Hallucinations

[weare.livejournal.com]

Any of you ever feel things that aren't there? Lately I've been feeling like there are ants crawling on me or something similar. I've felt it twice already. The first time I thought it had to do with something with one of my alters (who has bee quiet ever since). But, this time it doesn't seem so. I scratched a part of my scalp so hard that I actually drew blood.

This sort of thing has never happened to me. I've heard of visual and audio hallucinations. But, not...what would you call it? Textile hallucinations? Is that even a term? I don't know. It could be the left overs of an illness I just got over (not cool). Or it could be a new develpment for me. Either way I'm not too happy with it and could really use some info.

Sorry for the cross post...but I really want to figure this out. Thanks.

EDIT: Someone mentioned that it could be that my electrolytes are low. Since I'm getting over a stomach bug and am still a little dehydrated this is totally possible. Actually, it's probably all it is. Thank you everyone who responded!

Comments

[squnq.livejournal.com]

I sometimes experience similar occurances, although the reasonings for mine may differ from the reasonings behind yours. In my experience (repressed memories surfacing), memory isn't just a visual or auditory phenomena, it is possible to have "touch hallucinations" where I experience bitter cold or crawling sensations related to past experiences.

That said, such "phantom touch sensations" can be related to a lot of different things, and I wouldn't directly associate it with being multiple unless there was something to accompany it such as a triggering event, time loss, another one of your peers being very upset or emotional about something, etc.

[weare.livejournal.com]

Thanks hon. As I said, I wasn't too sure if this was because of the illness I'm getting over or DID or what. lol And what I've been able to find on the net isn't too helpful (don't think I have schitzophrenia or parkinsons)

[shatterstorm.livejournal.com]

We get those.

[linnai.livejournal.com]

As far as I'm aware, we haven't experienced what I would consider hallucinations of a tactile nature. There have been times when we've been stressed where we have felt things that aren't there, though.

I do know that tactile hallucinations are a rare thing. Are you under a lot of stress? Have there been changes to your sleeping or activity schedules? Are any of your others experiencing anything similar?

[weare.livejournal.com]

I don't know about my others. Though, in both instances it did happen right after hearing them in an unusually clear way. And both times while being sick (though the first time I wasn't aware I was sick yet...that was Saturday morning and I didn't "get sick" until Saturday afternoon...still not 100% better and the second time was tonight). I am under a lot of stress because of a less than optimal living situation. *shrugs*

[linnai.livejournal.com]

It might be stress related. Our biological sister experiences auditory, visual and tactile hallucinations due to various disorders and from talking to her I know that the tactile hallucinations are usually a response (in her situation), to stress, feeling insecure in her environment, things of that nature.

If any of that makes sense or might be applicable to you, you might want to try concentrating on (if possible) giving yourself a chance to just be calm. Maybe just focus on yourself and identifying things that might b contributing and see if there's anything you can do to alleviate the situation at all.

[weare.livejournal.com]

*hugs* Thanks hon. Yeah I am under a lot of stress. Though, it has been worse than this (stress) and I never felt anything. *shrugs* Someone had mentioned that it could be a sign that my electrolytes are low which makes perfect sense since I just got over a stomach bug and I'm still a bit dehydrated. So, it's probably nothing to worry about. I'm just going to buy some vitamin water tomorrow.

[linnai.livejournal.com]

Ugh! Stomach bugs are so horrid. I hope that it is just a simple matter of balancing out your electrolytes. Gatorade (though some people can't stand the taste) is also a good way to balance electrolytes. A 50/50 mix of water and gatorade in any flavor is usually a good, lite and easy on the stomach sort of way to help balance your electrolytes.

[weare.livejournal.com]

Vitamin water has less sugar than gatorade. I would rather drink something that doesn't have any sugar (I'm anti-white sugar). But, it's less sugar than in a glass of store bought apple juice. So, not too bad. lol

Yeah, we drank some contaminated water (was bottled water...the company gave us a ton of free water and wouldn't stop applogizing). It totally sucked. Two adults, two 4 year olds, and a baby. The baby was the only one who didn't get sick.

[elenbarathi.livejournal.com]

"I do know that tactile hallucinations are a rare thing"

Ummm, no they're not. Formication (the sensation of bugs crawling) is extremely common, and can be caused by a whole lot of things. Alcohol withdrawal and use of (or withdrawal from) cocaine, methamphetamines and antidepressants are the causes one hears about the most, but it also frequently occurs with perimenopause.

*grins* Want to see the power of suggestion in action? Start talking about head lice in a room full of people, and watch how many of them scratch their heads. For a lot of people, just the words "head lice" are enough to trigger formication.

[linnai.livejournal.com]

I should have qualified that. "According to the doctor who was in charge of my sister's treatment."

Also, she (my sister) wasn't experiencing formication as far as I know. She was experiencing people who were not really present, touching her, slapping her, flicking her pulling on her limbs etc... and we were told that isn't a common form of hallucinatory experience.

[weare.livejournal.com]

Want to see the power of suggestion in action? Start talking about head lice in a room full of people, and watch how many of them scratch their heads

Oh yeah! I've seen this happen more than once. lol Would've been comical if I wasn't scratching my head too. ROFL

[pleiades-rising.livejournal.com]

I'd think that was less of a multiple thing and more of an anyone thing.

Jenny says sometimes it feels like there are a few roaches skittering about on her back, but then again, she's deathly afraid of roaches. You can get some crazy sensations over certain phobias like that. Do you have a phobia of ants, or some other sort of crawly things?

[melange-fiesta.livejournal.com]

I'd think that was less of a multiple thing and more of an anyone thing.

I'd have to agree with that one. :)

[weare.livejournal.com]

I have a slight phobia of roaches myself. But, it only bothers me if I'm somewhere that there are roaches and thankfully that's not here. But, we do have a small ant problem. I could have just psyched myself out. Usually when I realize there isn't anything there it would go away. This time it just stayed and really freaked me out.

[kiya]

When I have that sort of sensation, it's generally because my electrolites are out of whack. I fix it by drinking water with a few splashes of vinegar in it or sometimes lemonade.

[weare.livejournal.com]

Awesome! That makes a lot of sense. I am getting over an illness (pretty much over it but not 100% yet). It was a stomach bug type of thing. That plus breastfeeding and I'm not as hydrated as I would like to be. I didn't know that being low on electrolites could cause you to feel things. Thanks hon. :D I'll pick up some vitamin water tomorrow (has lots of electrolites)

[kiya]

Hydration's another thing to keep in mind, yeah. Good call.

I'm pretty sure that electolites are important to keeping the nerves running right -- the tactile hallucinatory things I get I've always interpreted as my sensation nerves misfiring. (My nerves are a little flaky in general, so it's a good first guess for me. ;) )

[weare.livejournal.com]

Well, for me I always think of low electrolites and dehydration as going together. *shrugs* Usually if I have a problem with one I have a problem with the other. lol

[karma-silenced.livejournal.com]

I've had hallucinations. I've felt and seen someone touch me before and started screaming and waking people up. >.<

Took Geodon for it... which didn't help. But I started learning to get more control over it myself.

None of the others hallucinate though.

-Kat

[weare.livejournal.com]

Oh Kat that must've been so scarey. Yeah, I've felt like someone was touching my arm before but it would only be for a second. This just wasn't going away which is why I freaked out. It's gone now...for the most part.

[karma-silenced.livejournal.com]

Ach... yeah... scary things happen to me a lot.

If you ever want to talk about weird mental craziness, just IM me. I'm the expert!

[weare.livejournal.com]

hehe...how about waking up to the feeling that your soul is being pulled from every possible direction? Totally scary. It's been a year since it last happened and just remembered I used to get them a lot. *shudders*

[newmoon17.livejournal.com]

I have tactile hallucinations - not to that extent though. Mine usually are tingling/itching/fire or like there is one small bug crawling on me.

I do not think it is related to multiplicity, but rather to neurology.

The nervous system can do odd stuff and trigger wierd sensations for no reason ^.^

[weare.livejournal.com]

Thanks hon! :D

[sethrenn.livejournal.com]

The 'ants crawling on you' feeling is something that sometimes happens to us when we're sick or haven't had enough sleep. I've seen it described quite a few times. Like lilairen said, sometimes it can have to do with your electrolytes being out of whack; it's also sometimes reported by people taking psychedelic drugs.

We have some minor tactile 'hallucinations' (not sure if they are really, or just things vividly imagined) that I think might be more related to autism issues-- feeling things scrape against our teeth when we hear certain noises, for instance.

[weare.livejournal.com]

Oh I hate that sound thing! Like when we get a package and it has those peanuts inside! Ugh! I can't stand to be around them. lol

I was sick with a stomach bug...that plus breastfeeding and I'm a little dehydrated. So, the electrolites thing sounds about right. I don't do any drugs or take meds so that's out.

[ksol1460.livejournal.com]

It sounds like formication -- means you think there's ants. A singlet friend had this for a long time. It was not mental. It was a slight biochemical imbalance. The doctor gave him small doses of something that was not a mental health drug -- we can ask him. A steroid, very mild, something like that. It went away & never came back.

[weare.livejournal.com]

Yeah, some were saying it could be an electrolyte thing. Which makes sense because I was sick and I'm still a little dehydrated. It just weirded me out is all. lol

[newmoon17.livejournal.com]

I have low electrolytes too, have to drink sports drinks ^.^

[weare.livejournal.com]

I love vitamin water. It has lots of electrolytes but with less sugar than in sports drinks. Oh it rocks. I think the name of the company is Glaceau.

[saturniakitty.livejournal.com]

I think the crawly feeling is actually a pretty common thing (well, relatively). I know several people who have experienced that, though I myself haven't. And yeah, none of them were multiples (although one girl may actually be schizophrenic and the hallucinations were caused by that...)

[weare.livejournal.com]

Yeah, this was just so vivid and real. But, it's mostly gone now. Someone said it might be that I'm low on electorlytes which makes sense atm.

[qilora.livejournal.com]

i have a neurapathy called CMT and it is classified as a mild form of muscular dystrophy, and we get those sorts of sensations all of the time, but we realised (in *our* case) that it is just the nerves dying and we just let the little buggers keep on crawling...

its a pretty rare thing to consider, but is there a history of neurological disorders in your life or that of your immediate family?...

Ulla & Co.

[weare.livejournal.com]

hmmm....other than being migraine prone...not that I can think of. Well, our grandfather has parkinson's. But, I think that's it.

[nansvision.livejournal.com]

I always wondered about this. I used to have this exact thing and it would last for hours or days at a time.
Having read the comments, I realize at the time we were sleep-deprived and food deprived,
undoubtably dehydrated, even after we got hospitalized.
Because, hospital staff were so focused on my so-called mental condition, that they didn't pay attention.
Lol. Thing is, some selves had these bugs, and some didn't have them.
Kacy calmed us down by saying the bugs were our friends, and we knew no one else could see or feel them,
like people outside ourselves. They went away, but the stress of being locked up with crazy people, and no
control over our environment, disoriented enough, without the added confusion of being blind
in a strange place. We all helped each other survive, and laughed at the hospital staff for not
having a clue. When we weren't terrified of them, that is.
Glad that's over. Cathy said the butgs were bits of our brain falling out, but not
to worry, because she knew how and where they belonged.bdge,tathe gusv a con

[weare.livejournal.com]

*hugs* Thanks. I think it's awesome how your others helped you with that. Mine just don't seem to acknowledge them as far as I can tell.

[jynxdemon.livejournal.com]

yes we've had the same sorts of feelings, something crawling over or under our skin , nervous itches, wind when there isn't any... stuff like that.. I'm not sure what to tell you as we haven't figured out any was to get rid of it or exactly what it is either....

[weare.livejournal.com]

*hugs* Thanks hon. :D

[http://users.livejournal.com/_dreamsofchaos_/]

that happens to me all the time...dunno what it is tho

[forever-alone.livejournal.com]

I have those kinds of hallucinations sometimes, but the only ones that really bother me are when it feels like someone is touching me. Sometimes I feel like someone is sitting with their knees pressed into my chest and it becomes very difficult to breathe. Other times I feel someone put their hand on me for a few seconds and it scares me pretty badly, there's never anyone there. I've had the sensation where it feels like bugs are crawling on me too, but that's usually in response to thinking about roaches (which I'm terrified of.)

[garden-keep.livejournal.com]

Mindy says that the sensation of someone kneeling in your chest just as you're waking up is called "Old Hag Syndrome". It comes from when your mind wakes up before your body processes out the chemical that holds you immobile during sleep (so that you don't thrash around and hurt yourself during REM sleep). In less-enlightened days, people thought that witches would turn invisible and try to suck out the victim's life breath.

~Janessa

[forever-alone.livejournal.com]

When I feel someone kneeling into my chest I'm wide awake though, that's what makes it so scary. It's never happened as I'm waking up.

[weare.livejournal.com]

I'm terrified of roaches too. Germie little buggers.

Oddly, I never really thought much of the touching hallucinations. I think because when it first happened I was a kid and very upset. I thought of my great grandmother (who died the day I was born) and then felt a bony hand touching my head. Ever since I assumed that when I felt someone touch me it was a spirit and so I ignored it. Or I would move and tell the spirit to leave me alone (like if it's touching my thigh or somewhere not right). Never felt like someone was pressing into my chest though. That has to be scary! Would probably freak me out a bit.

*hugs*