Aishwarya Seshadri

How have perspectives on hallucinations changed from the 1600s to present day?

Started Jan. 31, 2024

Abstract or project description

In modern day hallucinations are a highly researched topic, and we have a somewhat good understanding about some of the causes and the treatments for hallucinations. There is a common understanding of what a hallucination is, however, we have not always had such a clear understanding. Through various neurologists, neuropsychologists, and neuroscientists the world has been given many definitions of what the word “hallucination” means and how they can affect a patient. We have seen this change over time. In the 1600s, Jean Etienne Esquirol first discovered and denoted the word hallucination as “a wandering mind” after he went through the symptoms himself, and by the 17th and 18th centuries scientists denoted hallucinatory experiences as a spiritually meaningful and enlightening insight. Later, in 2012 neurologist Oliver Wolf Sacks described a hallucination as “percepts arising in the absence of any external reality” and described the involvement of the brain’s fusiform gyrus, and in the most recently published research papers, scientists like Laura Dorwart refer to a hallucination as “the experience of sensing things that exist only in your mind.” Clearly, we see lots of shifts in the common understanding of what a hallucination is. In this research paper, I will examine both philosophical and scientific perspectives on hallucinations across time, focusing on how definitions have changed from the 1600s to the present day. Recognizing the shifts in understanding hallucinations is important as it influences how scientists diagnose and treat patients now, and it also may give us an understanding of how scientists will consider hallucinations 100 years from now, similar to how we consider the definition of hallucination from more than 100 years ago. Hallucinations come with many negative connotations, and understanding the history of hallucinations can help improve treatment and reduce stigma associated with them in the future.