Secrets of the Mind

The mind works in mysterious ways. Now, one man is solving some astounding brain-teasers.

A blind man can see. Another feels pain in his missing arm. One believes he’s God. A son thinks his parents are imposters. Are their thoughts real…or just "in their heads"? In this remarkable NOVA, pioneering brain detective V.S. Ramachandran, hailed as "the Sherlock Holmes of neuroscience," tackles four mysterious cases and delivers mind-boggling conclusions.

Our brains can distort how we see ourselves and the world around us. Ramachandran, armed with such tools as mirrors, cotton swabs, an insatiable mind and a keen sense of humor, brilliantly sleuths his way through the human mind’s strangest maladies.

Investigate his breakthrough research in phantom limb syndrome, and how he discovered how the brain undergoes a massive "re-wiring" when a person loses a limb. Explore the power of the mind in pain control. See how frightening seizures result in unbelievably intense spiritual experiences. And, discover how findings learned from brain injuries help us learn about the normal brain.