In my research and experience I've encountered a thing I call The Kruger Effect which is defined as the ability for things encountered in projection to have direct, physical effects on the body under certain conditions. Not, cancer or getting a sore throat or mood swings which could likely be caused by many different unseen factors but direct physical things like scratches, burns and the like. I do not typically include bruises in this deinition because they also have other known, more likely, psychosomatic causes despite being encountered commonly as well. The Kruger Effect is divided into two known categories,
Type A: Direct physical effects that occur instantaneously to the physical body after/while being done to the spirit body. Albeit usually at a reduced yet variable severity which is something I've yet to find an explanation for. Example, you get slashed on the arm up there and a small, long, shallow cut appears on your arm in the exact same place at the exact same time down here.
Type B: Arguably more severe, does not leave a physical mark of any kind but seems to drain the energy of the area as if a physical wound were present at the same level of severity as it exists on the spirit body. Has been known to cause paralysation, numbness, loss of circulation and pain.
Wounds caused to the physical body from things attacking the spirit body need to heal just like normal wounds. Type B's are nicer this way because, since they have no physical wound, they seem to merely need to recharge the lost energy and fill in the mould that is the physical body. This allows full and relatively speedy recovery from what would otherwise be permanent or fatal injuries. I should know.
If we follow the Philip K. Dick line of reasoning. That reality is that which, when we stop believing in it, doesn't go away. It would be logical to surmise that since the Kruger effect injury lingers regardless of belief or awareness it must therefore be "real." If the injury is real then the thing that appeared to have caused the injury is probably also "real." I.e NOT just my personal experience. Not just my perception, but something that exists outside of my control affecting me based on what would probably have to be some form of arbitrary rules, such as the laws of physics. If this were not true, and it really was my personal expereince, I should be able to just imagine the wounds away. Or even, imagine away the thing that seemed to cause the wounds in the first place before the injury happens. But that doesn't work, so it's probably not me.
This explanation is highly oversimplified to keep it short so if you find errors in the reasoning that is probably why. Ask whatever you want.