Yes, when the split has progressed to the point where the two heads are completely separated and the flesh is at the final stage of completely separating you might see some polyp retraction, but in general a split is a several month long process and polyps don’t usually retract for long periods of time. I would think retracting for a month is pretty unusual, at least unusual enough to investigate that there isn’t another cause. Also, in the most recent photo of the torch in question, it doesn’t look like it’s progressed to where the flesh is separating. I hope I’m wrong, but IME, prolonged retraction isn’t normal during a split.