You’re Not Always Crazy When You “See Things”

If you’ve ever heard about a woman in her nineties who sees things that included people in bright eastern dress, a man who is smiling with huge teeth, a building covered with white snow, and even pink and blue squares that trail along the floor and onto the ceiling, you might assume the worst…

But what if this woman is not crazy or experiencing the first stages of Alzheimer’s or dementia? What if what she sees is connected to what she can’t see? OK, we at GLIMPSE may sound crazy ourselves, but in the TED video above, renowned neuroscientist Oliver Sacks gives us insight into the complex hallucinations that result from Charles Bonnet Syndrome, a surprisingly common condition occurring in perfectly sane people that causes them to, well, see things.

To learn more about Charles Bonnet Syndrome and other visionary, imaginary and hallucinatory phenomena, keep your eyes peeled for the upcoming GLIMPSE issue, “Visions.”