Stigmata

May 7, 2016

Categories: uncommon

Stigmata (singular stigma) is a term used by members of the Christian faith to describe body marks, sores, or sensations of pain in locations corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus Christ, such as the hands, wrists, and feet.

Stigmatics, who are typically devout Roman Catholics, do not see their affliction as a terrifying menace but instead as a miraculous blessing — a sign that they have been specially chosen by God to suffer the same wounds Son of God (Yeshua/Jesus) did.

Some modern research has indicated stigmata are of hysterical origin, or linked to dissociative identity disorders, especially the link between dietary constriction by self-starvation, dissociative mental states and self-mutilation, in the context of a religious belief.
Anorexia nervosa cases often display self-mutilation similar to stigmata as part of a ritualistic, obsessive–compulsive disorder.
A relationship between starvation and self-mutilation has been reported amongst prisoners of war and during famines.

Stigmata might first come to mind, but there are many terms for the spontaneous bleeding — psychogenic purpura, autoerythrocyte sensitization, Gardner-Diamond syndrome.
It might be also caused by rare blood disorder (psychosomatic bleeding).

Patients of ‘stigmata’ can have spontaneous bleeding into the skin that is controlled by the emotions. These people are not doing it on purpose and nobody understands how

it works, but clearly blood vessels can be controlled by emotions.

St. Francis of Assisi is the first recorded stigmatic in Christian history. In 1224, two years before his death.
From the records of St. Francis’ physical ailments and symptoms, in 1935 that St. Francis had health problems, had quartan malaria.
Quartan malaria infects the liver, spleen, and stomach, causing the victim intense pain.
One complication of quartan malaria occasionally seen around Francis’ time is known as purpura, a purple hemorrhage of blood into the skin.
Purpuras usually occur symmetrically, so each hand and foot would have been affected equally. If this were the case for St. Francis, he would have been afflicted by ecchymoses, an exceedingly large purpura. The purple spots of blood may have been punctured while in the wilderness and therefore appear as an open wound like that of Christ.

People can keep of what they believe about stigmata. It’s all about what people believe with faith.

As for me, I don’t care about stigmata, either it’s sign of Jesus’ crucifixion wounds or rare blood disorder or self mutilation.

I just believe in God as the Greatest Creator and Jesus (Yeshua) as the Greatest Philosopher of Compassion and Forgiveness who against hypocrisy, as well as my redeemer. -The End –

Pietà