Abstract
Hallucinations are complex psychopathological phenomena. Nevertheless, this has not always been clear in the scientific literature, until recently. In the following paper, the phenomenology of hallucinations will be (briefly) described. Then, ways in which examining phenomenological characteristics of hallucinations may have theoretical and clinical implications, will be presented. Assessment tools that examine phenomenological aspects of hallucinations will also briefly be presented. In particular, it will be argued that previous theoretical accounts of hallucinations that exclusively propose an externalising bias have not integrated the full phenomenological diversity of hallucinations. In addition, it will be maintained that taking into account the phenomenological diversity of hallucinations has a number of clinical implications, such as providing the patient with important information, improving patient-clinician relations, helping individualise treatment, opening up new therapeutic avenues, and providing information concerning changes in the patient's mental and emotional condition.
Highlights
Hallucinations are highly complex and rich phenomena, this fact is rarely given the merit it deserves in the scientific literature
Ways in which examining the phenomenological characteristics of hallucinations have theoretical and clinical implications, have been presented
There exist a number of assessment tools that examine phenomenological aspects in detail
Summary
This has not always been clear in the scientific literature, until recently. Ways in which examining phenomenological characteristics of hallucinations may have theoretical and clinical implications, will be presented. As Lowe (1973) has rightly pointed out, “the variety in the manners in which hallucinations have been defined does not imply that any given definition is invalid, but it does confirm that hallucinations are complex phenomena, whose investigation almost certainly requires multi-dimensional research designs and multiple initial criteria (page 626).”. Hallucinations are highly complex and rich phenomena, this fact is rarely given the merit it deserves in the scientific literature. This is unfortunate, as taking into account the phenomenological nature of hallucinations. The perspective advocated here is to view the hallucinatory experience from a first-person (experiencer) perspective, where it is the subjective experience itself that takes precedence
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