Hallucination

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The Temptation of St. Anthony, detail, Isenheim Altarpiece, Mathias Grünewald, 1515, hallucinations caused by ergot

Hallucination (from Latin: (h)alūcinātio "thoughtless talk, reverie"; from Greek: ἀλύειν halýein "to be out of one's mind") is a perception of a sensory area without a stimulus basis. This means, for example, that non-existent objects are seen, or voices are heard without anyone speaking. Hallucinations can affect all sensory areas. In an illusion, on the other hand, a real object is perceived in a different way: An actually existing fixed object appears to move or faces appear to be recognisable in irregular patterns.

By definition, a hallucination has the character of reality for the hallucinating person or cannot be distinguished from reality. In contrast, in a pseudohallucination, the person realises that it is not a real perception. Pseudohallucinations can also occur during overtiredness and half-sleep.

Causes

Causes of true hallucinations can be:

  • Neurologically caused perceptual disorders
  • Mental disorders such as psychoses, for example caused by
    • Withdrawal from intoxicants, e.g. delirium tremens caused by alcohol or mostly by withdrawal from it
    • Pathological changes in the brain, but according to Rudolf Steiner especially in the liver or kidneys
  • Chemical compounds (hallucinogens such as diphenhydramine)

Causes of pseudohallucinations can be:

  • Sleep deprivation
  • Chemical compounds (hallucinogens such as LSD or DMT)

Literature
References to the work of Rudolf Steiner follow Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works (CW or GA), Rudolf Steiner Verlag, Dornach/Switzerland, unless otherwise stated.
Email: verlag@steinerverlag.com URL: www.steinerverlag.com.
Index to the Complete Works of Rudolf Steiner - Aelzina Books
A complete list by Volume Number and a full list of known English translations you may also find at Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works
Rudolf Steiner Archive - The largest online collection of Rudolf Steiner's books, lectures and articles in English.
Rudolf Steiner Audio - Recorded and Read by Dale Brunsvold
steinerbooks.org - Anthroposophic Press Inc. (USA)
Rudolf Steiner Handbook - Christian Karl's proven standard work for orientation in Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works for free download as PDF.
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