Seen At 11: Doctor Literally Feels His Patients' Pain Through Synesthesia

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- We've all heard the expression, "I feel your pain," but for some people, it's literally true.

As CBS2's Kristine Johnson reported Friday night, some people actually feel the pain and discomfort of others. It is a connection rooted in a rare medical condition.

"When I see people, I have the sensation of whatever touches their body on my own body as well, and it's kind of reflected as a mirror," said Dr. Joel Salinas, a neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital.

The syndrome is called mirror touch synesthesia, and it allows people to feel others' sensations. Salinas said he has had the condition for as long as he can remember.

"When I was a kid, having these experiences where if I would see someone hug, I would feel the hug on myself, or if I would see someone get hit, I would kind of feel the sensation on me as well," he said.

Salinas said the experience can be unsettling.

"I remember one patient who unfortunately had the amputation of the arm from an accident. And I remember feeling as if my arm was dismembered and I could feel, kind of, the blood," he said.

Many people say they cannot imagine going through life like that.

"It would be a nightmare," a man said. "You'd implode."

"There's too many people to feel all their pain," a woman said.

"I think that would be disturbing, actually," a man said.

But Salinas has learned to control his synesthesia, so that the cues he is bombarded with do not distract him to a major degree.

"It's not a commonly understood condition," said psychiatrist Dr. Alan Manevitz.

Manevitz said the condition is so rare that many go undiagnosed – and that leads to problems.

"When somebody doesn't understand what's happening to them is they can get demoralized, and demoralization can lead to depression," he said. "They can also get worried about things, and worry can lead to anxiety."

But Salinas said there is more of an upside to his synesthesia, and his patients are better off for it.

"It's like there's a wall that's torn down when you feel a lot of the sensations that your patients feel as well. So it's almost like being aggressively put in somebody else's shoes." he said. "It's part of who I am. It would be weird not to have it."

Once diagnosed, the synesthesia can be treated with biofeedback techniques or therapy. Experts said about 1 to 2 percent of the population have some form of the condition.