Kinesthetic hallucinations: what is this symptom, causes and treatment

These hallucinations are based on the sensation that something strange is happening in one's own body.

If we close our eyes and concentrate on it, we may be able to hear our Heart beating, how the air enters our lungs, or when our kidneys or liver hurt. All this is because we are able to perceive sensations from inside our body, something that helps us adapt to situations and survive.

But these situations have a reason: our heart beats, we breathe, we are full or we have a urinary tract infection. Sometimes, however, some people may have such perceptions, coming from inside the body, without there being anything that actually causes them. These are kinesthetic hallucinations..

What is a hallucination?

As a preamble and in order to make the concept of kinesthetic hallucination easier to understand, it is useful to first review what a hallucination is and what it implies.

The concept of hallucination refers to the existence of a false perception or perception without object. a false perception or perception without objectthat is to say to the capture by the senses of a person of an information or stimulation that does not come from any real and existing source. It is a type of perceptual deception in which something is perceived that does not exist and that is a product of the subject's mind.

However, it is necessary to emphasize the fact that it is a perception: the subject really sees, hears or notices some type of sensation in spite of the fact that this does not prevent any stimulation that generates it.

This is one of the main symptoms of schizophrenia. one of the main symptoms of schizophrenia and psychotic disorders.Although it can appear in a great number of situations that do not always have to be the result of a psychopathology (for example, poisoning or intoxication can generate hallucinations, or even prolonged stress).

There are many different types and classifications of hallucinations, among which we can find visual, auditory, olfactory or gustatory, tactile, kinesthetic (perception of movement) or the one that gives its name to this article: kinesthetic hallucinations.

Kinesthetic hallucinations

Cenesthetic hallucinations (also called somatic or visceral hallucinations) are understood as those in which the subject has a perception without an object referring to the existence of sensations inside his own body.In these hallucinations, specific reference is made to elements such as viscera, specific organs or elements of the organism, regardless of whether or not these elements are sensitive (e.g. blood).

This is a type of hallucination in which the perception takes place at the somatic level or body consciousness: in the internal perception of the organism itself. The subject has the perception of some type of alteration in the interior of his body, which can be limited to specific parts or organs of the body or to the organism at a general level. It is usual that this type of hallucination occurs together with different types of delusions that explain them, which are usually of high extravagance and strangeness..

An example of this is given in those persons with delusions of infestation, in which the sensation that ants, insects or other small beings have infested the subject and are moving around inside the body is often referred to, and there may even be the idea that they are devouring the subject's organs.

The sensations perceived can be very variable and include among others the perception of mechanical pressure, displacement, emptiness, pain, itching or temperature changes. There may also be the sensation of changes in the composition of parts of the body (for example perceiving that one of the lungs has dissolved), sensations related to organ movements (for example perceiving that the brain has moved down to the position of the stomach) or variation in their number (as could occur in the case of having the sensation of having lost a leg without having done so).

Other possible sensations could be the perception of the presence of inserted external elements (for example, the perception of the insertion of a microchip would fall under this type of hallucination) or extraction/loss of body parts (feeling that the heart has left the body).

Linked to other types of hallucination.

As it is possible to imagine based on this description, the kinesthetic hallucinations are deeply linked to others such as tactile or haptic hallucinations or those related to the perception of movement or those related to the perception of movement or kinesthetic hallucinations.

In fact, it is often possible to find that both types of hallucination occur together. Some authors even indicate that kinesthetic hallucinations actually include tactile, kinesthetic and visceral hallucinations as subtypes, although kinesthetic is usually identified with visceral.

The main difference between these types is that in the case of kinesthetic hallucinations we are talking about perceptions related to the body itself and generally to its interior, without the idea of an external contact or without the displacement occurring externally.. Nevertheless, they often occur in association or together.

Contexts of appearance

Cenesthetic hallucinations are less common than others such as auditory or visual hallucinations, although they can occur in multiple contexts and conditions.

At the psychiatric level, one of the best known is schizophrenia, along with other disorders of the psychotic spectrum such as chronic delusional disorder.

For example, in Ekbom's syndrome or delirium of parasitosisThe latter is a delusional disorder in which the subject holds the belief of being infested by living beings, or Cotard's syndrome (delusional disorder in which there is the belief of being dead or that the organs are rotting, something that can be based on the interpretation of somatic hallucinations). However, it should be noted that these syndromes are based on the existence of delirium, without the need for hallucinations.

They can also occur in the context of some depressions.They can also occur in the context of some depressions, and it is possible their appearance in some cases in episodes of manic type (as for example in bipolar disorder).

Another context of appearance can be alterations of medical type. Among them, it is possible for example that kinesthetic hallucinations appear in situations such as intoxication by substances like cocaine or in some cases of epilepsy, although it is less frequent.

Causes

Beyond the context in which they appear, the causes of the kinesthetic hallucinations are not clear, although as with other hallucinations the limbic system and the diencephalon seem to be involved..

The involvement of the somatosensory cortex has also been observed, as well as the insula part of the cortex. Some theories stipulate the existence of a basic difficulty in integrating sensory information, which may cause our nervous system to generate perceptions without a physical trigger.

Likewise, other theories (which do not exclude the previous one) indicate that the problem may stem from a difficulty in separating the mental content from the physical experience, so that it is not possible to separate the mental content from the physical experience.so that it is not possible to separate what is imagined from what is perceived.

Treatment

Kinesthetic hallucinations are not a disorder per se, but are a symptom of the existence of some type of alteration. a symptom of the existence of some type of alteration.. In this sense, treating these hallucinations will require an evaluation of the patient's situation and an assessment of the origin or the disorder of which they are a symptom. This will require the multidisciplinary work of various professionals from different health fields.

Depending on the case, it is possible to employ different therapeutic strategies. At the pharmacological level, the use of antipsychotics can contribute to stop this type of perceptions, as well as some antidepressants.

At the psychological level, treating these perceptions may require helping the subject to reattribute his or her perceptions so that they end up seeing them as a product of their own mind, with techniques such as cognitive restructuring and the proposal of behavioral experiments in which they can test whether or not their perceptions are real.

Bibliographical references:

• Belloch, A., Baños, R. and Perpiñá, C. (2008) Psychopathology of perception and imagination. In A. Belloch, B. Sandín and F. Ramos (Eds.) Manual de Psicopatología (2nd edition). Vol I. Madrid: McGraw Hill Interamericana.
• Cruzado, L., Córdova, R. and Vizcarra, O. (2012). Visceral and cenestopathic hallucinations in the differential diagnosis of medically unexplained symptoms. Revista Médica Herediana. 23 (3). Peruvian University Cayetano Heredia. Alberto Hurtado School of Medicine. Peru.
• Fernández-Díaz, A., Bobadilla-Pérez, E., Bello-Porto, J., Méndez-Iglesias, R. and Menéndez-Sánchez, B. (2013). psychotic clinic or comic crisis? Diagnostic considerations in clinical practice. Revista de la Asociación Gallega de Psicología, 12. A Coruña, Spain.
• Seva, A. (1979). Psychopathology of perception. In: Psiquiatría Clínica. Ed. Spaxs. Barcelona, Spain, pp 173-180.
• Slade, PD. & Bentall, R.P (1988). Sensory deception: A scientific analysis of hallucination. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University.