The phenomenon of the stigmata provides a dramatic demonstration of the intimate relationship between the mind and the body. Stigmata are eruptions on the skin that symbolize a belief held by the stigmatic. During the past eight centuries, over 300 cases have been reported. In most accounts, stigmatics have been devourt Roman Catholics, and the marks have represented the wounds received by Christ - whip marks on the back from the flogging, nail wounds o n the hands and feet, pricks on the head from the crown of thorns and the spear wound in the side. Occasional reports have been made of the Moslems displaying stigmata symbolizing the battle wounds of Mohamme. The marks can take a variety of forms: a reddening of the skin; the appearance of blisters of welts; and the oozing of blood or clear serum from apparently unbroken skin.

In the new testament letter to the Galatians (6:17), Paul wrote; "From henceforth let no man trouble me; for I bear in my body the marks [in the original Greek, stigmata] of the Lord Jesus." Believers in the divine origin of stimata point to this passage as Biblical justification for their faith. It is unlikely hat Paul actually had stigmata in the modern sense of the term; he may have been referring to injuries received as a result of persecution. The only other hint of possible stigmatic phenomena prior to the 1200's is found in the Book of Kells, a ninth century Irish illuminated manuscript in which St. Matthew is kepicted with red marks like nail wounds on his feet.

A broadly accepted tradition holds that the first stigmatic was St. Francis of Assisi. Two years before his death in 1226, Francis undertook a spiritual retreat in a hut on Monte LaVerna. His practices involved fasting to the point of starvation, and other acts of self-mortification. One morning, he was meditating on the experience of Christ of the cross. Then, according to the Fioretti (a near-contemporary biographical source, translated by Sherley-Price):

While he was thus inflamed by this contemplation, he saw a seraph [angel] with six shining, fiery wings descend from heaven. This seraph drew near to St. Francis in swift flight, so that he coul see him clearly and recognize that he had the form of a man crucified...St. Francis gazed on him he was filled with
great fear, and at the same time with great joy, sorrow and wonder.... Then after a long period of secret converse this marvellous vision faded, leving.... in his body a wonderful image and imprint of the Passion of Christ. For in the hands and feet of St. Francis forthwith began to appear the marks of the nails in the same manner as he had seen them in the body of Jesus crucified.

The marks were said to stain Francis' clothing with blood and to prevent him from walking. They remained visible on his cropse.

By the end of the 13th century, at least 31 other cases of stigmata were recorded. Six of these occurred in single convent in Frieburg, Germany. Without a doubt, a desire to emulate the beloved saint was responsible for this upsurge. Over the ensuing centuries, reports of the phenomenon have continued. The Catholic churc includes stigmata in their list of CHARISMs or experiences that may be associated with holiness. In themselves, however, stigmata are not viewed as foolproof signs of sanctity - saints may have stigmata, but not all stigmatics are saints.

Since the 19th century, scholars have attempted to organize and analyze the accounts of stimata. The first comprehensive study was undertaken by Imbert-Goubayre. He published h is findings in a two-volume work, La Stigmatisation, in 1894. Another important early reseracher was Thurston, whose papers were published posthu mously in 1950 as The Physical Phenomena of Mysticism. Reviews of the literature on stigmata have shown that the case of St. Francis possesses many features which recur in more recent instances. Non-Catholic examples or not, almost all stigmatics display an extraordinarily intense religioius devotion. Imbert-Goubayre's survey of 321 cases found that almost two-thirds of the stigmatics in his sample belonged to religious orders.

A previous history of traumatic experience, either accidental or self-inflicted, is characteristic of stigmatics since St. Francis' time. One was gored by a bull; another fell into a sawpit; another had a premature baby who strangled on the umbilical cord while she gave birth to him on a toilet. Many stigmatics were fond of tortuing themselves as acts of spiritual devotion. Typical was the 19th century stigmatic Teresa Higginson, who slept on an old sack studded with knitting needles and sharpened sticks, and who rubbed hot coals on her breasts.

St. Francis was also tpical in that the onset o f his stigmata was preceded by deep meditation on the events of the crucifixion. Many of the more recent stigmatics have seemed almost obsessed with the cross, decorating their dwellings with many crucifixes.

Another common feature found in the Franciscan model is the occurrence of a vision assocated with the commencement of the stigmata. In an account from 20th century Canada, a young woman was asked to mind a absent relative's house for a night. She became very nervous, fearing intruders, and was unable to sleep. She reported that avision of Christ appeared to her, after which she felt reassured and fell asleep. Upon awakening the next morning, she found she had developed stigmata on her h ands. These marks persisted for one year, vanishing on the anniversary of their appearance.

Altough the prototypical stigmatic saint was a man, there have been about seven female stigmatics for ever male. The precise location of the marks have varied greatly, seemingly in line with the specific beliefs of the individual stigmatics. In the case of Anne Emmerich, a Y-shaped cross appeared on her breast which resembled the cross she had contemplated as a shild; and "lash marks" on the shoulders of st. Gemma Galagani correspoinded to those on a favorite crucifix.

How are themysterious markins formed? In some cases, the explanation appears to be mundane; self-mutilation. For instance, the 14th century stigmatic Lukardis of Oberweimar "would strike violentl the place of the wounds in each palm; delivering another fierce blow in the same spot, the tip of her finger seeming somehow to be pointed like a nail." In order to attract the adoration of believers, some individuals are capable of wounding themselves. Such behavior need not be conscioius fraud - sufferers of DISSOCIATIVE DISORDERS have frequently been observed to mutilate themselves and later eny any knowledge of the cause of their injuries, with apparent sincerity. A skin disorder called dermographia, most often found among dissociative sufferers and persons who have undergone extreme stress, renders the skin so sensitive that a mrere gentle touch can cause discoloration or ever welts.

In man instances, however, some other mechanism seems to be responsible for the occurrence of stigmata. Cases in which blood has emered through intact skin are reasonablywell documented, and the issuance of blood from a stigmatic limb while encsed in a plaster cast has also been reported. The possibility that a psychological process coul directly cause physiological changes producing stigmata is not implausible. Even under normal circumstances, mental states can influence the distribution of blood in the body" embarrassment causes flushing of the skin; sexual excitement shifts blood to the enitals. Dermatology journals have recorded a phenomenon known as psychogenic purpura, in which skin inflammation and the hemorrhage of blood from capillaries occurs in response to stress.

The most dramatic evidence that stigmata can occur without external injury to the skin was reported by Lechler in 1933. He produced and photographed the swelling of blood from the feet, hands, forehead, and eyelids of a hypnotic subject who was under continuous observation. No self-mutilatory behavior was dectected. Although further confirmations of this bizarre phenomenon would be desirable, our current knowledge suggests the likelihood that strongly held beliefs can drastically affect the flesh.

For further reading: Barber; Murphy; Nickell; Owen (1970); Ratnoff; Sherley-Price; Wilson.

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