Migraine Art: The Migraine Experience from Within

Klaus Podoll, Derek Robinson

North Atlantic Books, Feb 24, 2009 - Art - 400 pages

Migraine Art includes more than 300 powerful illustrations and paintings created by migraine sufferers from around the world. It provides a thoroughly unique window into the subjective world of the migraine sufferer. The idea of collecting migraine art started with a number of public competitions in the 1980s, which encouraged artists, both amateur and professional, to illustrate the pain, the visual disturbances, and the effect migraines had on their lives. The book includes hundreds of these submissions as well as detailed descriptions of different types of migraine visual phenomena.

Covering such topics as migraine signs, triggers, and treatments, as well as types of visual hallucinations and somatic sensations and experiences, the book offers a comprehensive view of the migraine experience. Each category of visual disturbance is accompanied by related artwork. A description of migraine visual experiences of famous historical figures, such as Blaise Pascal and Lewis Carroll, provide historical background on the topic. The book also includes a history of four Migraine Art competitions and information about the Migraine Art collection.

Contents

• Historical Images of Migraine: 1
• The Migraine Experiences of Blaise Pascal: 9
• Migraine Experiences in Medical Illustrations: 18
• The Migraine Art Concept: 33
• The Migraine Art Collection: 43
• The Acute Migraine Attack: 57
• Minor Physical Signs and Symptoms: 66
• Trigger Factors: 75
• Somatosensory: 81
• Perception of the Body as Abnormally Large: 87
• OutofBody Experiences Seeing Ones Own Body: 97
• Other Body Image Disturbances: 117
• PainRelated Bodily Awareness: 128
• Electrical Thermal and Sense of Balance Sensations: 141
• Visual Disturbances: 147
• Visual Hallucinations: 175
• Visual Illusions: 251
• The Impact of Visual Disturbances on Daily Life: 288
• Language Disturbances: 295
• Appendix A: 319
• Endnotes: 343
• Subject Index: 367
• Index of Names: 375

About the author

Klaus Podoll, MD, is a senior physician at the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy of the University Hospital Aachen at RWTH Aachen University. He has written and coauthored numerous medical articles, book chapters, and two books on Migraine Art. Coeditor in chief of the Migraine Aura Foundation Web site, his current scientific interests focus on the neuropsychology and neuroesthetics of
migraine auras, including the rare variety of persistent aura.

Derek Robinson founded the Migraine Art concept in 1973. Between 1980 and 1987 he organized four national Migraine Art competitions sponsored by the Migraine Action Association (formerly known as the British Migraine Association) and Boehringer Ingelheim UK Limited. Until his death in 2001 he was the curator of the Migraine Art collection. He was also the coauthor of numerous medical articles and one book on Migraine Art.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Migraine Art: The Migraine Experience from Within; Utilizar sólo en el caso de series con títulos genéricos
• Authors: Klaus Podoll, Derek Robinson
• Contributor: Oliver Sacks
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: North Atlantic Books, 2009
• ISBN: 1556436726, 9781556436727
• Length: 400 pages
• Subjects: Art / Folk & Outsider Art