Can your brain create pieces of your reality?

I would like to say yes. Although I do not have the sources for these stories, I have heard of two different instances in which the death of a human was caused due to their brain believing they are dying. In one case, a man "freezes" to death in a freezer car he got stuck in, it did not work, needed repairs, but they found the man dead the next day.. did his brain do this? Also the other example I heard of, 1 man watches another be cut from the wrist, and his blood dripped into a bucket until he died, graphic I know, but the man that was watching was strapped onto a table, having a piece of ice ran across his wrist, and the people dripped water into the bucket. The man died.

I am not sure if these are real, just stories I have heard, but if they are true... what other false things can your brain create?

Just wanted to hear what everyone had to say on this.

[edit on 1-7-2008 by doomdragonz]

Your momentary glimpse that the brain recognizes as a fluid state of the present is one.

Say you are in an aroused state, a female/male would look more attractive!

Perhaps everybody sees things differently, so your perspective on your world would be entirely your brain's interpretations of what is actually there devoid of input.

How much of what you see (as in vision) is actually there and in its natural context?

Quantum physics essentially proves that at least on a subatomic level conciousness affects matter and energy.

good movie; what the bleep do we know

This movie is made for the novice on the subject and is an excellent way to begin to understand the subject matter