Abstract
BackgroundResearch and practice typically focus upon unimodal hallucinations, especially auditory verbal hallucinations. Contemporary research has however indicated that voice-hearing may co-occur within a broader milieu of feelings, and multimodal hallucinations may be more common than previously thought.MethodsAn observational design asked participants to prospectively document the feeling and modality of hallucinations for one week prior to an interview. Novel visual diary methods involving drawing, writing and body-mapping generated 42 MUSE maps (multimodal unusual sensory experience), analysed with a participatory qualitative method. Twelve people took part: all experiencing hallucinations daily, accessing early intervention in psychosis services, given psychotic-spectrum diagnoses, and living in the community. The study took place during a seven-month period in 2018 at Leicestershire and Rutland's Psychosis Intervention and Early Recovery service (UK).FindingsAll documented hallucinations co-occurred with bodily feelings. Feelings were localised to specific body areas, generalised across the body and extended beyond the body into peripersonal space. Co-occurring emotional feelings most commonly related to confusion, fear and frustration.InterpretationHallucinations were characterised by numerous feelings arising at once, often including multimodal, emotional, and embodied features. Within this study, the immediate feeling of hallucination experiences were readily communicated through prospective, visual, and ecological information gathering methods and particularly those which offer multiple modes of communication (e.g. body-map, visual, written, oral). Uptake of visual, ecological and prospective methods may enhance understandings of lived experiences of hallucinations.Funding: University of Leicester.
Highlights
Hallucinations are a key area of psychiatric interest [1], and are characteristic of experiences described as psychosis and schizophrenia
With existing research focused upon auditory hallucinations, this study provides novel insights into multimodal hallucinatory experiences of adults accessing early intervention in psychosis services
Hallucinations documented by participants included multimodal and unimodal variations of: nonverbal auditory hallucinations (NVAH), AVH, bodily hallucinations (BH), visual hallucinations (VH), olfactory hallucinations (OH), gustatory hallucinations (GH) and disruptions in the feeling of time (Te)
Summary
Hallucinations are a key area of psychiatric interest [1], and are characteristic of experiences described as psychosis and schizophrenia. Such experiences generate substantial costs to individuals and families through distress, isolation, and reduced relationships [2]. Most articles retrospectively studied auditory verbal or visual hallucination phenomenology, with some considering bodily or emotional feelings. No identified articles had prospectively studied the immediate feeling of hallucinations: neither across modalities in an early intervention in psychosis sample nor using body-mapping. The immediate feeling of hallucination experiences were readily communicated through prospective, visual, and ecological information gathering methods and those which offer multiple modes of communication (e.g. body-map, visual, written, oral).
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
