"A hidden part of myself": Examining Felt Presence and Bodily Self Across the Psychosis Spectrum

Abstract

Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness that was first characterized by disruption in one’s sense of core self, including disrupted embodiment. A sense that the self is embodied (i.e., contained within the physical boundaries of the body) is essential for adaptive interactions with the external world; however, individuals with schizophrenia-spectrum conditions are at elevated risk for experiencing disconnection between the self and the body (i.e., disembodiment). Two forms of autoscopic hallucinations involve projection of one’s own body imagery to the space surrounding the physical body: felt presence (FP) and out of body experience (OBE). To specify the role of bodily self-disturbance in psychosis, we examined qualities of these experiences across degrees of psychosis-risk in the general population and among individuals with schizophrenia. Results suggest that autoscopic hallucinations are vividly related to the bodily self in psychosis, and highlight the importance of points of physical contact with the external world in improving salience of bodily self in psychosis.