Autoscopic phenomena.

Autoscopy is a visual experience in which a person sees an image of themselves in external space from within their own body. A review of 53 published cases since 1935 plus three personally observed patients found 38 men and 18 women, average age 39.5 years. Neurological illness, most often epilepsy, occurred in 59% of subjects, and psychiatric disorder in 59%, commonly delirium, depression, or psychosis. Speaking images were associated with younger age, male sex, psychotic illness, longer image duration, and hypnagogic/hypnopompic experiences. Autoscopy may result from a convergence of gender, personality, neurological and psychiatric disease, exhaustion, and dissociation overriding normal inhibition of temporal lobe activity.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Autoscopy is defined here as a visual experience where the subject sees an image of him/herself in external space, viewed from within his/her own physical body. This paper reviews the literature both historically and conceptually, and includes a quantitative study of accumulated cases. Cases published since 1935 and meeting the above definition for autoscopy (n = 53) were included, together with three personally-observed patients. A clinical protocol was completed for each case, including information about the autoscopic image. Cases were compared using non-parametric statistics on dichotomised variables. There were 38 men and 18 women, with a mean age of 39.5 years (range 13-78). Of the subjects, 33 (59%) had a neurological illness, most frequently epilepsy (18 cases). Right and left sided lesions were equally represented. Psychiatric disorder was often present (33 cases, 59%), most commonly delirium, depression or psychosis. The features of the images seen were diverse, but speaking images were associated with younger age, male sex, psychotic illness, longer duration of image, and hypnagogic/hypnopompic experiences. Autoscopy may arise from a convergence of several variables, including gender, personality factors, neurological and/or psychiatric disease, exhaustion and dissociation, whose interaction may override the normal inhibition of temporal lobe activity. A cognitive neuropsychological hypothesis is proposed, together with avenues for future research.