Ruizhi Lin - Hallucinations - week 16
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While internet surfing I was reminded how hallucinations could prompt forgetfulness (either through drug use, medications, fevers, seizures, eye problems, stage 4 cancers / terminal illnesses, social isolation, or naturally other interesting natural causes). By definition, hallucinations are “sensory experiences” that seem real to the observer but actually only exist in one’s mind. There are 5 main types of hallucinations.
Auditory hallucinations are one of the most common types (one
of my neighbors has it). When a person experiences it, they usually hear
someone speaking to them from within and the mood/tone behind the voice could
range from angry to calm. Other variations of this hallucination would be
repeatedly hearing a noise that’s not actually there.
Olfactory hallucinations involve smell, especially when a
person smells something that isn’t actually there or perceives a smell nicer or
worse than it actually is.
Visual hallucinations give the best experiences as those
under the influence gain the ability to see what is not there. Generally, these
hallucinations could be patterns, certain objects, random people, or whatever
based on how imaginative the person is at the moment.
Gustatory hallucinations are basically Olfactory
hallucinations but influence the sense of taste.
Lastly, tactile hallucinations are based on touch perception.
So how does this connect to memory?
As hallucinations come from people’s minds, each person would get a unique experience.
Thus, many scientists believe that personal experiences and the unconscious influence
how hallucinations manifest.
5/12/22 7:53 PM
Comments
Hallucinations are pretty cool when you start to think about it but I never knew that it could be associated with each one of our own five well known senses. To think about it, hallucination is basically an infliction of human fear. It grows about you and starts to alleviate a particular sense. Like going to bed and always thinking or seeing something lurking in the dark when in reality it is just a pillow or clothes that you put on a nearby chair.
When I was in fifth grade, I was hospitalized for about a month. And it’s scary to say that I do not remember the first two days at all. I think it’s because the first day, I had a surgery where I had a drain put into my head. The second day of my hospitalization, I was hallucinating all day. I can confirm that hallucinations can prompt hallucinations, It’s strange how vividly you can and cannot remember specific hallucinations. I think the fact that hallucinations can be anything that it’s hard to recall specific details about them. At the same time, they can shift in your memory, resulting in changed perceptions of them. Have you ever hallucinated before?
Hallucinations seem extremely horrifying! Imagine someone consistently interacting with something that somehow does not even exist … For that person, it’s an even bigger betrayal to learn that it was all fake and that other people don’t experience the same sensation. Thankfully, I do know that medications and drugs such as antipsychotic drugs, can help to depress the hallucinations. I have thankfully never experienced hallucinations (that indicated me being sick), but I’d imagine they would be pretty weird.
-Angel Susantin
Hallucinations are really scary. I like to watch a lot of medical dramas, so watching people hallucinate is super scary. It is crazy how people can see a whole world that only exists in their head. I guess it is sort of like dreaming, but acting out your dream in real life. Hallucinating is not only scary, but it can also be dangerous. People that are hallucinating might get into a car accident or do something they wouldn't have regularly done under the influence of the hallucination. I hope people who have hallucinations can get the help they need.
I thought that this post was really interesting because not only does it introduce the idea of hallucination, but also provides examples. I usually have auditory hallucinations when I think that my mom called me, but she actually didn't (well maybe she did, but she forgot right after, who knows). Olfactory hallucinations are also pretty common for me, especially in the library for some reason.
Sincerely,
Mrinmayee
I think my neighbor also has auditory hallucinations now that I think about it… When I was little my neighbor would always come over to my family complaining how she heard one of our other neighbors talking badly about her or conspiring to rob her house. My parents eventually talked to the accused neighbors and apparently they never said any of the things the paranoid neighbor told us. I’m glad my neighbor isn’t as paranoid now and she seems happy!
Sincerely,
Faith Tong
I feel like hallucinations whether visual or auditorial are both just odd in general. At school, I hear people yelling "ANGUS" or "ANGIE" and I turn around sometimes, but nobody said it, so I just hope I did not look weird around other people when turning my head side to side. I remember one time, my cousin was definitely hallucinating but basically tried gaslighting me because he thought I was sleepwalking. I am somebody who has no history with sleepwalking and I knew I stood above the staircase at one point to see what my cousins were doing. He never believed me though.