Hallucinations with Oliver Sacks

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RIP, Oliver Wolf Sacks, CBE (9 July 1933 – 30 August 2015) was a British neurologist and writer. He was Professor of Neurology at New York University

I adore thee, Dr. Sacks. So devastated you are gone before I could study under you, meet you, get your feedback on my thoughts. You are sorely missed. One of the greatest minds of our century. Rest In Peace, Dr. Sacks. Your work will not be forgotten.

I was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder because of hallucinations id have only while falling asleep. Id float out my body or sink into my bed. Sometimes thered be unintelligible whispers in my ear. Sometimes when trying to sleep, my minds eye doesnt seem to work properly. Lets say i’m trying to picture my dog. That picture of my dog would distort/stretch/melt and if i opened my eyes, that image would appear in real life, but only really shortly before it disintegrates. I dont have schizoaffective disorder. This video brought me much closer to figuring out whats going on though and i feel very comforted because of it.

One of the brightest human beings to ever live. My hero... Oliver Sacks. So sad the world has lost you.

This man is amazing. The fact that he separates schizophrenic hallucinations from all other forms of hallucinations tells me he truly understands more on this subjects than anyone else I know from my studies and sources of information. His experiences with pharmaceutical launch pads has opened his mind to a greater reality of himself and all around him. Too see clearly and articulate his thoughts and experiences to others. A part of his mind is at light speed while another part organizes and compartmentalizes , then another delivers that information coherently.

We are all living in one true hallucination.

Before seeing this, I had never heard of this brilliant and entertaining gentleman. He's SO fascinating. I could listen to his stories, perspectives, and hypotheses all day. Sadly, I discovered him too late. BTW- awesome seeing Dr. Tyson in attendance.

Dat intro.

The interviewer describes a near death experience at the start and attributes it to a hallucination, to my mind.

John Hockenberry that was intense introduction to this discussion.

As someone with narcolepsy it is interesting to hear people intellectually speaking of these hallucinations we experience. Personally I was glad to be medicated for a while that allowed them to go away, but the more I learn about energy, frequency and vibrations the more I feel that it is more like a connection I to the subconscious and inner self than it is a side effect of the disability. My most recent though was of an ugly leprechaun in which I threw a blanket over him and said not tonight I'm tired. 🤷‍♀️ lol I am the troll seer out there they asked about.

Mr Oliver sacks I'm 64 years old born and raised in Manhattan when I was younger I used to experiment with LSD and my hallucinations were incredible I used to be able to talk to someone that was five blocks away from me I seen buildings melt right in front of my eyes when I threw up Stars Little Stars used to come out when it hit the ground I throw up hit the ground Stars used to come bouncing back I had a lot of interesting hallucinations what I loved about it was that I was hoping to control my hallucinations if we can learn how to control our hallucinations then we got something going anyway I find you super interesting and I find you to be the Einstein of our time thank you for your intellect sharing

Dr. Sacks is so patient with the man who is interviewing him.

Wonderful talk. Thank you.

you will be missed Dr. Sacks. Brilliant mind.

I cried when Dr Sacks died. I had just been diagnosed with Epilepsy. I had developed Charles Bonnet syndrome after my vision was obscured by a cataract, I only have vision in my left eye. And that not beyond Three feet or so. I was never frightened of these. I somehow knew it was only my brain seeking the stimulus of what residual vision I had resulting from premature birth at 26 weeks that affects my hearing as well. I had had several seizures as a small child, but have no recollection of these events. My EEGs always showed up normal, so I was originally diagnosed with a mental disorder Called Psychogenic non epileptic seizures. The criteria for these were not anything that was observed by others. A neurologist who did not accept my insurance took me as a patient and took the situation seriously. They are mostly controlled now but after the first ones I was so frightened. Dismissed I became depressed and understandably overcome with anxiety. I had read Musicophelia which has caught my attention because of my love for music. After seeing the neurologist who diagnosed me with Epilepsy, I looked for more titles by him. He made my situation less frightening, he made me feel understood as my neurologist has. I was reassured that no, I wasn't loosing my mind or subconsciously expressing trauma or anxiety. I had absolutely no memory until after the events, I would wake from them exhausted and completely disoriented. Sometimes terrified at the feeling. Other times fine and just in a haze called a Post ictal state,, which just means after the seizure period. The feeling is something that truly defies description. Even though I never knew him personally, head a profound effect on me. I felt heard, understood and comforted by the knowledge that I was not alone and what I was experiencing was the affects of my disease and not a misunderstood psychological disorder. May you rest in peace Dr. Sacks. I cannot thank you enough for sharing your patients experiences with the world. You were never seeking recognition as some of your detractors claim, but bringing empathy and understanding to a curious medicine. Thank you for all you have done for the world, your patients and myself. Our world needs many more souls like yours.

Absolutely fascinating, good questions asked too.

At first, I thought it might be a bit boring. Don't let that stop you from whatching this excellent talk. I was sad when it ended so soon. I'm going to read his book. Thank you very much World Science Festival.

What a glorious lecture! What couldn't I have been there? Awesome, awesome.