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There are different types of hallucinations that are peculiar and unsettling conditions that alter how we perceive the world around us. The most common types of hallucinations are visual and auditory, which significantly affect an individual's perception of reality.
Hallucinations can happen through any of the five senses: touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing. Common signs include seeing or hearing things that are not real, sensations of something crawling on the skin, engaging in conversations with non-existent people, etc. It is important to note that there can also be cultural variations to this dysfunction.
Hallucinations: What are they?
The perceptions and sensations that are experienced by a person when they are wide awake and which don't exist in the real world are called hallucinations. These false perceptions take root within their own minds, which they perceive as reality but aren't. One needs to understand that hallucinations are distinct from dreams; in the dream state, you are not awake, but while hallucinating, you are.
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The distinction between hallucinations and delusional disorder is an important one to make. Hallucinations are quiet sensory experiences, like seeing an animal that does not exist in reality, whereas delusions happen when an individual forms an enormous belief that they are involved in a much larger conspiracy and are being conspired against.
A recent breakup, mental illnesses, the loss of a loved one, drug overdoses, substance abuse, and a lack of quality sleep can all be possible causes for an individual to experience any form of one of the different types of hallucinations. Yet, the causes can vary from person to person.
What are the different types of hallucinations?
There are various types of hallucinations an individual can experience, depending on the point in time. Also, more than a single type of hallucination can exist in an individual at a given point in time. These different types of hallucinations can be perceived differently by different individuals. The following are brief descriptions of each dysfunction:
1) Visual hallucinations
In these types of hallucinations, a person perceives people, objects, shapes, or animals that aren't there in reality. Distortions of existing objects are a common sign, too. These distortions can be highly detailed, colorful, and multi-shaped. Types of visual hallucinations include simple and complex visual hallucinations, as well as formed and unformed visual hallucinations.
2) Auditory Hallucinations
Auditory hallucinations primarily involve hearing sounds or voices that are not present in reality. The voices can be loud or soft, friendly or unfamiliar, depending on the severity of the condition. These auditory distortions are pretty common among people who are taking hallucinogenic drugs.
These types of hallucinations can be commonly observed in people with conditions like schizophrenia. Types of auditory hallucinations can be categorized as verbal and nonverbal auditory hallucinations, as well as command and musical auditory hallucinations.
3) Tactile hallucinations
This condition lets a person experience physical sensation upon the surface of their skin without a real cause. People with this condition can feel something crawling on their skin, someone tickling them, or someone blowing hot air on their faces.
They may also feel sensations of burning as well as physical pressure. Tactile hallucinations can be commonly observed in individuals associated with substance abuse, withdrawal, or neurological disorders.
4) Olfactory hallucinations
Olfactory hallucinations involve smelling odors that do not exist in reality. A person starts to smell an odd small in their environment which is entirely absent in reality, they may also start to doubt themselves if the particular odor is coming from their own body.
Waking up in the night trying to smell something that does not exist is also a sign of olfactory hallucination.
5) Gustatory hallucinations
These involve experiencing unexplained tastes. These types of hallucinations involve a person suspecting the food an individual consumed to be odd, rotten, and bad while the same is perfectly okay for the rest of the individuals around.
If your hallucinations are causing distress and damaging the quality of your life and relationships, it is vital to seek urgent help. Numerous therapy approaches can help you lead a positive life. Remember, hallucinations are a break from reality, which naturally warrants professional treatment.
Get in touch with a professional and determine the underlying causes of hallucinations by receiving support and treatment. The treatment involves getting to the roots of the underlying cause, along with medication such as antipsychotics and mood stabilizers, and psychotherapy that includes Cognitive Behavior Therapy.
Janvi Kapur is a counselor with a Master's degree in applied psychology with a specialization in clinical psychology.
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