Doctors confirm woman's imaginary third arm

Summary

April 1, 2009: A 64 years-old Swiss woman has reported that she has an imaginary "third arm" that appeared after she had suffered a stroke. It appears pale, milky-white, and she can use it to "scratch her cheek", though it isn't able to interface with real objects in any way. After scientists examined her with the aid of magnetic resonance imaging, they concluded that she really experienced this phenomenon, and classified it under a rare disorder called supernumerary phantom limb (SPL).

Source

Bibliography

1. Original story

Game and Story Use

• People who experience this could develop psychic powers, perhaps a form of telekinesis which allows their third arm to move objects.
  • Conversely, perhaps people who develop telekinesis must imagine their powers in this way, resulting in a range limitation on their power.
• Alternatively the relevant areas of her brain could be connected to a cybernetic arm and used as an alternative to motor areas damaged by her stroke.
• Long term, this could lead to an understanding of the way the brain establishes motor areas, helping with the integration of cybernetics, the creation of synthetic neural systems and/or the repair of brain damage.
• What if your supernumerary phantom limb is also afflicted with alien hand syndrome. It starts doing things beyond your control, but only you can see it.
• A fourth-dimensional lifeform, tulpa, doppleganger, spirit, or other entity might make its entrance into our reality this way. Appearing first as an extra mental limb visible to a single person, initially under their control but slowly gaining agency and independence. Eventually it grabs on and pulls an entire creature out of their side. The victim is the doorway between worlds!