--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Martin said, \"It feels as though part of…" description: "\"Martin said, \"It feels as though part of my self has detached and gone to Amsterdam, where it—she—is waiting for me. Do you know about phantom-limb syn..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cc/audrey-niffenegger-1298_absence_martin-said-it-feels-as-though-part-of-m_2590316.jpg" --- # Martin said, "It feels as though part of my self has… ![“Martin said, "It feels as though part of my self has detached and gone to Amsterdam, where it—she—is waiting for me. Do you know about phantom-limb syndrome?" Julia nodded. "There's pain where she ought to be. It's feeding the other pain, the thing that makes me wash and count and all that. So her…” quote by Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cc/audrey-niffenegger-1298_absence_martin-said-it-feels-as-though-part-of-m_2590316.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cc/audrey-niffenegger-1298_absence_martin-said-it-feels-as-though-part-of-m_2590316.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cc/audrey-niffenegger-1298_absence_martin-said-it-feels-as-though-part-of-m_2590316.jpg) > “Martin said, "It feels as though part of my self has detached and gone to Amsterdam, where it—she—is waiting for me. Do you know about phantom-limb syndrome?" Julia nodded. "There's pain where she ought to be. It's feeding the other pain, the thing that makes me wash and count and all that. So her absence is stopping me from going to find her. Do you see?” [Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator feels a phantom limb of a missing self, causing pain and compulsive rituals. **In simple terms:** Missing self causes pain. Key Takeaway Acknowledge loss and seek healing. Themes psychology loss identity Mood melancholic introspective Type literary psychological When to use this quote - Therapy - grief counseling - creative expression Key Concepts Neuroscience attachment theory Questions to Reflect On - How does this metaphor relate to your life? - What rituals help you cope? A Different Perspective Phantom sensations may be symbolic, not literal. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence/) [Amsterdam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amsterdam/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Phantoms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phantoms/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Syndromes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/syndromes/) ## Related quotes > [She never got a chance to fall out of love, to do it properly, slowly and thoroughly, and the result was he was like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dunn/she-never-got-a-chance-to-fall-out-of-love-to-do-it-properly-slowly/) [Sarah Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dunn/) > [“The thing is, you can cut off a couple passions and only focus on one, but after a while, you’ll start to feel phantom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/the-thing-is-you-can-cut-off-a-couple-passions-and-only-focus-on-one/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“She suffered from the opposite of "phantom limb" syndrome; something essential appeared to be present, but it was not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/she-suffered-from-the-opposite-of-phantom-limb-syndrome-something/) [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) > [“if someone you loved died, someone who you were really close to, would they be like a phantom limb, still attached to you?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyn-november/if-someone-you-loved-died-someone-who-you-were-really-close-to-would/) Sharyn November > [“Oedipa sat on the earth, ass getting cold, wondering whether, as Driblette had suggested that night from the shower, some version of herself hadn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/oedipa-sat-on-the-earth-ass-getting-cold-wondering-whether-as/) [Thomas Pynchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pynchon/) > [“I once saw a show about an amputee who lost his leg and still feels it. 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Ambedkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-r-ambedkar/) [Browse all 2,057 Absence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Martin said, \"It feels as though part of my self has detached and gone to Amsterdam, where it—she—is waiting for me. Do you know about phantom-limb syndrome?\" Julia nodded. \"There's pain where she ought to be. It's feeding the other pain, the thing that makes me wash and count and all that. So her absence is stopping me from going to find her. 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