Hallucinations a Troix
N. Lukianowicz
Archives of General Psychiatry September 1, 1959 DOI: 10.1001/archpsyc.1959.03590030106012 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 3 |
| Key points | Argues that hallucinations and parahallucinatory phenomena, particularly hypnagogic and hypnopompic imagery, are more common in normal people than generally realized, and proposes the term "folie à deux" by analogy with folie à trois. The author contends that these phenomena demand explanation, though any explanation proves difficult. |
Abstract
The term used in the title has been coined by analogy with folie à troix. “Instead of disputing the facts, we must try to explain them. But whatever explanation we offer, we soon find ourselves in very deep waters indeed.” —H. H.Price19 Introduction It has long been known that “true,” or “ordinary,” hallucinations are very common not only in certain psychoses but also in various toxic conditions, infections, etc,; yet only recently has it become clear that some parahallucinatory phenomena, in particular those connected with sleep (e. g., hypnagogic and hypnopompic imagery) also occur oftener than it was generally realized. Many contemporary authors (Ardis and McKellar,2McKellar,15McKellar and Simpson,16and others) express this view. For instance, Smythies22,23writes: “Visual hallucinations in the form of hypnagogic and eidetic imagery, occur . . . frequently in normal people.” Similarly, Dawson5states: “Hallucinations occur in