The self, its body and its brain

Abstract

The body is intrinsic to our sense of self and as such, any theoretical account of the self should also include contributions of the body. This Collection incorporates a series of papers that demonstrate the inextricable relationship between body and self. The papers include studies of body illusions and studies of observed differences in bodily experience in participants with psychiatric and physical conditions. Papers in the Collection also address methodological issues, because measuring and manipulating the bodily self does not come without challenges; subjective experiences are difficult to capture empirically. Making progress on these methodological limitations is crucial to further develop experimental design and thus our understanding of self-body relations.