Hallucination - Revision history

GaryJJSpate: Migrate PhenomenonInfobox to InfoboxPhenomenon

2026-08-05T13:38:43Z

Migrate PhenomenonInfobox to InfoboxPhenomenon

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:38, 5 August 2026
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	{{~~PhenomenonInfobox~~		{{InfoboxPhenomenon
	\|name=Hallucination		\|name=Hallucination
	\|type=Perceptual phenomenon		\|type=Perceptual phenomenon

GaryJJSpate at 18:21, 1 August 2026

2026-08-01T18:21:40Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:21, 1 August 2026
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	* [[Sleep paralysis]]		* [[Sleep paralysis]]
	* [[Anomalistic Psychology]]		* [[Anomalistic Psychology]]
	* [[~~Ciarán O'Keeffe~~]]		* [[Chris French]]
	* [[:Category:Ghosts and Hauntings\|Ghosts and Hauntings]]		* [[:Category:Ghosts and Hauntings\|Ghosts and Hauntings]]
	* [[Precognition]]		* [[Precognition]]

GaryJJSpate at 18:19, 1 August 2026

2026-08-01T18:19:15Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:19, 1 August 2026
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	== Hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinations ==		== Hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinations ==
	More broadly, hypnagogic (occurring while falling asleep) and hypnopompic (occurring while waking up) hallucinations can happen independently of full sleep paralysis, producing brief visual, auditory, or felt-presence experiences during the transition between sleep and wakefulness. Like sleep paralysis itself, these are common and are not, on their own, considered a sign of any underlying condition.		More broadly, hypnagogic (occurring while falling asleep) and hypnopompic (occurring while waking up) hallucinations can happen independently of full sleep paralysis, producing brief visual, auditory, or felt-presence experiences during the transition between sleep and wakefulness.<ref name="clevelandclinic">{{cite web \|title=Hypnagogic Hallucinations \|url=https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/23234-hypnagogic-hallucinations \|website=Cleveland Clinic}}</ref> A large community survey of nearly 5,000 people in the UK found that 37% reported experiencing hypnagogic hallucinations at some point, and 12.5% reported hypnopompic hallucinations, with both being significantly more common among people also experiencing insomnia or excessive daytime sleepiness.<ref name="bjpsych">{{cite web \|title=Hypnagogic and Hypnopompic Hallucinations: Pathological Phenomena? \|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-british-journal-of-psychiatry/article/abs/hypnagogic-and-hypnopompic-hallucinations-pathological-phenomena/CBF390B7C81C8EF11825FB47DFA187F6 \|website=The British Journal of Psychiatry}}</ref> Like sleep paralysis itself, these are common and are not, on their own, considered a sign of any underlying condition.<ref name="clevelandclinic" />

	== Bereavement hallucinations ==		== Bereavement hallucinations ==
	Separately from sleep-related hallucinations, many people who have lost someone close to them report sensing, seeing, or hearing that person afterward — a well-documented and common experience among the bereaved, sometimes called a "post-bereavement hallucination" or "sense of presence." These experiences are widely regarded by researchers as a normal, non-pathological part of grief, rather than an indicator of a mental health condition, and are frequently reported even by people with no other hallucinatory experiences of any kind.		Separately from sleep-related hallucinations, many people who have lost someone close to them report sensing, seeing, or hearing that person afterward — a well-documented and common experience among the bereaved, sometimes called a "post-bereavement hallucination" or "sense of presence." This was first systematically studied by British general practitioner W. Dewi Rees, whose landmark 1971 study of 293 bereaved patients found that around half reported such an experience of their deceased spouse.<ref name="bps">{{cite web \|title=Grief hallucinations \|url=https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/grief-hallucinations \|website=The British Psychological Society}}</ref> A more recent systematic review and meta-analysis across 21 studies put the overall prevalence at around 56.6%, with the specific figure varying depending on the sense involved (visual, auditory, tactile, or a general felt presence) and factors such as the bereaved person's age.<ref name="researchgate">{{cite web \|title=Experiences of continued presence: On the practical consequences of 'hallucinations' in bereavement \|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280118642_Experiences_of_continued_presence_On_the_practical_consequences_of_'hallucinations'_in_bereavement \|website=ResearchGate}}</ref>

			These experiences are widely regarded by researchers as a normal, non-pathological part of grief, rather than an indicator of a mental health condition, and are frequently reported even by people with no other hallucinatory experiences of any kind.<ref name="pubmed-review">{{cite web \|title=Sensory and Quasi-Sensory Experiences of the Deceased in Bereavement: An Interdisciplinary and Integrative Review \|url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33099644/ \|website=PubMed}}</ref> Where the experience is comforting rather than distressing, researchers increasingly frame it within a "continuing bonds" model of grief — a way of maintaining an emotional connection to the person who has died — rather than as a symptom requiring treatment.<ref name="pubmed-review" />

	== Relevance to paranormal case files ==		== Relevance to paranormal case files ==
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	* [[Anomalistic Psychology]]		* [[Anomalistic Psychology]]
	* [[Ciarán O'Keeffe]]		* [[Ciarán O'Keeffe]]
	* [[:Category:Ghosts and Hauntings\|~~Category:~~ Ghosts and Hauntings]]		* [[:Category:Ghosts and Hauntings\|Ghosts and Hauntings]]
	* [[Precognition]]		* [[Precognition]]

			== References ==
			{{Reflist}}

			== External links ==
			* [https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/grief-hallucinations The British Psychological Society — Grief hallucinations]
			* [https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/23234-hypnagogic-hallucinations Cleveland Clinic — Hypnagogic Hallucinations]

	[[Category:Parapsychology]]		[[Category:Parapsychology]]
			[[Category:Psychology]]
			[[Category:Anomalistic Psychology]]
			[[Category:Sleep]]

GaryJJSpate: /* See also */

2026-07-28T23:03:56Z

GaryJJSpate: /* Sleep paralysis */

2026-07-28T23:03:48Z

Sleep paralysis

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:03, 28 July 2026
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	== Sleep paralysis ==		== Sleep paralysis ==
	One of the most consistently documented sources of reported ghost and "shadow figure" sightings — see [[Sleep ~~Paralysis~~]] for the full account of the phenomenon, its mechanism, prevalence, and cross-cultural folk traditions such as the [[Old Hag]].		One of the most consistently documented sources of reported ghost and "shadow figure" sightings — see [[Sleep paralysis]] for the full account of the phenomenon, its mechanism, prevalence, and cross-cultural folk traditions such as the [[Old Hag]].

	== Hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinations ==		== Hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinations ==

GaryJJSpate at 23:03, 28 July 2026

2026-07-28T23:03:03Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:03, 28 July 2026
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	== Sleep paralysis ==		== Sleep paralysis ==
	Sleep paralysis — a state in which a person wakes up, or is falling asleep, while their body remains temporarily unable to move, a normal safety mechanism of REM sleep working slightly out of sync with waking consciousness — is one of the most consistently documented sources of reported ghost and "shadow figure" sightings~~. It's a genuinely common experience, affecting roughly one in five people at least once, and research suggests around 40% of those who experience it report some form of accompanying hallucination.~~		One of the most consistently documented sources of reported ghost and "shadow figure" sightings — see [[Sleep Paralysis]] for the full account of the phenomenon, its mechanism, prevalence, and cross-cultural folk traditions such as the [[Old Hag]].

	~~These typically fall into recognised patterns: an "intruder" hallucination, where a person senses or sees a threatening figure or shadow-like presence in~~ the ~~room; an "incubus" hallucination, involving pressure on the chest and a sense of being pushed down or suffocated; and out-~~of-body experiences. Cross-culturally, these episodes have long been attributed to a specific folkloric figure — Thailand's "phi am," China's "ghost of oppression," and Newfoundland's "Old Hag" all describe essentially the ~~same experience through different local traditions~~, ~~well before any neuroscientific explanation existed for it.~~

	~~Current research points to a mismatch between brain activity and body signals during the paralysis state as the likely~~ mechanism, ~~rather than anything supernatural — research by neuroscientists Baland Jalal~~ and ~~V. S. Ramachandran has focused specifically on disruption to the brain's body~~-~~image systems~~ as ~~a source of~~ the ~~"sensed presence" and shadow-figure hallucinations reported during these episodes~~.

	== Hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinations ==		== Hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinations ==
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	== See also ==		== See also ==
			* [[Sleep Paralysis]]
	* [[Anomalistic Psychology]]		* [[Anomalistic Psychology]]
	* [[Ciarán O'Keeffe]]		* [[Ciarán O'Keeffe]]
	* [[Ghosts and Hauntings\|Category: Ghosts and Hauntings]]		* [[:Category:Ghosts and Hauntings\|Category: Ghosts and Hauntings]]
	* [[Precognition]]		* [[Precognition]]

	~~== External links ==~~
	* [https://time.com/6259846/sleep-paralysis-ghosts/ TIME — Why Sleep Paralysis Makes You See Ghosts]
	* [https://www.sleepfoundation.org/parasomnias/sleep-demon Sleep Foundation — Sleep Paralysis Demons]
	* [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12349844/ PMC — Nightmares or a crippling reality? A review on sleep paralysis]

	[[Category:Parapsychology]]		[[Category:Parapsychology]]

GaryJJSpate: Created page with "{{PhenomenonInfobox |name=Hallucination |type=Perceptual phenomenon |field=Psychology, neuroscience |also_known_as=Sensed presence, sleep paralysis "demons" (a specific subtype) |notable_case=Sleep paralysis intruder hallucinations |status=Well-established non-paranormal phenomenon }} A '''hallucination''' is a perceptual experience — seeing, hearing, feeling, or otherwise sensing something — that occurs without a corresponding external stimulus, while still feeling..."

2026-07-28T21:48:05Z

Created page with "{{PhenomenonInfobox |name=Hallucination |type=Perceptual phenomenon |field=Psychology, neuroscience |also_known_as=Sensed presence, sleep paralysis "demons" (a specific subtype) |notable_case=Sleep paralysis intruder hallucinations |status=Well-established non-paranormal phenomenon }} A '''hallucination''' is a perceptual experience — seeing, hearing, feeling, or otherwise sensing something — that occurs without a corresponding external stimulus, while still feeling..."

New page

{{PhenomenonInfobox
|name=Hallucination
|type=Perceptual phenomenon
|field=Psychology, neuroscience
|also_known_as=Sensed presence, sleep paralysis "demons" (a specific subtype)
|notable_case=Sleep paralysis intruder hallucinations
|status=Well-established non-paranormal phenomenon
}}

A '''hallucination''' is a perceptual experience — seeing, hearing, feeling, or otherwise sensing something — that occurs without a corresponding external stimulus, while still feeling as real and vivid as ordinary perception. Hallucinations are one of the most commonly cited non-paranormal explanations for reported ghost sightings, sensed presences, and similar experiences catalogued elsewhere on The Vault, and this page covers that specific overlap rather than hallucination as a broader clinical or psychiatric topic.

It's worth stating plainly: experiencing a hallucination of this kind is common, and on its own says nothing about a person's mental health. Several of the specific types below occur in a large share of the general population and are not associated with any underlying condition.

== Sleep paralysis ==
Sleep paralysis — a state in which a person wakes up, or is falling asleep, while their body remains temporarily unable to move, a normal safety mechanism of REM sleep working slightly out of sync with waking consciousness — is one of the most consistently documented sources of reported ghost and "shadow figure" sightings. It's a genuinely common experience, affecting roughly one in five people at least once, and research suggests around 40% of those who experience it report some form of accompanying hallucination.

These typically fall into recognised patterns: an "intruder" hallucination, where a person senses or sees a threatening figure or shadow-like presence in the room; an "incubus" hallucination, involving pressure on the chest and a sense of being pushed down or suffocated; and out-of-body experiences. Cross-culturally, these episodes have long been attributed to a specific folkloric figure — Thailand's "phi am," China's "ghost of oppression," and Newfoundland's "Old Hag" all describe essentially the same experience through different local traditions, well before any neuroscientific explanation existed for it.

Current research points to a mismatch between brain activity and body signals during the paralysis state as the likely mechanism, rather than anything supernatural — research by neuroscientists Baland Jalal and V. S. Ramachandran has focused specifically on disruption to the brain's body-image systems as a source of the "sensed presence" and shadow-figure hallucinations reported during these episodes.

== Hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinations ==
More broadly, hypnagogic (occurring while falling asleep) and hypnopompic (occurring while waking up) hallucinations can happen independently of full sleep paralysis, producing brief visual, auditory, or felt-presence experiences during the transition between sleep and wakefulness. Like sleep paralysis itself, these are common and are not, on their own, considered a sign of any underlying condition.

== Bereavement hallucinations ==
Separately from sleep-related hallucinations, many people who have lost someone close to them report sensing, seeing, or hearing that person afterward — a well-documented and common experience among the bereaved, sometimes called a "post-bereavement hallucination" or "sense of presence." These experiences are widely regarded by researchers as a normal, non-pathological part of grief, rather than an indicator of a mental health condition, and are frequently reported even by people with no other hallucinatory experiences of any kind.

== Relevance to paranormal case files ==
Sleep-related and bereavement hallucinations are frequently proposed as an explanation for individual reports catalogued elsewhere on The Vault — a sensed presence in a bedroom, a shadow figure glimpsed at night, or a deceased loved one seemingly seen or heard. Documenting this possibility alongside a case file is not the same as dismissing the report; The Vault records reports as given and notes plausible conventional explanations where relevant, consistent with the approach taken across [[Anomalistic Psychology]] more broadly.

== See also ==
* [[Anomalistic Psychology]]
* [[Ciarán O'Keeffe]]
* [[Ghosts and Hauntings|Category: Ghosts and Hauntings]]
* [[Precognition]]

== External links ==
* [https://time.com/6259846/sleep-paralysis-ghosts/ TIME — Why Sleep Paralysis Makes You See Ghosts]
* [https://www.sleepfoundation.org/parasomnias/sleep-demon Sleep Foundation — Sleep Paralysis Demons]
* [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12349844/ PMC — Nightmares or a crippling reality? A review on sleep paralysis]

[[Category:Parapsychology]]