Radiolab: "Where Am I?"

Date: May 5, 2006
Hosts: Jad Abumrad & Robert Krulwich
Featured Guests: Oliver Sacks, Robert Sapolsky, Antonio Damasio, VS Ramachandran, Ian Waterman, Jonathan Cole, Dan Fulghum, Jim Whinnery, Tim Sestak, among others

Episode Overview

This gripping episode delves into the mysterious relationship between the brain and the body—how our brains construct, experience, and sometimes lose track of the sense of self. Through poignant interviews, thought experiments, dramatic reenactments, and scientific stories, Radiolab explores what happens when lines of communication between body and brain go awry, challenging the conventional sense of where "I" begin and end.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Brain-Body Conversation

Timestamps: 00:53–02:00

• The episode opens with hosts reflecting on how humans are always translating bodily information: the body supplies raw sensation, which the brain interprets into feelings and self-awareness.
• Oliver Sacks demonstrates rare-earth magnets that can orient to the Earth's magnetic field, sparking a conversation about augmenting or supplementing human senses—e.g., by "feeling" North in your thighs like migratory birds (02:02–03:14).

  “I am very bad at orienting myself in space.” —Oliver Sacks [02:00]

2. Emotional Perception: The Body Knows First

Timestamps: 04:13–10:34

• Neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky explains how the body, through the amygdala, can register emotional reactions before the brain consciously processes events. (Ex: seeing a friend’s corpse; body reacts before mind comprehends) [06:08]
• William James' counterintuitive theory revisited: feelings are perceptions of bodily changes, not just mental processes.

  “Your body knows it before you consciously know it.” —Sapolsky [06:50]

• Damasio’s research: People with paralysis or lacking bodily sensation report blunted emotional experience (09:31–10:12).

3. Real-Life Example: The Domestic Argument

Timestamps: 11:14–14:29

• A humorous/insightful fight between Robert Krulwich and his wife Tamar Lewin illustrates how emotional systems in the body (heart rate, stomach clenching) persist even after a conflict is "resolved" intellectually (12:16).
• Notable gender difference: Women’s physiological arousal from arguments generally takes longer to dissipate, sometimes keeping old resentments alive.

  “Sometimes the body actually tricks the brain.” —Sapolsky (paraphrased by hosts) [13:23]

4. Phantom Limbs: Ownership Beyond the Body

Timestamps: 16:47–26:31

• Soldiers in the Civil War reported feeling pain, sensation, or movement in amputated limbs ("phantom limbs"). William James and Dr. Silas Mitchell both investigated these experiences.
• Dr. VS Ramachandran describes the case of a patient with a painful paralyzed phantom limb. Ramachandran invents the "mirror box" technique—using mirrors to "trick" the brain back into imagining/controlling the missing limb, sometimes relieving pain or even "erasing" the limb entirely (21:42–24:29).

  “My God, doctor, you’re not going to believe this. The movements have all come back... all these movements in my fingers, in my elbow, in my wrist from 11 years ago come flooding into my mind.” —VS Ramachandran, quoting patient [23:07] “This is the first example in the history of medicine of a successful amputation of a phantom limb.” —VS Ramachandran [25:03]

5. Proprioception: Losing and Rebuilding the Sense of Self

Timestamps: 29:00–43:07

• Oliver Sacks describes "proprioception," the body’s internal sense of position, and poses the hypothetical horror of losing it (30:03–31:29).
• Ian Waterman’s story: After a mysterious illness, Waterman lost all proprioceptive feedback and some touch, becoming one of only six known cases. Unlike most, he painstakingly relearned to move—by visually tracking his body and consciously controlling each muscle, gesture, and movement (32:57–37:37).

  “From the neck down, I had no control over my limbs.” —Ian Waterman [34:56] “Every day, every move that Ian makes, he has to consciously direct. It’s as though Ian were two people. A puppeteer and a puppet. His mind is directing and his body is obeying. And the strings of Ian’s puppet, interestingly, are his eyes.” —Krulwich [37:21] “If I look away from my hand, I lose all connection with it.” —Ian Waterman [37:52]

• Waterman’s attention lapse (distracted by a pretty girl!) almost makes him fall—illustrating the perpetual focus required for his daily functioning (39:55–41:12).

6. Body Schema and Out-of-Body Experiences in Pilots

Timestamps: 44:24–57:58

• Neuropsychologist Paul Broks introduces "body schema": the brain’s internal map of where the body is in space, a subconscious model sometimes tricked or disrupted.
• Dan Fulghum, a pilot, describes a terrifying "out of body" sensation while flying, as if watching himself pilot the plane from above after a hard maneuver (45:56–46:42).

  “I was watching myself not knowing it was me. What’s going on here? I’m just gonna watch this for a little while.” —Dan Fulghum [46:08]

• FAA scientist Jim Whinnery uses a centrifuge to study blackout and dissociation in pilots exposed to high G-forces. Volunteers (like Tim Sestak) describe loss of vision, delusional "dreamlets," and even out-of-body or near-death-like experiences as the brain loses contact with the body due to blood loss (49:01–56:45).

  “I actually had no idea who I was, where I was, or what I was doing. I hear this beeping, there’s this white light beeping...” —Tim Sestak [51:23]

• Even scientists experience these phenomena, reinforcing how the brain constructs reality (and self) from intermittent, sometimes missing, bodily feedback.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Your body knows it before you consciously know it." —Robert Sapolsky [06:50]
• “If you took away the body, there’d be nothing left to feel.” —William James paraphrased [08:23]
• “From the neck down, I had no control over my limbs.” —Ian Waterman [34:56]
• “Every move that Ian makes, he has to consciously direct. It’s as though Ian were two people. A puppeteer and a puppet.” —Robert Krulwich [37:21]
• “I was watching myself not knowing it was me.” —Dan Fulghum [46:08]
• “I actually had no idea who I was, where I was, or what I was doing.” —Tim Sestak (on G-force blackout) [51:23]
• “This is the first example in the history of medicine of a successful amputation of a phantom limb.” —VS Ramachandran [25:03]

Important Segments: Timestamps Quick Reference

• Proprioception & Oliver Sacks: 00:53–03:50
• Sapolsky on Emotion & William James: 04:13–10:34
• Fighting with Your Body & Partner: 11:14–14:29
• Phantom Limbs & Ramachandran: 16:47–26:31
• Ian Waterman’s Story: 29:00–43:07
• Pilots, Blackouts & Out of Body: 44:24–57:58

Episode Tone & Language

The episode fluidly blends scientific rigour with empathy, curiosity, and playful banter. Personal stories, scientific interviews, and re-enactments are mixed with gentle humor and awe. The language is accessible but never dumbed down; hosts and guests bring passion and, at times, real vulnerability to these questions about our selves.

Summary Takeaways

“Where Am I?” explores the often-illusory line between body and mind, showing how our sense of confidence in knowing “where we are” depends on a continuous, complex conversation between nerve signals, perception, and conscious thought. We are a mix of sensation and interpretation, and that dialogue—at times, fragile—shapes who we are in each moment.

Further Information

• For more stories and references, visit radiolab.org
• Notable books referenced: "A Brief Tour of Human Consciousness" by VS Ramachandran, "Pride and a Daily Marathon" by Jonathan Cole

Contributors

Thanks to all guests, scientists, and steadfastly experimental producers for sharing these profound, sometimes surreal journeys between body, brain, and self.