance1748]

my pain is personal, I don't want to share.

[@maryobrien6834]

I have arthritis and I can see pain on others. It's a sinsitivity to the grimaces and breath holding and ways I react. It's on days the borometor is low under 29. And I am careful to smile and remind them to be good to themselves. I'm feeling my pain and seeing it on them. And this opioid id epidemic is targeting us! People are suiciding because they can't get their 20 year long prescribed Meds that let us function. It's torture. We don't gets meds illegally and don't need narcan cos we are way under medicated. We don't fail pee tests and have one pain doc and one pharmacy. Just so you kno. Yes I order cbd oil but can't afford it. Legal mm in my state but I don't need to get hi. Pray for us. We are everywhere.

[@beckyhoyt4244]

mary obrien Bless you Mary. You are 100% accurate.

[@FALpwn]

I don't feel anything when I see random people get hurt I don't think I have mirror touch.

[@kadijakallon2533]

Who remembers the black mirror episode of the doctor 😅

[@davidconjefferson]

Where in the world has a staff team of mirror-touch Synesthesia doctors?

[@johnpaulbdeluna]

This is extremely disturbing 😢😢😢

[@fooddrugadministrator4079]

I feel people's pain already since I was on Ritalin SR

[@KM-xi5dn]

Omg black mirror vibes

[@indiranarayan9576]

2:14 felt* (I think)

[@200alyk]

But do they feel intense pain/physical? Or just the feeling?

[@lincheahall8571]

For me it's a pressurized tingling sensation in my lower abdomen, upper stomach and lower spine.

[@servillian2363]

“I feeled”

[@Vextations]

Servillian hi anime fan. I watch Boku no hero too!

[@fluffle7659]

0-0 I felt a tingle in my feet at the thum tacs aaahh

[@adenkhan5128]

Question for him... What if you don’t know if someone is in pain? Can you still feel it?

[@GIguy]

Insane! What's wrong with people??

[@ras_krystafari3333]

"I feeled it in my body"

[@fatimaadams7661]

6 months and a few days I am having a baby so contractions are horrible.

[@ACEshredZ]

I have synesthesia with sound.

[@emileemay6853]

“When roadrunner gets hit by a truck I get hit by a truck” “Is it literal pain?” “I Fealed the pain!” A believe the word he was looking for is felt😂

[@sherilynstarzko8116]

I just want to know , how a person could get in touch w this guy? I would like to get a real diagnosis from him. Drs here r useless Waiting 18 yrs for a diagnosis is just sickening!

[@emanuelshamku141]

So if you make something to control this the gaming community will love it.

[@raymondpittman8705]

He will be booked solid after this. *Cough, cough*

[@evalynna-a5425]

I had that my parents don't, damn those tacks f*cking hurt

[@watchgoose]

a true empath

[@anitavaughn1968]

Thankfully all I get is sympathy pains.

[@medika9651]

0:52 OH GOD THIS IS FUCKING PAINFUL

[@v1op26]

So what happens when he watches a bunch of stoners?🤔😂😂

[@oliviamalerich462]

Does this remind anyone of Yellowfang?

[@peachylady]

Black mirror.

[@JANELLEFUCKINGPIERZINA]

It's called being an empath. I'm one as well. 😊

[@beares6281]

No, Mirror touch is a kind of a neurological condition called Synesthesia. Yours is just a character trait.

[@carolynmmitchell2240]

yeah your picture totally looks empathic..

[@jingle390]

Hi Jessica, I am an empath too. He doesn't seemed to have learnt to push the pain away rather then absorb it, it took me a while to do but I was shown how to do it while learning vibrational medicine. If used in the right way it is a gift that can used to heal those in pain, however sadly I fear that he may never learn how to use this gift he has been given.

[@stellastevens790]

No..

[@beckyhoyt4244]

JESSICA. FUCKING. GRAF. Me too! I can watch these videos and feel my nerves in my whole body react. It is very uncomfortable.

[@eglmusic1743]

0:31 Did he just get shot in the head???

[@vanessa000fly]

I didnt feel anything watching them... Whats my condition?

[@zulyanis9611]

dude is crazy

[@charleenhopkins3590]

no not a thing

[@taylorrich-lane454]

...black mirror?

[@repentance1748]

he looks like a vampire

[@Rubikari]

Why does he look like he's made of porcelain or plastic?

[@prasadaswin]

Balck museum balck mirror

[@kenziei7710]

No ma’am I’ve seen black mirror

[@nerdchelle8432]

Not to be vulgar but out of genuine curiosity, does this happen with pleasure too? Like what happens if he watches porn or even something totally innocent like if he sees someone getting a hug? Can he feel everything he sees or just pain?

[@user-hs7ms2qz8q]

nerdchelle 🤣🤣😂

[@sierrawilson1637]

bruh i'd be watching it everyday if that was the case

[@amelialapidakis269]

nerdchelle Actually, sometimes if you have this you can feel pressure on your back when you see people hugging. It's just really interesting.

[@ras_krystafari3333]

Cool Cat Meow yea and you also get flooded with the memories and experiences of both people hugging and you can like remember birthdays and passcodes and pin numbers its wildly fascinating, its almost as cool as the pressure you feel on you back-.-

[@humfyb2544]

If he is not a doctor, it's kinda hard to believe it.

[@lemonlimesnout]

what the actual FUCK

[@ivy5614]

He’s cute😉

[@Ilovecats1989]

Looks like something out of jackass.

[@leahdavie5273]

He must hate watching ridiculousness

[@adiyatikusuma531]

Saya merasakan penyakit orang lain hanya dengan cara bicara , wa , bersentuhan sama orang lain.