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Auditory hallucination

An auditory hallucination is the experience of hearing spontaneous and imaginary noises.123 The most common examples of this include hearing clips of sound such as imagined music,14 voices,15678910 tones,1 popping,111 and scraping,11 but can also be an infinite variety of other potential noises that are stored within one's memory.

In terms of their behaviour, these sounds will often be based on noises that were expected to occur or have been genuinely heard on a frequent basis within the external environment. For example, a person may repeatedly hear a knock at the door when they are expecting a visitor or hear music they were listening to earlier on in the day. However, at other times, auditory hallucinations may also present themselves as completely new or unusual sounds unlike anything that could currently occur within the external environment.

Auditory hallucinations are often accompanied by other coinciding effects, such as auditory distortion8910 and auditory enhancement17. They are most commonly induced under the influence of moderate dosages of hallucinogenic compounds12, such as psychedelics, deliriants, and dissociatives. However, they can also occur less commonly under the influence of stimulant psychosis, cannabinoids, and during sleep deprivation.1314

This effect can be broken into two specific subtypes, which are described and documented below:

Internal auditory hallucination

An internal auditory hallucination is the perception of hallucinated audio that sounds as if the specific location of its source does not have a particular sense of distance or direction attributed to it; instead, the sound originates from within a person's own head. This is in contrast to external auditory hallucinations, which sound as if they are occurring seamlessly within the external environment as if they were physically present.

The experience of this effect can be broken down into three distinct levels of intensity. These are described and documented below:

Level 1Fleeting hallucinations
At the lowest level, internal auditory hallucinations generally consist of ill-defined, distant, and subtle sounds that stop as soon the person notices them. For example, a person may hear vague voices, music, and tones within their own head but find that they are not remotely discernable in terms of their given details.
Level 2Partially defined hallucinations
At this level, the hallucinations can be directly noticed without them immediately stopping, but are not fully defined in terms of their detail. This means that, although fully audible, they will still sound partially muffled and distant. For example, a person may hear voices or music within their own head but find that they do not sound quite as crisp and detailed as similar sounds that can be heard in real life.
Level 3Fully defined hallucinations
At this level, the hallucinations have become completely realistic and lifelike in terms of the detail of their sound. For example, a person may hear fully defined voices, music, or other sounds within their own head that are complex and fully defined in terms of their details.

External auditory hallucinationh

An external auditory hallucination is the perception of a hallucinated noise that occurs seamlessly within the external environment as if the specific location of its source has a particular sense of direction and distance attributed to it. This is in stark contrast to internal auditory hallucinations that sound as if they occur exclusively within one's own head.

This effect is capable of manifesting itself across the 3 different levels of intensity described below:

Level 1Partially defined embedded hallucinations
At the lowest level, the hallucinated sounds lack clarity and may be indistinct, muffled, and difficult to make out. They are also only heard embedded within real sounds occurring within the external environment. For example, a person may hear subtle music or voices embedded within the sound of the wind, cars, or rain. These hallucinations sound as if they are coming from an unspecifiable direction somewhere within the external environment.
Level 2Partially defined separate hallucinations
At this level, the sounds remain only partially defined, but are heard on a separate layer of their own instead of manifesting themselves as embedded within other noises. They will also begin to sound as if they are occurring from a vaguely specifiable direction or source within the external environment.
Level 3Fully defined separate hallucinations
At this level, the sounds become fully defined in their clarity, meaning that the content of the hallucinations can be recognized and heard perfectly as if they were physically present. They will also sound as if they originate from a specific location within the external environment in a manner so lifelike that it will often confuse the person into believing it was a real sound.

Replications

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Audio Replications

DMT DroneDMT Drone by /u/Hyperactive_Filly
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This audio clip acts as a replication of the high pitched tone commonly heard during the onset of a breakthrough DMT experience.

Rights remain with the creator or rightsholder.

Creator
Sinister hallucinatory voicesSinister hallucinatory voices by /u/Hyperactive_Filly
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This is a replication of auditory hallucinations that commonly occur under the influence of stimulant psychosis, deliriants, and bad psychedelic experiences. This clip contains ethereal and sinister voices that actively discourage and insult the person hallucinating them.

Rights remain with the creator or rightsholder.

Creator

References

See Also

Citations

  1. Al-Assmar, S. E. (1999). The seeds of the Hawaiian baby woodrose are a powerful hallucinogen. Archives of internal medicine, 159(17), 2090-2090.
  2. Auditory hallucinations: a review of psychological treatments
  3. Paracusia (Medical dictionary)
  4. The clinical spectrum of musical hallucinations (ncbi)
  5. The Omnipotence of Voices: A Cognitive Approach to Auditory Hallucinations (The British Journal of Psychiatry)
  6. Reference 6
  7. Juszczak, G. R., & Swiergiel, A. H. (2013). Recreational use of D-lysergamide from the seeds of Argyreia nervosa, Ipomoea tricolor, Ipomoea violacea, and Ipomoea purpurea in Poland. Journal of psychoactive drugs, 45(1), 79-93.
  8. Carbonaro, T. M., Forster, M. J., & Gatch, M. B. (2013). Discriminative stimulus effects of N, N-diisopropyltryptamine. Psychopharmacology, 226(2), 241-246.
  9. Shulgin, A. T., & Carter, M. F. (1980). N, N-Diisopropyltryptamine (DIPT) and 5-methoxy-N, N-diisopropyltryptamine (5-MeO-DIPT). Two orally active tryptamine analogs with CNS activity. Communications in psychopharmacology, 4(5), 363-369.
  10. Shulgin, A. T., & Shulgin, A. Transform Press; Berkeley, CA: 1997. TIHKAL: The Continuation.
Contributors:Josie·Kaylee·Graham·Natalie