''Hallucinations'' is a 2012 book written by the

neurologist Neurology (from , "string, nerve" and the suffix -logia, "study of") is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the nervous system, which comprises the brain, the ...

Oliver Sacks Oliver Wolf Sacks (9 July 1933 – 30 August 2015) was a British neurology, neurologist, Natural history, naturalist, historian of science, and writer. Born in London, Sacks received his medical degree in 1958 from The Queen's College, Oxford ...

. In ''Hallucinations'', Sacks recounts stories of

hallucination A hallucination is a perception in the absence of an external stimulus that has the compelling sense of reality. They are distinguishable from several related phenomena, such as dreaming ( REM sleep), which does not involve wakefulness; pse ...

s and other mind-altering episodes of both his patients and himself and uses them in an attempt to elucidate certain features and structures of the brain including his own migraine headaches.

Summary

''Hallucinations'' was written with the intention to remove the stigma of hallucinations in the eyes of society and the medical world. The book is separated into fifteen chapters; each chapter pertains to a different observation of hallucinations made by Sacks. The hallucinations mentioned in this book come from the everyday citizen and his own experiences, which are used to connect the structure and function of the brain of a healthy person to the symptom of hallucination. Sacks also mentions the positive effects of hallucinations in culture and art. Sacks notes that the symptom of hallucinations have a negative connotation that was created by society. The purpose of ''Hallucinations'' was to take away the public fear of symptoms relating to mental illness by showcasing many instances where healthy individuals experienced hallucinations. Sacks also uses this book to educate society on the different types of hallucinations and the neurological basis behind hallucinations.

Awards and honors

*2014 Wellcome Book Prize shortlist

References

2012 non-fiction books Books by Oliver Sacks Effects of psychoactive drugs Picador (imprint) books {{neuroscience-book-stub