Auditory hallucinations (Al Bregman )

Subject: Auditory hallucinations
From:    Al Bregman  <bregman(at)HEBB.PSYCH.MCGILL.CA>
Date:    Wed, 13 Jul 2005 17:16:39 -0400

Dear Sukhi,

I think there are two reasonably close analogs of schizophrenic
hallucinations:
1.  Dreaming during normal sleep.
2.  The hallucinations that one can induce in awake people via
        (a) long periods of sensory deprivation
        (b) depriving normal people of the opportunity to dream during
sleep
              by waking them up whenever they start to dream.

For some time, I have entertained the idea that the hallucinations in
schizophrenics were a disorder of the normal dreaming mechanism.  Why don't
we dream during the day?  Some mechanism must suppress it.  Maybe this
suppression mechanism is defective in schizophrenics, or requires that
external events engage a much higher level of interest (or arousal) before
it kicks in.

Best wishes,

Al

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Albert S. Bregman,
Emeritus Professor
Psychology Dept., McGill University
1205 Docteur Penfield Avenue
Montreal, Quebec
Canada  H3A 1B1

Office:
     Voice: +1 (514) 398-6103
     Fax:     +1 (514) 398-4896
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