Matteo Maggiora, Stefano Naim & Massimiliano Aragona

 

The aim of the present study is to investigate whether dissociative hallucinations differ from psychotic hallucinations.

In order to emphasize the phenomenal differences, we use an idealtypical approach to compare several psychopathological features of hallucinations in post-traumatic flashbacks and in schizophrenia. Ideal types are general ideas useful to exemplify the phenomena in their more complete and typical presentation at a purely phenomenal level, irrespective of partial similarities and overlapping of some of their features.

Hallucinations occurring within post-traumatic flashbacks are experienced in a clearly altered state of consciousness, are usually vivid highly personalized multisensorial scenes, are often realistic echoes of the original traumatic experiences, and the patient’s emotional reaction is coherent with their content. Moreover, when the patient remembers them or is told about what happened, he/she clearly views them as pathological intrusive phenomena originating from own mind.

On the other side, typical schizophrenic hallucinations are experienced in a somehow lucid state of consciousness, are usually bizarre, partial, less vivid, scarcely personalized and localized. Their internal coherence as well the congruousness with the emotional reaction is lower. The “position-taking” is also more complex: at one side their implicit interpretation is intertwined with a delusional lived-world, at the other side the patient usually asserts explicitly (when investigated) that even the most elusive experiences are real.

In conclusion, our study suggests that the most typical PTSD and schizophrenic hallucinations can be sharply distinguished at the phenomenal level.

 

Hallucinations, AVHs, Flashbacks, Schizophrenia, Psychosis, PTSD, Phenomenology, Psychopathology

 

 

Received on December 20, 2021

Accepted on February 13, 2022

Firstly published online on May 23, 2022