Bizarre Experience Research Articles

BizarreVR: Dream-like bizarreness in immersive virtual reality induced changes in conscious experience of reality while leaving spatial presence intact

Differences in conscious experience of reality occur between waking, dreaming, and psychotic states. Between these states, there are systematic differences in the judgment about the reality of the experience when being confronted with bizarre breaks. However, the mechanisms underlying experience of reality in these different states are still unknown. To investigate the effect of bizarre breaks on experience of reality during the wake state, we propose a new paradigm using dream-like bizarreness and immersive virtual reality. Results showed that the realistic non-bizarre virtual environment induced high levels of reality judgment and spatial presence, whereas the confrontation with bizarre breaks induced high levels of experienced bizarreness. Moreover, experienced bizarreness significantly reduced reality judgment in both the bizarre and the realistic condition. Further, there was no effect of bizarre breaks on spatial presence. These results provide proof of concept for the new method to elicit natural bizarre experience within a realistic scenario.

Transition Home Following New Fecal Ostomy Creation: A Qualitative Study.

Perioperative ostomy education is essential for patients to develop skills and comfort with self-care at home with a new ostomy, but shortened hospital length of stay (LOS) reduces time for postoperative education for patients. This study explored the initial experiences and care needs of patients who have undergone creation of a new ostomy during their transition from hospital to home. Qualitative interpretive description using latent content analysis. Thirteen patients who had undergone an elective colorectal surgery involving creation of an ostomy were interviewed. Participants were 33 to 78 years of age, 54% were female, and 62% were undergoing ostomy creation for colorectal cancer operations. Eleven participants underwent temporary ileostomy creation, and 2 patients had permanent end colostomies created. Interviews were conducted in person and audiotaped by study investigators within 4 to 6 weeks postoperatively. Audiotapes were transcribed verbatim by trained transcriptionists, and each transcript was reviewed in duplicate by study investigators. A latent content analysis method was used to determine the implied meaning in participants' experiences of having a new ostomy. The transition from hospital to home with a new ostomy was illustrated by 5 major themes: (1) Having an ostomy is a life-changing and bizarre experience; (2) Adjustment and adaptation occur through acceptance and self-reliance; (3) It's a hands-on thing: with the role of WOC nurse providing support in achieving independence; (4) Improved home care infrastructure is needed; and (5) Practical advice shared from experiential learning. Patients with new ostomies are motivated and able to cope with the ostomy and regain independence over a short period after surgery. Shorter LOS does not impede ostomy education so long as adequate home care and support group programs are available. Knowledge gained through this study will assist WOC nurses in managing patients' expectations and the planning and delivery of education to patients with newly created ostomies.

Planes, Trains and Quarantines: Travelling to Canada in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Alan WhitesideIn this article, I set out the processes, as they were enforced in May 2021, for the journey from the UK to Canada. It is a reflection on the past year, the lessons learnt, and the bizarre experience of travelling in a time of plague.

Vertigo, can it be redefined?

Background & Objectives- 
 Vertigo, a clinical symptom complex is not infrequent in our patients. Its diagnosis too is controversial. Majority of these cases run from hospital to clinics, some times to Otolaryngologists to get rid of this bizarre experience. Sometimes they get benefit but otherwise they experience a destitute life.
 Our aim was to treat them by Physical Therapy in the light of Cervical Spondylosis that is commonly associated with vertigo.
 Material & Methods-
 This is a prospective case study done in PMR department (OPD) of a teaching institute over a period of 6 months time period. 20 OPD patients of both sexes (14 ladies and 6 gents) with definite Cervical Spondylosis along with complain of vertigo or dizziness, pain at cervical spine were accounted for the study. Only extreme aged persons or patients with other major co-morbidity were excluded. These 20 patients were treated with conventional Physical Therapy for CS. Medications were prescribed as and when required.
 Results-
 After Physical Therapy, that included lifestyle modification, isometric cervical exercise, intermittent cervical traction, application of Therapeutic Ultrasound (UST) to cervical region and proper posture care of cervical spine along with use of cervical orthosis (where needed), majority of the patients become symptom free.
 Conclusion- 
 Physical Therapy may be considered as an alternative method of treatment of Vertigo patients, who are otherwise not responding satisfactorily to pharmaceutical agents.

Making Sense of an Endorsement Model of Thought‐Insertion

AbstractExperiences of thought‐insertion are a first‐rank, diagnostically central symptom of schizophrenia. Schizophrenic patients who undergo such delusional mental states report being first‐personally aware of an occurrent conscious thought which is not theirs, but which belongs to an external cognitive agent. Patients seem to be right about what they are thinking but mistaken about who is doing the thinking. It is notoriously difficult to make sense of such delusions. One general approach to explaining the etiology of monothematic delusions has come to be known as the endorsement model. This model claims that the patient holds her delusional belief because she simply trusts her bizarre experience and takes it at face value. The content of the bizarre experience thus plays a central role in the etiology of delusions. Despite being widely discussed with respect to delusions like Capgras and Cotard, an endorsement model of thought‐insertion has not yet been formulated. This article seeks to fill this void by fleshing out and defending the endorsement approach to delusions of inserted thoughts. It aims to show that such an approach can be defended against objections that have been raised in the literature. In particular, it will be argued that there is nothing wrong with the idea of being first‐personally aware of a thought which is presented in consciousness as being someone else's. The upshot is that with respect to delusions of thought‐insertion, the endorsement model turns out to be a viable account of why patients come to believe that someone else is inserting thoughts into their minds.

Unveiling Disconcertment: "La Meva Cristina" and "El Batalló Perdut" as Literature of Exile

The end of Spanish Civil war marked beginning of a massive exodus that displaced a whole generation of Spaniards who still carry with them scars of exile. Many expatriates adapted to disconcertment of their new circumstances, and upon their return carried with them an amalgamation of who they were and what they had become, making their process of reintegration quite difficult. Taking into consideration—as per Frederic Jameson—that literature is a cultural product that textualizes Real through author's political unconscious, it is possible to offer a reading of Merce Rodoreda's La meva Cristina and Pere Calders's El batallo perdut as literature of exile. The use of fantastic elements and situations where disconcertment reigns can be seen as an articulation of bizarre experience of rootlessness. Through use of fantastic these stories contribute to representation of exile and translate sensations and emotions that history books can rarely capture. Their ultimate triumph is that of replicating the feel of rootlessness. This article looks at life circumstances of authors in order to help establish context of production of stories. Later it examines use of fantastic genre as a way of projecting ambiguity that arises from banishment. Finally, it unveils various elements within stories that point toward disconcertment of exile: identity crisis and status determination; acceptance and inertia; attempts at defining an incongruent space; pervasive wounds and scars; and reintegration and remembrance

Alien abduction experiences: Some clues from neuropsychology and neuropsychiatry

Introduction. Many thousands of people around the world firmly believe that they have been abducted by alien beings and taken on board spaceships where they have been subjected to painful medical examination. Method. Given that such accounts are almost certainly untrue, four areas of neuroscience are considered with respect to possible clues that may lead towards a fuller understanding of the alien abduction experience. Results. First, it is argued that sleep paralysis may be implicated in many such claims. Second, research into false memories is considered. It is argued that abductees may be more prone to false memories than the general population. Third, evidence is considered relating to the mental health of abductees. It is concluded that there is currently no convincing evidence for higher rates of serious psychopathology amongst abductees compared to the general population. However, abductees do seem to show higher levels on some potentially relevant measures (e.g., tendency to dissociate). Finally, claims that alien abduction experiences may be linked to abnormal activity in the temporal lobes is considered. Conclusion. Although the neurosciences provide many clues to the nature of this bizarre experience, further research is required before a full understanding will be attained.

Intergalactic Hostages: People who Report Abduction by UFOs

Quite a few people have reported what may seem to many to be a bizarre experience: They claim to have had painful and humiliating encounters with extraterrestrials. Some argue that these events actually occur, while others claim that the people reporting them are dishonest or mentally ill. Instead, it is argued here that UFO (Unidentified Flying Object) abduction accounts are false memories. Conditions encouraging the construction of pseudomemories are reviewed, and it is argued that these are the conditions associated with the construction of UFO abduction accounts. In addition, abduction accounts may be understood as stories that express the desire to escape from awareness of the self and the demands placed on it. Similarities between the typical abduction narrative and another form of fantasy and activity hypothesized to serve escape-from-self needs-masochism-are reviewed. Costs and benefits of a skeptical approach to the UFO abduction phenomenon are discussed.