Marie-Christine Nizzi

Lesions to the upper brain stem can result in a rare neurological disorder known as Locked-in Syndrome. Locked-in patients are paralyzed—except for the ability among some to communicate via upper eyelid movements. From the outside, patients appear to be in a coma, yet inside they are completely conscious. With the help of technology, these patients’ ability to communicate with the outside world can be improved. Surprisingly, when asked about the quality of their lives, most patients report satisfaction. For Marie-Christine Nizzi, a PhD candidate in psychology, these individuals challenge our expectations about personal identity.

According to Nizzi, philosophers have often assumed that the body matters less than the mind in defining who we are. “Our bodies change all the time, so they don’t appear to provide a good barometer for how we stay the same person throughout life,” Nizzi explains. “On the other hand, if we want to help patients facing life-changing diagnoses, we need to understand precisely how individuals can remain themselves while adjusting to change.”

Nizzi is also studying the experiences of face transplant recipients, sexual assault survivors, and wounded veterans. “All these patients have undergone a huge degree of change in how they experience their bodies,” Nizzi explains. “I want to find out what supports their sense of self.” 

Using measurement tools that she developed to assess one’s understanding of the self, Nizzi discovered similar patterns across trauma survivors. “Patients who described a discontinuity or breach in their identity have a much higher incidence of PTSD, depression, and suicidal thoughts, and they report a lower quality of life,” Nizzi says. “On the other hand, patients who were able to integrate these changes into their identity had better outcomes across the board.” 

For Nizzi, these results suggest that if psychologists could help patients rebuild a healthy sense of self, other aspects of patients’ mental health would also improve. Nizzi is now developing a treatment program designed to do just that. “I’m hoping to create the first clinic in which we teach patients how to rebuild their sense of self in order to improve their ability to cope with the conditions they are facing,” she says.