Thoughts and Adventures

lickypickystickyfree:

• 5.
   
  Exploding Head Syndrome
• 4.

   

  Alice in Wonderland Syndrome
• 3.

   

  Phantom Extra Limb Syndrome
• 2.

   

  Sleep Paralysis
• 1.

   

  Random Hallucinations:
  What Is It?

  You’re not crazy. You never have been. You’re not taking any medications, or narcotics. You’re not sleepy. You haven’t taken a blow to the head. You’re not stressed out. Everything is fine.

  Still, one day you’re sitting in your car, driving down the highway, alone. It’s dark, the radio is off and you’re listening the sound of pavement humming under the wheels. Then, a leprechaun appears in the passenger seat and calls you an asshole.

  What’s Going On?

  We think of hallucinations as the hallmark of mental illness and they are—but they are also shockingly common in people with absolutely no mental problems at all. It may happen once, and never happen again. And once more, some of you who are reading this have experienced it, whether you know it or not.

  For instance, about 15 percent of people surveyed say they’ve had auditory hallucinations, the most common being the sound of voices (often your name, spoken aloud) right as you’re falling asleep. Ever had that eerie experience when you feel someone or something is in the room with you? Particularly in the dark? Or maybe you just feel like you’re “being watched.” That “sense of presence,” the normal feeling you get when near another person, only felt while alone, is another type of hallucination.