2013) - [(Hallucinations)] [Author - Oliver Sacks] published on (August

Oliver Sacks, the teller of many weird psychological case histories ("The man who mistook his wife for a hat"), reveals some of his own hallucinatory history, as well as those of others. Sight, hearing, smell, and touch can all be hallucinatory. Phenomena like this are more common than you might think.

Oliver Sacks gives the reader a glimpse into the caverns of perception in this easy to read and understand exploration of the challenge to comprehend the sights and sounds which often befuddle the conscious mind. And he suggests that there is a level of reality worthy of attention and understanding. Hallucinations are not the sole province of the LSD tripper or alcoholic, we learn.

Jim Whiting

I enjoyed the book very much. I've often wondered about some of the described 'hallucinations' and liked reading about the causes of them. I have had one hallucination and it seemed so vivid and real. I can't imagine living with that during a lifetime.

This is another great read by Oliver Sacks. In this one, he pulls together information on hallucinations. His descriptions run the gamut, and include hallucinations that are visual, auditory, olfactory and sensing a "presence" close to one. Some described are interactive and others are static. While hallucinations are widely associated with schizophrenia, Sacks does not dwell on those. Hallucinations are experienced by a wide variety of people under varying circumstances. Total or complete blindness, loss or impairment of hearing, loss of a limb can trigger them. They can occur at the edges of sleep, whether falling asleep or waking. And the interpretation of the individual can vary from mundane to frightening, from religious or ethereal to corporeal and tangible. As in other books, Sacks explores the science behind the experiences as well as the personal impact these have on the individuals. With modern scientific tools, the areas of the brain involved in each type of hallucination have been defined. He also looks at literature, both fictional and historical, for examples of probable hallucinations. All in all, a fascinating read.
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I will always appreciate that Oliver Sacks writes with a great balance between the objective ideal of the scientist, and the humanism necessary to approach the complex arena of neuropsychology. His warmth and fairness, along with some great insights into what hallucinations are (organically), mean (psychologically), and connote (socially).

Not too much detail or explanation of hallucinations. It's more of a statement citing different experiences. There weren't case studies or a hypothesis of what determines who has hallucinations or what can be done to alleviate the fear that some people have of them (including my mother-in-law).

I received an autographed copy. This might not be a good reason to give the book five stars before finishing reading it. I feel it's necessary to let you know you have a chance to receive a autographed copy.

This is another book of stories about people with unusual experiences. Oliver Sacks describes them and illustrates how our brains interpret - and misinterpret - ourselves and our world. The section on phantom limbs was especially interesting to me.

Oliver Sacks is a well-known and respected scientist/Dr. who delves into the workings of the mind in a fascinating and informative way. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in hallucinations and the numerous causes and interpretations. Humans have made religions out of the hallucinations of the brain and place too much importance on neural firings and its manifestations.

This fascinating book covers a wide range of hallucinations - caused by everything from seizures to blindness to brain damage, and much more. The book is about neurology and physiology, not psychology. Very scholarly and enjoyable.

Hopefully this book will open a line of understanding and maybe, just maybe , a little forgiveness where you though someone was just plain crazy, nope, they still think all is OK. Maybe you try a little empathy around the house and act a little crazy...who knows..They might feel you are finally acting normal !!

I love Oliver Sacks; reading his books is like getting a visit from a relative who pops up once in a while with great stories. He is genuinely interested in other people and their experiences and has had a really interesting and adventurous life.

Dr. Sacks has the gift of showing us the weirdness in people and then helping us to see it in ourselves. This book does not have stories as clearly delineated as his earlier work but his charm and love of people are still apparent.

Nothing he writes ever disappoints. An insightful, sensitive and thorough inquiry into the phenomenon of hallucinations. Maybe a bit wordy at times, but it's Oliver Sacks and he's got a lot of good stuff to say.

Sacks adds another quality entry in his ever growing list of writing. Highly readable for the layperson, this book is filled with fascinating case studies and even takes our present knowledge and analyzes some figures from the past to speculate whether they may have had some neurological disorders.

I have read many of Oliver Sacks' books, but this one may be my favorite. I have hearing problems and hear sounds I cannot explain. He explains them in a way I could understand. And his book explains so many other other types of hallucinations. A great read!

I had just heard an interview with Oliver Sacks on NPR and knew I wanted a copy of this book.In my clinical work, as an occupational therapist, I work with older adults with various medical diagnoses. Some hallucinate often. This book continues to shape my appreciation fro their experience and has enhanced my clinical reasoning and understanding of this phenomena.

As usual, Dr. Sacks presents us with his beautifully written case histories of a particular variant of human behavior.
For the most part it is highly enjoyable, but after a while, I tired of the sideshow.

Oliver Sacks never disappoints. As a practitioner, I appreciated the excerpts of personal experiences of hallucinations in many different situations and originating from a variety of mental conditions. It is helpful when I sit with a patient to listen to the experience of the hallucination.

Oliver Sacks delivers another well written, well documented book on the subject of hallucinations. This book is an interesting, easy and fast read. The author calls on his vast experience as a neurologist and a researcher in the field of neurology to explain to the reader the various forms of hallucinations that our brains can form. I highly reccomend this book.

There is no doubt now that I have been hallucinating my entire life and probably am someone else. As usual Sacks who I can refer to as 'my hero' has done it again. This is a very revealing book that is possibly motivated by the author's diminishing vision.

The author writes about a difficult subject in a light, entertaining and enlightening way. Through his text we can feel the compassion and love he felt for all the people with whom he had contact, even for those ancient ones, the cases he probably researched virtually. Helped me to look at the possibilities of the mind in a more fearless and open way.

Oliver Sacks delivers another well written, well documented book on the subject of hallucinations. This book is an interesting, easy and fast read. The author calls on his vast experience as a neurologist and a researcher in the field of neurology to explain to the reader the various forms of hallucinations that our brains can form. I highly reccomend this book.

There is no doubt now that I have been hallucinating my entire life and probably am someone else. As usual Sacks who I can refer to as 'my hero' has done it again. This is a very revealing book that is possibly motivated by the author's diminishing vision.

The author writes about a difficult subject in a light, entertaining and enlightening way. Through his text we can feel the compassion and love he felt for all the people with whom he had contact, even for those ancient ones, the cases he probably researched virtually. Helped me to look at the possibilities of the mind in a more fearless and open way.

Having fallen in love with science, the brain and psychology, this new addition was a wonderful compliment to Sacks' work. I would recomend this for anyone interested in the human senses. Makes you wonder...

Dr. Sacks again finds new and interesting things to say abourt something we think we know enough about alreaady. But maybe some things he wishes to consider hallucinations aren't, and his own somewhat troubled childhood furnishes idiosyncratic evidence for brain science at times. Still fascinating and extremely readable, it does much to broaden our perception of "normal" and ordinary Anything that does this has got to be good for us.

I chose this rating because I loved the book. The writing is clear and elegant but I expected more conclusions. Not because I can't form my own but because its nice to be able to compare ones thoughts with others. Nevertheless the case histories are fascinating and lead to deep questions about the nature of reality.

A really interesting investigation of the brain and of humanity. Sacks uses a really great combination of scientific investigation, classical sources, and personal experience to create a really captivating and logical exploration concerning how the brain works.

A tour de force by Oliver Sacks. Drawing deeply on scientific insight, literature and his own quite extensive personal experience of the use of hallucinogenic drugs Sacks complies perhaps the most important book on hallucinations since Albert Hoffman's "L.S.D.: My Problem Child".
Sacks, across numerous essays, examines hallucinations from a number of vantage points allowing the reader the closest experience of hallucination they are liable to have short of actually hallucinating themselves. Indeed as Sacks shows hallucinations are actually quite common-place, rather than being the sign of some kind of perceptual defect or result / side-effect of drugs of differing kinds. We, or at least most of us, have - at some time or another - hallucinated.
Hallucinations have been used to provide proof of contact with the Gods or demons, they have provoked - or are a symptom of - mental breakdowns and they have been the inspiration for any number of works of art - visual, auditory and so on. Indeed Sacks shows how hallucinations are far more common than one might think, rather than being a marginal phenomena of interest only to Neurologists, Psychologist, Anthropologists amongst other academic discplines and of course "thrill seekers / drug users".
At the very least "Hallucinations" provides justification for considerably more research to be conducted into hallucinations: the triggers for; the short and long term effects of; and the interpretation of them from ontological and psychological perspectives.