What Are Hallucinations?

As printed in Hearing Health, volume 20:4, Winter 2004

Stedman’s Medical Dictionary defines hallucinations as “the apparent, often strong, subjective perception of an object or event when no such stimulus or situation is present.” In other words, hallucinations are phantom sensory phenomena in the absence of real external sensory stimuli. They may be visual (seen), auditory (heard), olfactory (smelled), gustatory (tasted) or tactile (felt).

Although hallucinations may occur with any of the five senses, auditory hallucinations are by far the most common kind of hallucination. A person is having auditory hallucinations when he or she hears noises, music, sounds or voices that no one else hears because these phantom sounds are generated in the person’s brain, not externally.

Psychiatric Auditory Hallucination Symptoms

hear voices, as opposed to music or other sounds
voices are generally clear and distinct
voices almost always talk to or about the person
voices may engage the person in conversation; content is of a meaningful, personal nature

Non-Psychiatric Auditory Hallucination Symptoms

mostly hear music or singing instead of voices
voices, if any, are often vague and indistinct
voices neither talk to nor about the person, nor engage them in conversation
voices do not contain information of a meaningful personal nature