Psychologist Studies Mystery Of Stigmata
A local psychologist is investigating the causes of stigmata, the mysteriously appearing wounds resembling those that Christians believe Jesus received when he was crucified.
Usually it turns out to be self-mutilation or something else science can explain, Mario Martinez said. In rare cases, stigmata occur.
''I wouldn't try to reduce it to a black or white thing,'' he said. ''My job is to rule (things) out. That's really the job of the scientist.''
Martinez came to Nashville in 1974 to do post-doctoral work at Vanderbilt University and has worked as a clinical psychologist since. In 1989, Martinez's interest in how emotions and spiritual beliefs affect biology and the immune system led him to study stigmata. He has investigated cases for various bishops of the Catholic church in this country, Europe and the Caribbean, he said.
The Catholic church does not recognize stigmata as divine intervention, and when it cannot be disproved by scientific means, the church leaves the matter open to individual interpretation, Martinez said.
''I believe in miracles, but I also believe that the miracle is really the ability that we have, the power of belief,'' Martinez said.
Stigmata have been in the news recently because last month, Pope John Paul II declared Padre Pio, one of the most famous stigmatics, to be a saint. Padre Pio lived in Italy and first experienced the wounds in 1918, during World War I.
Padre Pio was canonized not because of those wounds, but because of the holy life that he lived and the miracles of spontaneous healing that were attributed to him, Martinez said. According to Catholic church teachings, a person must perform two miracles to be declared a saint.
Some characteristics of stigmata — in addition to the mysteriously occurring wounds in the hands, wrists, feet or sides — defy explanation.
The stigmatics' wounds do not get infected, a condition Martinez calls a ''superimmunity.'' This occurs, Martinez said, because a person's belief is so strong that it may change the body's biology.
The mind and what a person knows about Christ are integral to stigmata, and changes in those beliefs are reflected in its occurrences.
For example, Padre Pio's wounds were in his palms, where traditional belief has held that the nails were driven into Christ's hands, Martinez said.
However, newer archaeological research shows that nails were more likely driven into the wrists of the crucified, where the arms' bone structure would better support the weight of the body, Martinez said.
More recent stigmatics have had wounds in their wrists instead of in their hands, Martinez said.
Working with people who have stigmata-related wounds is often a delicate process, Martinez said, because they experience a psychospiritual conflict.
One man Martinez worked with had an internal struggle, because his wounds were extremely painful, yet he viewed them as a gift from God.
''The conflict was to give it up might mean being ungrateful to God, and to keep it is to live a life of suffering.''
Stigmatics often hold to a medieval model of suffering as redemptive. A renewal of faith often occurs in their communities and people are often healed of illnesses, Martinez said.
He told the man, whom Martinez did not identify because of confidentiality agreements, to focus on Christ's love, and not his suffering, as a way to connect with God.
After about a month and a half, Martinez said, this man's wounds became infected and then began healing.
Martinez said he sees his work in investigating stigmata and working to find its scientific basis as a way of helping the church. The few times that bishops have contacted him, Martinez said, he has investigated the cases free of charge.
''That's my contribution, I think, to the church,'' he said. ''You do something pro bono because you believe in it.''
• Story originally published by:
The Tennessean | Brian Lewis - July 21.02
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