Pseudohallucination
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A pseudohallucination (from + ''hallucination'') is an involuntary sensory experience that is vivid enough to be perceived as a
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 ...
, but is recognised by the individual as subjective and lacking objective reality.


History

The concept of pseudohallucination has evolved over time, with its interpretation varying throughout its historical development. The term "pseudohallucination" appears to have been coined by German psychiatrist Friedrich Wilhelm Hagen. Hagen published his 1868 book ''Zur Theorie der Halluzination'', to define them as "illusions or sensory errors". The term was further explored by the Russian psychiatrist Victor Kandinsky (1849–1889). In his work ''On Pseudohallucinations'' (), Kandinsky described his psychotic experiences, defining pseudohallucinations as "subjective perceptions similar to hallucinations in terms of their character and vividness, but distinct from true hallucinations as they lack objective reality." As an example of pseudohallucinations, Kandinsky cited hypnagogic hallucinations that occur in healthy individuals just before falling asleep.
Karl Jaspers Karl Theodor Jaspers (; ; 23 February 1883 – 26 February 1969) was a German-Swiss psychiatrist and philosopher who had a strong influence on modern theology, psychiatry, and philosophy. His 1913 work ''General Psychopathology'' influenced many ...
further developed Kandinsky's ideas, emphasizing the "inner subjective space" as the locus of these experiences, where vivid sensory images occurred spontaneously but were devoid of the external reality attributed to hallucinations. Similarly,
Eugen Bleuler Paul Eugen Bleuler ( ; ; 30 April 1857 – 15 July 1939) was a Swiss psychiatrist and eugenicist most notable for his influence on modern concepts of mental illness. He coined several psychiatric terms including "schizophrenia", " schizoid", "a ...
conceptualized pseudohallucinations as perceptions marked by full sensory clarity and internal localization, while retaining intact reality testing. A common theme in these early perspectives was the differentiation of pseudohallucinations from hallucinations based on their subjective, internal nature and absence of sensory realness. The relevance of pseudohallucinations in contemporary psychiatry has grown with the establishment of initiatives like the Hearing Voices Network.


Definitions

The term "pseudohallucination" encompasses two primary conceptual uses. Firstly, pseudohallucinations refer to perceptions that are experienced as arising from within the mind, rather than from external stimuli. These experiences are not tied to the boundaries of external reality, but are internal and perceived as distinct from objective reality. For example, auditory pseudohallucinations may involve hearing voices that are perceived as alien or attributed to other beings, but are acknowledged by the individual as originating from within the mind rather than from an external source. Secondly, pseudohallucinations are also used to describe hallucinatory experiences where the individual experiences doubt regarding their reality. This second category, more accurately described as partial hallucination, mirrors the concept of partial delusion. The term is not widely used in the psychiatric and medical fields, as it is considered ambiguous; the term ''nonpsychotic hallucination'' is preferred. Pseudohallucinations are more likely to happen with a hallucinogenic drug. However, the current understanding of pseudohallucinations is largely based on the work of
Karl Jaspers Karl Theodor Jaspers (; ; 23 February 1883 – 26 February 1969) was a German-Swiss psychiatrist and philosopher who had a strong influence on modern theology, psychiatry, and philosophy. His 1913 work ''General Psychopathology'' influenced many ...
. A further distinction is made between pseudohallucinations and ''parahallucinations'', the latter being a result of damage to the
peripheral nervous system The peripheral nervous system (PNS) is one of two components that make up the nervous system of Bilateria, bilateral animals, with the other part being the central nervous system (CNS). The PNS consists of nerves and ganglia, which lie outside t ...
.


Disorders

Pseudohallucinations may be considered a
symptom Signs and symptoms are diagnostic indications of an illness, injury, or condition. Signs are objective and externally observable; symptoms are a person's reported subjective experiences. A sign for example may be a higher or lower temperature ...
of
conversion disorder Conversion disorder (CD) was a formerly diagnosed psychiatric disorder characterized by abnormal sensory experiences and movement problems during periods of high psychological stress. Individuals diagnosed with CD presented with highly distressin ...
in DSM-IV (2000), though this definition was removed in
DSM-5 The ''Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition'' (DSM-5), is the 2013 update to the '' Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders'', the taxonomic and diagnostic tool published by the American Psychiat ...
(2013). Pseudohallucinations can also occur in individuals with visual loss, a condition known as Charles Bonnet syndrome.


See also

* Anomalous experiences *
Auditory hallucination An auditory hallucination, or paracusia, is a form of hallucination that involves perceiving sounds without auditory stimulus. While experiencing an auditory hallucination, the affected person hears a sound or sounds that did not come from the ...
*
Hyperphantasia Hyperphantasia is the condition of having extremely vivid mental imagery. It is the opposite condition to aphantasia, where mental visual imagery is not present. The experience of hyperphantasia is more common than aphantasia and has been describe ...
*
Illusion An illusion is a distortion of the senses, which can reveal how the mind normally organizes and interprets sensory stimulation. Although illusions distort the human perception of reality, they are generally shared by most people. Illusions may ...
*
Lucid dream In the psychology subfield of oneirology, a lucid dream is a type of dream wherein the dreamer realizes that they are dreaming during their dream. The capacity to have lucid dreams is a trainable cognitive skill. During a lucid dream, the dreamer ...
* Phosphene


References


Further reading

*
В. Х. Кандинский. О псевдогаллюцинациях (1890)
( Victor Kandinsky ''On Pseudohallucinations'') {{in lang, ru Hallucinations