Why do hallucinations happen?

[grayson]

I was wondering. Why do hallucinations happen. I have heard people ay they have seen god (No, this isn't about religion) and I have heard they are other things, Such as dreams or hallucinations. But why do they happen. And is there a way to force it upon yourself? (Lucid dream during the day)

[Peterkin]

Hallucinations can be caused by many different health conditions that affect the senses.

This is a simple outline of hallucinations and possible causes.

Quote

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/23350-hallucinations

 

[Phi for All]

Lucid dreaming is a type of dream where one is aware one is dreaming. Hallucinations happen while you're awake. Which did you want to discuss?

[DrmDoc]

2 hours ago, grayson said:

I was wondering. Why do hallucinations happen. I have heard people ay they have seen god (No, this isn't about religion) and I have heard they are other things, Such as dreams or hallucinations. But why do they happen. And is there a way to force it upon yourself? (Lucid dream during the day)

Like Phi for All explained, hallucinations are unlike dreams in they can occur when we are awake and consciously aware.  However, like dreams, hallucinations are interpretive products of our brain’s responses to stimuli. More precisely, they are how our brain assesses the sensory impact of something the brain believes it is or has experienced.

Hallucinations can be caused by any number of factors both external (hallucinogens) and internal (aberrant brain chemistry/structure) to brain function. However, when they do occur, they are how the brain has assessed the mental, emotional, or physical effects of some experience.  For example, a prominent member of the du Pont family, who was diagnosed as schizophrenic and later convicted of homicide, experienced hallucinations of ants consuming his legs. In my view, his hallucinations were clearly how his brain assessed his deteriorating mental stability.

[Phi for All]

13 hours ago, DrmDoc said:

Hallucinations can be caused by any number of factors both external (hallucinogens) and internal (aberrant brain chemistry/structure) to brain function. However, when they do occur, they are how the brain has assessed the mental, emotional, or physical effects of some experience.

And not all hallucinations point to chemicals or health issues. Some are simply vivid interpretations the brain manufactured to explain abnormal phenomena. We sometimes see or hear something that the brain doesn't immediately recognize, so it gives us its best guess. I'd classify those as hallucinations.

[Genady]

2 minutes ago, Phi for All said:

I'd classify those as hallucinations.

I'd rather classify those as illusions.

[Phi for All]

50 minutes ago, Genady said:

I'd rather classify those as illusions.

I'm not sure that's right, but the definition of hallucinations seems to exclude anything that has an actual external stimulus, so my classification is wrong.

[Sensei]

Welcome! To "Westworld"..

 

 

22 hours ago, grayson said:

I was wondering. Why do hallucinations happen. I have heard people ay they have seen god (No, this isn't about religion) and I have heard they are other things, Such as dreams or hallucinations. But why do they happen.

Don't wake up in a "vat"?

 

Edited August 24, 2023 by Sensei