What do visual hallucinations tell us about the nature of consciousness

However, later in the story, the narrator is the one seeing movement and hearing sighs. But as the narrator is an opium addict, the reader also assumes it is a hallucination.

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

"Dr. John Todd noted [similar] hallucinations in [Alice in Wonderland] a variety of states... of epilepsy [and] schizophrenia" (Stewart). Psychiatrist Dr. John Todd connected the mind and symptoms of the main character Alice in Alice in Wonderland to the mental illness of Schizophrenia by looking at the common symptoms of people who suffer from this disease. Those symptoms are paralleled in Alice's trip to Wonderland through the hallucinations mentioned by Dr. Todd. Alice has many symptoms of a paranoid schizophrenic because of everything she does in Wonderland that is not normal to the world of reality. These strange things include shrinking and growing potions, talking animals and bugs, and the weird world around her. The strange occurrences are the initial key to figuring out her medical condition. Schizophrenia is a brain disorder that affects the way a person acts, thinks, and even their idea of reality. People with schizophrenia often have a different way of seeing the world. People who are commonly schizophrenic speak in strange or confusing ways, see things that don’t exist, and have unusual hallucinations. These hallucinations the characters experience are believed to follow the five senses. The five senses are touch, sight, sound, smell, and taste. The senses make the patient think the hallucinations are real when in reality the world only exist in the person's mind. Alice

B. Hallucinations, are perceived through one of the senses and do not correspond to any stimulus in the outside world. Hallucinations are defined as perceptions in a conscious mind.

Auditory hallucination is a fundamental presentation observed in patients suffering from schizophrenia. It is one of the frequently occurring symptoms considered to be disabling in schizophrenia, but despite vast and numerous organized studies undertaken in this area in order to comprehend the pathophysiology of auditory hallucination, little success has been realized, and it remains to be complex in research, understanding, and expressing the knowledge accrued (Kaprinis, 2008.) The auditory processing in schizophrenia seems to be different from that of normal individuals because patients inflicted with this mental illness complain of voices deep inside their heads. The voices are described as coming

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

About 65% of schizophrenics hallucinate hearing, seeing, or smelling things that are no there. Even though hallucinations are a common symptom of schizophrenia, Susannah’s hallucinations were caused by anti-NMDA-receptor autoimmune encephalitis, so they disappeared once she was treated. One strange hallucination of Susannah’s was that she had wet herself and the nurses were yelling at her. Another was that her father was kidnapping her, although she went with him willingly. Drugs, alcohol, medication, smoking, strokes, or dementia usually causes memory loss.

Him even surviving this accident and still having mental capacities was a miracle. He could talk fine, intelligent, could read, showed no issues such as being psychotic or emotional unbalanced. But all was not fine with David because when he looked at his own parents would think they were imposters posing as his parents and felt the same way about the house resided in. At times would even think of himself as an imposter. This condition is called Capgras Syndrome or Capgras Delusion, which is a very rare condition. Dr. Ramachandran states this is the strangest case for him, but has answer to what really is causing this condition. He explains, “When we see an object the message goes to the visual centers in the temporal lobes, but it’s a multi-level process after you recognize the object, you also need to respond to the object emotionally, such as when looking at a beautiful picture or your mother’s face the appropriate emotional warmth had to be evoked, like when looking at a lion you would have to be “afraid”, and all this is part of the visual process, but happening in different part of the brain.” After the message regarding the object is identified in the temporal lobes, the message is sent to the

macular degeneration can prevent you from receiving the visual stimulation you're used to, so your brain can sometimes compensate by creating fantasy images or using images stored in your memory. These are known as hallucinations. The hallucinations the patient experiences may include unusual patterns or shapes, animals, faces, or an entire scene. They can be either in black and white or in color, and may last anywhere from a few minutes to several hours. They're usually pleasant images, although they may be unsettling and scary to experience. Many people with Charles Bonnet syndrome don't tell their optometrist about their symptoms because they worry that it can be a sign of a mental condition. The hallucinations will usually last for around

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

In addition, the article “ The Chemical Imbalance in Mental Health Problems” written by Carver J. M. recommends that when dopamine rises beyond the brain can process, a person may experience auditory hallucinations. It may be hearing voices, seeing things or combination of both. Initially, our inner thoughts only can be heard inside our body but due to high levels of dopamine these “voices” begin to talk with us known to decrease our self-esteem, makes us to do something, or sexual topics. Besides, hallucinations soon will develop in all of the senses. Examples, a person may begin to seeing things at inappropriate places such as faces in clouds and etc. Individual can also sense the touch of spirits or movements inside our body. Then, experiencing

CBS is not an uncommon condition among the people who experienced visual impairments. The patient is usually aware that the hallucination is not real and does not associate with any mental illness. In 1936, the Swiss neurologist de Morsier who has named this phenomenon as Charles Bonnet Syndrome has described that the presence of hallucination in CBS patient as separate with anything associated with dementia (Menon 2005).

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

Individuals who experience hallucinations from CBS tend not to talk to family or friends about what they are experiencing. CBS support groups can provide an opportunity for individuals with CBS to share experiences and support one another. The support group provides CBS suffers with information about CBS; instruction in relaxation methods to better cope with images/illusions; ongoing emotional support; and an opportunity for sharing experiences that can help decrease social segregation. There are several techniques that one can implement when experiencing a hallucination: (a) closing the eyes and then opening them; (b) moving the eyes in rapid back-and-forth and up-and-down movements; (c) looking away, or walking away, from the images or hallucinations; (d) staring at, or fixating on, the images; (e) turning on a light; (f) concentrating on something else/looking for distraction; (g) approaching and/or hitting at the image or hallucination; and (h) shouting at the image or

After viewing the hallucinating patient video, I learned that they need our support the most. I never imagined how much hallucinations can make difference in person’s life. The main thing I learned is that communication technique plays an important role while dealing with hallucinating patient. I always used to think that it will be very hard to control and have conversation with hallucinating client. However, this video has taught me how to communicate in calm and effective manners.