Spontaneous activity of the cerebral centers was intensified at the moment of amputation and then after a time gradually subsided (one part of the phantom faded out after another). The activity reappeared at longer and longer intervals and the various inducing factors ceased to be effective until at last only strong external influences were able to revive the sensation.

Johns Hopkins University

Phantoms are often perceived when the patient awakens from the anesthetic and there is nothing unusual detected about the sensation. At first, the phantom is felt continuously. After a few weeks, the tingling becomes weaker and recurs less frequently. During the next six to twelve months, the phantom weakens considerably. The average phantom is mild and rapidly subsided, however.
- Relation Between Cerebral Structures and Phantom

Course of Natural Phantom

HENDERSON, W. R., & SMYTH, G. E. (1948). Phantom limbs. Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry, 11(2), 88–112. https://doi.org/10.1136/jnnp.11.2.88

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