When every face you see is distorted: Living with PMO

Imagine waking up one morning and seeing every face around you as demonic - twisted, distorted, and unrecognizable. Are you hallucinating? Would you think people were possessed? Should you call 911? Now, what if it’s not demons you’re seeing, but constantly shifting facial features on everyone, including yourself? And what if this has been your reality since birth? Meet two people living with this rare and perplexing condition, prosopometamorphopsia (PMO), and a researcher dedicated to understanding it. Hear their stories and learn about a simple, surprising treatment for this mysterious disorder. Suggested episodes: Revealing Our Blind Spots About Blindness What it’s like to be able to smell illnesses What is foreign accent syndrome? After a stroke, one man’s southern drawl turned British GUESTS:  Brad Duchaine: Researcher at Dartmouth who studies face blindness and is a leading researcher on PMO Victor Sharrah: Clarkesville, Tennessee resident who discovered in 2020 that he has prosopometamorphopsia (AKA demon face syndrome or PMO). He found help on the Veronica Smith: PMO patient who sees facial features moving. They have been experiencing this since they were four years old, and the distortions appear mostly on themself rather than on other people Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.