What do visual hallucinations tell us about the nature of...

What do visual hallucinations tell us about the nature of consciousness? The term ‘hallucination’ is difficult to define. There is a fine line between a ‘hallucination’ and an ‘illusion’. A hallucination differs from an illusion in that illusions are a product of misinterpretations of external stimuli whereas hallucinations need no such requirement making them an entirely internal process. A true hallucination can also be distinguished from a pseudo-hallucination in which the individual can recognise that what they’re seeing or hearing is not real. Hallucinations are also different from voluntary mental imagery, in that the thought has not uncontrollably forced itself onto our minds. Slade and Bentall (1988, cited in Blackmore, 2010)†¦show more content†¦The best way to induce hallucinations, or where they occur the most, is through sensory deprivation. Charles Bonnet Syndrome (CBS) is a common condition among people who have lost their sight in which they suffer visual hallucinations. Many studies ha ve looked at the syndrome in order to provide a better understanding of visual hallucinations. One study exhibited a 64-year-old blind woman suffering from complex visual hallucinations (McNamara, Heros, Boller, 1982). It was found that neurosurgical removal of a large suprasellar meningioma helped remove her hallucinatory experiences. Such a case study provides evidence that hallucinations are related to both a sensory deprivation and an impairment in CNS functioning. Another study claimed that, through looking at patients suffering from CBS, the hallucinations were due to an interruption in the visual association areas of the cerebral cortex. The researchers suggested that hallucinatory experiences could terminate on improving visual function or addressing social isolation (Menon, Rahman, Menon, Dutton, 2003). Deprivation of hearing can also induce hallucinations. Sometimes the deaf hear hallucinated sounds – they may even hear whole orchestras playing. Various case studies have demonstrated such a claim. Miller and Crosby (1979) found an 89-year-old woman experiencing the onset of musical hallucinations with longstanding progressive hearing loss. These hallucinations were well-formed perceptions of religiousShow MoreRelatedKing Lear Madness Essay1737 Words   |  7 PagesWhat defines madness? Is it a state of being that is derived from deterioration of the brain, or is it just extremely foolish behavior created by mayhem and chaos? Perhaps, it is a collaboration of the two, for without sane cognition the basis of irrationality would not be present, such is the case of King Lear. He is a man riddled with madness inside and out, yet through his state of frenzy and turmoil, Lear unveils unexpected guidance, validity, and enlightenment. It seems impossible for two opposingRead MoreEss ay on The Origin of Dreams3181 Words   |  13 Pagespeople you saw, the things you forgot to do. You think about what you will do tomorrow and the next day and next month and so on. Your breathing deepens and your heart rate slows. You realize you are no longer directing the pattern of your thoughts: they are moving off on a path of their own. But you are too tired to care. You drift to the edge of the world of sleep. After about 90 minutes of peaceful inactivity, your brain becomes extremely alert, but you do not awaken. You have entered the periodRead MoreEssay about A Singular Self-Identity3465 Words   |  14 Pagespresupposes all our experiences of consciousness. We all hold that this identity is ours alone. I speak of my experiences as experienced by me. I would seem to be talking nonsense , if I referred to myself in the plural or spoke of how the multiplicity of ‘me’s’ experienced an event. Although most will submit to the existence of levels of cons ciousness, we categorize those people who exhibit distinct personalities as non-ordinary. All popular theories of self-identity set about the task of proving a singularRead More The Role Of Dreams Essays2829 Words   |  12 Pagesreliable divination? Generations upon generations seem to have thought so. They incubated dreams by travelling afar, by fasting and by engaging in all other manners of self deprivation or intoxication. With the exception of this highly dubious role, dreams do seem to have three important functions: a. To process repressed emotions (wishes, in Freuds speech) and other mental content which was suppressed and stored in the unconscious. b. To order, classify and, generally, to pigeonhole conscious experiencesRead MoreModern era of Science and Technology1757 Words   |  8 Pagesuniversal from person to person. In light of the research around explanations of Near Death Experiences, it is clear that there is no consensus on what these experiences mean, yet the conversation is one that is relevant to every person. The desire behind discussing this topic is the root of every existential crisis, the answer to the question, â€Å"What happens when we die?† The discourse of afterlife ideas is one that has been around since the beginning of history, and it is one that is ever changingRead MoreBudhism and The Seven Chakras Essay2151 Words   |  9 Pagesthis earth that can connect us with the creator of this multiverse. Through thousands of years, and countless ancient tribal practices, there has been hidden from the majority of those who populate the Earth, a key which unlocks an experience like none other; lite rally transcending the confines of the human psyche as it is in our physical bodies. This door to another dimension is a substance known by scientific communities as Dimethyltryptamine, or simply, DMT. I- What is DMT? A. DimethyltryptamineRead MoreIntro to Psychology: Chapter Notes 1- 54753 Words   |  20 PagesOctober 22nd, 2012 Chapter 1- What is psychology? [pp. 1-23] LO1: Psychology as a Science (p. 4) * Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. * Seeks to describe, explain, predict, and control behavior and mental processes. * Theory * propose reason for relationships * derive explanations * make predictions LO2: What psychologists do (p. 5-6) * Research * pure Research * Applied Research * Practice * Teaching Read More Unconcious Dreaming Essay3051 Words   |  13 PagesUnconcious Dreaming There are many facts that are unknown about the mind. For centuries, philosophers and scientists have tried to understand how it works. We have learned that the mind has a number of different levels of processing. Before Sigmund Freud â€Å"nearly all the previous research and theorizing of psychologists had dealt with conscious, such as perception, memory, judgment, and learningâ€Å" (Hunt185). Freud brought forth a number of theories that dealt with â€Å"the unconscious and its crucialRead More Transcendence and Technology in William Gibsons Neuromancer3154 Words   |  13 PagesTranscendence and Technology in Neuromancer      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Where do we go from here? Case asks near the conclusion of William Gibsons novel Neuromancer (259). One answer suggested throughout most of the narrative is nowhere. True, geographically we are whisked around the urban centers of Earth in the near future, Chiba City, the Sprawl, Istanbul, and then to the orbital pleasure domes and corporate stronghold of Freeside and Straylight. The kind of movement to which I am referring is not overtlyRead MoreAp Psychology Review Packet12425 Words   |  50 Pageseyes lens changes shape to focus near or far images on the retina. 3.Acetylcholine:  neurotransmitter that enables muscle action, learning and memory. 4.Achievement Motivation:  desire for accomplishment. 5.Achievement Test:  an exam designed to test what a person has earned. 6.Acoustic Encoding:  encoding of sound, especially words. 7.Acquisition:  the initial stage when one links a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus. 8.Action Potential:  a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels