Journal of psychosomatic research
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Consistent with the human tendency to anthropomorphize objects, events, and situations, individuals might ascribe human characteristics to physical symptoms and illnesses. This manuscript presents an examination of chronic pain personification in torture survivors. Specifically, it was hypothesized that torture survivors personify chronic pain as a torturing sensation. It was further hypothesized that PTSD mediates the effect of past torture on torturing pain personification. ⋯ The findings suggest that trauma shapes the way individuals relate to and experience their bodily sensations.