Definition of Hallucination

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Hallucination: A profound distortion in a person's perception of reality, typically accompanied by a powerful sense of reality. An hallucination may be a sensory experience in which a person can see, hear, smell, taste, or feel something that is not there.

The types of hallucinations include:

• An auditory hallucination is an hallucination involving the sense of hearing. Called also paracusia and paracusis.
• A gustatory hallucination is an hallucination involving the sense of taste.
• A hypnagogic hallucination is a vivid dreamlike hallucination at the onset of sleep.
• Hypnopompic hallucination is a vivid dreamlike hallucination on awakening.
• Kinesthetic hallucination is an hallucination involving the sense of bodily movement.
• Lilliputian hallucination is an hallucination in which things, people, or animals seem smaller than they would be in reality.
• Olfactory hallucination is an hallucination involving the sense of smell.
• Somatic hallucination is an hallucination involving the perception of a physical experience occurring with the body.
• Tactile hallucination is an hallucination involving the sense of touch.
• Visual hallucination is an hallucination involving the sense of sight.