Reconstructing fatherhood after childhood trauma: a phenomenological study of Turkish men.

Limb loss, whether due to trauma, disease, or infection, often gives rise to a range of phantom sensations (). The most common of these include pain, tingling, cramping, temperature changes, pressure, and a sense of movement, all referred to the missing, or phantom limb (). Many phantom sensations, especially phantom limb pain (PLP), have been extensively documented in the clinical and psychological literatures (). However, one of the more unique or unusual post-amputation phenomena to occur, known as phantom limb telescoping, remains relatively underexplored. Telescoping refers to the sensation in which the phantom hand or foot is perceived to gradually move closer to the residual limb. The phantom extremity may eventually even retract completely into the residual limb where it is also perceived to be much smaller (e.g., shrinking) in proportion to the original size of the hand or foot (, ). Although telescoping is estimated to occur in approximately 14%–32% of individuals with limb loss (–), with variability likely reflecting differences in measurement approaches (e.g., lifetime vs. point vs. period prevalence), it remains an underexplored sequela of amputation. The lack of attention to telescoping in the limb loss literature may reflect its frequent overshadowing by more frequently reported and distressing phenomena, like PLP (). Telescoping reflects a complex interplay of sensory, cognitive, and emotional processes (). Its presence profoundly alters an individual's perception of their phantom limb and represents one of many unfamiliar sensations that individuals experience following amputation. Telescoping may also be associated with PLP, where some research has suggested that telescoping is associated with the presence of PLP (, ) or increased PLP intensity (, ). Other research has found that telescoping is associated with the absence of PLP (, ). While this evidence is mixed and in need of further investigation, it highlights the potential clinical relevance of telescoping, which is a phenomenon that relatively little is known about in terms of how individuals experience and make sense of it. Understanding this may clarify variability in post-amputation experiences, as well as provide insights on its impact on quality of life and post-amputation adaptation. There remains a relative dearth of literature qualitatively exploring the lived experience of telescoping. Bjorkman, Arner () employed qualitative interviews to better understand the experiences of individuals with PLP ( = 28), and found that while some participants described telescoping sensations, these were incidental findings secondary to pain. Similarly, Trevelyan, Turner () investigated the impact of PLP on quality of life, noting instances of telescoping among participants, yet without examining the psychosocial impact of telescoping. Early work by Frank and Lorenzoni () considered the influence of waking vs. sleeping states on the experience of telescoping in individuals with both full-length and shortened phantom limbs. However, their study did not address how these variations shaped the individual's subjective or emotional experience, leaving the affective dimensions of telescoping underexplored. More recently, Middleton and Ortiz-Catalan () examined telescoping in the context of neuromusculoskeletal prosthesis use, and observed that all three participants included in their study experienced phantom limb shortening in the absence of their prosthesis and lengthening to align with the seen position of the prosthetic hand when it was worn. Yet, the study did not delve into the psychological or emotional implications of this phenomenon. Collectively, these gaps highlight the need for further qualitative research centered on the lived experiences of individuals with limb loss, particularly regarding how telescoping influences their daily lives, mental health, and adaptation to limb loss.