Charles Bonnet Syndrome

When damage to certain regions of the brain occurs, conditions may develop where one is able to register visual information but incapable to distinguish anything (Anderson, 2009). Consequently, difficulties with visual impairments can include an inability within the brain to interpret and or process visual information (Anderson, 2009). Thus, visual perception impairments or disorders typically refer to the inability to make sense of information received through sight (the eyes) (Weiten, 1998). One such visual perception disorder is visual agnosia.

An out-of-body experience is explained by few as a sense of being detached from one’s body, and if associated with other factors like a sense that the world is not real, far away, or even foggy. This with the combination of failure to recall significant personal information, or the content of a meaningful conversation forgotten from one second to the next are signs of a psychological disorder known as Dissociative Disorder. Considered as a rare and mysterious psychiatric curiosity, Dissociative Disorders will be the psychological disorder that will be discussed in this paper.

Hallucination: This is a perception of a sensory experience without external stimuli. It may be visual, auditory,

Mental Imagery plays a role in our lives, it helps us plan for the future and make decisions. Although there are some people who never experience mental imagery. There are many

Many times, we don't realize when see something with our eyes that our brain stores that information away... rather we were aware of what we saw or not. Often our brain stores and processes that imagery in a subconscious format after the fact. This can have some interesting spiritual implications.

Our past experiences, also influence the way we perceive new visual stimuli and make sense of it. However, without each process the world would be unknown to us. Without sensation, we would not be aware of the blind spot, and without perception there would be no rational making sense of the surround to complete the image or have any understanding of it. The filling-in illusion is part of our everyday life, we don’t realize it because the two processes are currently and have been working together for quite some time; although, at what point in our lives it begins we are unsure. Regardless, seeing our surroundings as one complete picture is a rather important part of vision and how our brains contribute is an amazing

* Hallucinations – see things that aren’t there or talk to people who aren’t around.

Surprisingly, research shows that even 15 minutes of near-total sensory deprivation can cause hallucinations on par with psychedelics. (University, 2011)”

When the brain is deprived of all sensory input it begins to provide input of its own, sometimes relating to events that have occurred before. Sometimes these hallucinations occur with no reasoning whatsoever, all the researchers

Images from the study suggest a greater connectivity across the brain. There is evidence that the visual hallucinations produced by the drug involve not only the visual cortex, but many other parts of the brain. This lack of boundaries are highly segregated and may suggest a mechanism behind the altered state of consciousness experienced by users and the “ego dissolution”, or loss of a sense of self, described by many. (E., R. (201126) 426.)

Classic symptoms of delusional disorder are varying degrees of visual hallucinations (although not normally as prominent as shown in the story) and olfactory hallucinations related to the delusional theme(s) or object(s). Delusional disorder does not markedly impair psychosocial functioning or cause a person to display odd or bizarre behavior when other people are known to be present. Undetected and/or untreated delusional disorder often degenerates into schizophreniform disorder, or even full blown schizophrenia, and the delusions take control over the person's mind (DSM - IV Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 290, 296 - 301). The person's every action is in response to the perceived actions of the delusion, very similar to what occurred to Jane in the story. In Jane's case, the symptoms ended up flying way out of proportion simply because she had nothing else on which to focus.

Rosenhan's study was done in two parts. The first part involved the use of healthy associates who briefly simulated auditory hallucinations in an attempt to gain admission to 12 different psychiatric hospitals in five different states in various locations in the United States. All were admitted and diagnosed with psychiatric disorders. After admission, the pseudopatients acted normally and told staff that they felt fine and had not experienced any more hallucinations. All were forced to admit to having a

Multiple regression analysis was run to predict hallucination history from source monitoring variables; speak vs. hear and imagine vs. hear. The model statistically significantly predicted hallucination history, F(2, 177) = 171.7, p < .000, adj. R2 = 65.6%. All variables added statistically significantly to the prediction, p < .05

One cause of strabismus is the inadequate coordination of the six muscles which operate to move the eye. Other less common forms of strabismus result from defective refraction, damaged nerves which connect the photoreceptors to the brain, and damage to the nerves which control the eye muscles.(4) These multiple disorders all have the same effect, presenting conflicting, amblyopic, images to the brain.

When events in life are happening fast in life, this can trigger hallucinations. Barry Beyerstein stated in his article that, “In trying to make sense of any sudden, emotionally charged experience, we are all prone to embellish it in ways that fit our philosophical preconceptions” (Beyerstein 2). This quote basically states that no matter that rapid change of events, our mind will try to come up with some sensory reasoning behind it. These sensory reasonings are not always reliable because it just causes yourself to see something that is not there adding to the chaos. In Turn of the Screw by Henry James, the governess experience a similar situation. In the last sentence of the story the governess sees Peter Quint and pulled Miles closer, “but at the end of a minute I began to feel what it truly was that I held. We were alone with the quiet day, and his little heart, dispossessed, had stopped” (James 68). The governess had been stressing about protecting the