Re:The Dreams of a Man Asleep for Three Weeks
by zamalek on Thursday March 28, 2019 @01:05AM
(#19509425)
> Delirium in intensive care units is extremely common
For some people a fever is enough. Somewhere in the region of 39C I start having what I can best describe "emotional hallucinations" or "hallucinations of the mind's eye." There is nothing sensory (auditory, visual, physical) in the classical sense, but I know that something is there and it is terrifying (even though I have always been aware that it's a hallucination).
I had an unknown parasite, distantly related to Malaria, for two weeks as a child. This was just enough to push me into delirium. I "hallucinated" a black hole in my room, not one the size of my room, but real stellar proportions and gravity. I also hallucinated a radio chasing me around. I never saw, heard or felt either of them, I just knew that they were there, and were not there.
I've had wildly vivid dreams ever since. They are blandly authentic. Some of them would probably make great movies. Every night I hope I have one of those dreams, but they are becoming less and less frequent.
For some people a fever is enough. Somewhere in the region of 39C I start having what I can best describe "emotional hallucinations" or "hallucinations of the mind's eye." There is nothing sensory (auditory, visual, physical) in the classical sense, but I know that something is there and it is terrifying (even though I have always been aware that it's a hallucination).
I had an unknown parasite, distantly related to Malaria, for two weeks as a child. This was just enough to push me into delirium. I "hallucinated" a black hole in my room, not one the size of my room, but real stellar proportions and gravity. I also hallucinated a radio chasing me around. I never saw, heard or felt either of them, I just knew that they were there, and were not there.
I've had wildly vivid dreams ever since. They are blandly authentic. Some of them would probably make great movies. Every night I hope I have one of those dreams, but they are becoming less and less frequent.