Hallucinations
Ratings20
Average rating3.3
15
Ratings20
Average rating3.3
Hallucinations, for most people, imply madness. But there are many different types of non-psychotic hallucination caused by various illnesses or injuries, by intoxication--even, for many people, by falling sleep. From the elementary geometrical shapes that we see when we rub our eyes to the complex swirls and blind spots and zigzags of a visual migraine, hallucination takes many forms. At a higher level, hallucinations associated with the altered states of consciousness that may come with sensory deprivation or certain brain disorders can lead to religious epiphanies or conversions. Drawing on a wealth of clinical examples from his own patients as well as historical and literary descriptions, Oliver Sacks investigates the fundamental differences and similarities of these many sorts of hallucinations, what they say about the organization and structure of our brains, how they have influenced every culture's folklore and art, and why the potential for hallucination is present in us all.
Reviews with the most likes.
As reliably readable as ever; however there's just not enough variety of subject here to fill a book. Started skimming at p 30. Put it away for good about p 80.
At first I enjoyed this book immensely, but as the chapters proceeded I grew less and less interested. It's not that the material stopped being interesting, it's that I just stopped caring about hallucinations. Also, the writing style wore on me a bit. At first the use of snippets of case studies was nice - a new person mentioned in each paragraph! - but eventually it felt very disjointed and choppy; he didn't flesh out any of the people he talked about, they were just supporting evidence for the fact he was stating.
Fun fact: my copy of this book jumped from page 268, doppelgängers, to page 301, the D section of the bibliography. I had to check out the ebook version from the library to finish, although at the time I seriously considered not bothering.
What else is there to say? Sacks is a Goat and always makes neuroscience an interesting, easy and accessible read.
Great collection of the various medical conditions and altered states that play tricks on our mind and make us see/hear/feel things that aren't really there. Sensory deprivation, psychedelics, visual migraines, narcolepsy, etc.
Some fascinating conditions: Polyopia - perceiving multiple copies of the same visual image. Or the temporal variant of it: Palinopsia - images persist to some extent even after their corresponding stimulus has left. Or the Doppelgänger syndrome: perceiving a neutral mirror image of oneself.
My favorite Oliver Sacks anecdote is him taking a mix of cannabis, amphetamines and LCD and setting out to experience the color indigo, which he'd never managed before. He succeeds and has a very indigo trip. Afterwards he continues to look for indigo, yet without success, until years later he visits a classical concert at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. During the break - all high on music - he visits the Egyptian jewellery section of the museum and he manages to see indigo again. But only for the short duration for his music-caused ecstatic state.
