Anxiety Hallucinations (2024)

Causes

While this symptom isn’t as common as other anxiety symptoms, many anxious, stressed, and depressed people experience hallucinations. They are more common than most people think.

Some studies show they occur in approximately 7 – 12.7 percent of the population.[2][3]

There are many reasons why anxiety can cause hallucinations. Here are some of the most common:

1. Stress

Anxiety activates the stress response. The stress response prepares the body for emergency action – to fight or flee, which is the reason this survival reaction is often referred to as the fight or flight response.[4][5]

Visit our “Stress Response” article for more information about its many changes.

Three of these changes include:

• Heightens most of the body’s senses to be more keenly aware of and reactive to danger.
• Heightens nervous system activity, which includes the brain, so that it’s more sensitive and reactive to danger.
• Changes brain function so that our attention is solely focused on the threat and away from unimportant distractions.

The higher the degree of the stress response, the more dramatic the changes.

Since stress responses push the body beyond its balance point, stress responses stress the body. A body that becomes stressed can exhibit symptoms.

Acute stress, such as from a sudden stress response, can cause hallucinations for some people.[6] The higher the degree of stress, the more likely it is to hallucinate.

Many anxious and overly stressed people report having hallucinations.

Moreover, since high degree anxiety can be traumatic, some people dissociate from traumatic experiences to protect themselves psychologically and emotionally. Dissociation can cause many anxiety and anxiety-like symptoms, including hallucinations.

Visit the “Dissociation” anxiety disorder symptom for more information about this common symptom.

2. Chronic stress (hyperstimulation)

When stress responses occur infrequently, the body can recover relatively quickly from the many stress response changes.

When stress responses occur too often, such as from overly anxious behavior, the body can become chronically stressed, which we call “hyperstimulated” since stress hormones are powerful stimulants.[7][8]

Visit our “Hyperstimulation” article for more information about the many ways hyperstimulation can affect the body and mind.

Hyperstimulation can cause intermittent and chronic symptoms, including hallucinations.

Many people with high to very high degree hyperstimulation have hallucinations because of how hyperstimulation affects the body and mind.

Recovery Support members can get a more technical explanation about how hyperstimulation can cause hallucinations.

3. Sleep deprivation and fatigue

Sleep deprivation and fatigue can also cause hallucinations.[9] The incidences of hyperstimulation increase as the body becomes more sleep-deprived and fatigued.

Sleep deprivation and fatigue are common causes of hallucinations.

4. Hypnagogic and hypnopompic experiences

Hypnagogic and hypnopompic experiences are hallucinations that occur while drifting off to or waking up from sleep.[10]

Hypnagogic hallucinations typically occur during the transition from wakefulness to sleep, and hypnopompic hallucinations typically occur during the transition from sleep to wakefulness.

Hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinations can last from a few seconds to minutes. People who get these types of hallucinations are generally aware of what’s happening, but because the hallucination is so real, they aren’t sure whether it’s a dream or reality.

Vivid images, sounds, tastes, physical sensations, and smells are all common hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinations.

While these hallucinations might seem real or threatening, they are common and harmless. It’s estimated that most people have hypnagogic or hypnopompic hallucinations at some point in their life, whether they realize it or not.

It’s also common for a hallucination to seamlessly transition into a dream, making reality and the dream seem like a real-life experience, even to the point of it becoming a significant conscious memory.

These hallucinations become more prevalent when the body is stressed due to the increased difficulty transitioning from wakefulness to sleep and back. Consequently, anxious people often have hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinations.

5. Dissociation

Dissociation – when a person mentally and emotionally separates themself from an experience due to extreme fear or trauma – is a common cause of hallucinations.[11][12]

The greater the degree of dissociation, the more likely hallucinations will occur.

Dissociation is a common cause of hallucinations.

I (Jim Folk) had many incidences of hallucinations when I was struggling with anxiety disorder, and I had all types.

Initially, they scared the daylights out of me because I thought they indicated serious and irreversible mental health problems, such as schizophrenia.

But as I had more and more of them, I realized they were just another symptom of anxiety and hyperstimulation. Eventually, I laughed at hallucinations when they occurred.

There were times when I asked other people if they heard, saw, or smelled what I was sensing to be sure it was a hallucination because they were so real.

As I recovered from anxiety disorder and hyperstimulation, my hallucinations subsided with the rest of my symptoms.

I occasionally experience hallucinations when I work too long and my sleep becomes disrupted. But reducing stress and getting good sleep eliminates them.

Overall, anxiety- and hyperstimulation-caused hallucinations are common symptoms. As such, they needn’t be a cause for concern.

6. Other Underlying Anxiety-Related Mechanisms

Anxiety disorders can lead to hallucinations through a few key mechanisms. When individuals experience heightened anxiety, their brain may have difficulty distinguishing between internal thoughts and external sensory input. This can result in the brain "misinterpreting" thoughts or mental imagery as real perceptions, leading to auditory, visual, or other types of hallucinations.

Additionally, the anticipation and hypervigilance that often accompany anxiety disorders can cause the brain to "fill in the gaps" and generate sensory experiences that are not actually present. This blurring of the line between thinking and perceiving is a common contributor to anxiety-related hallucinations.

7. Other Factors

Other factors can stress the body, causing and contributing to this symptom, such as:

Medication

Prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medications can mimic, cause, and aggravate anxiety symptoms.

Talk with your doctor and pharmacist about your medication if you aren't sure if it's playing a role in your symptoms, including causing hallucinations.

Visit our Medication article for more information.

Recreational Drugs

Many recreational drugs can cause and aggravate anxiety symptoms, especially those that affect the nervous system. Recreational drugs are also commonly associated with hallucinations.

Visit our Recreational Drugs article for more information.

Stimulants

Stimulants bring about their stimulating effect by secreting stress hormones.

Increasing the body’s stimulation can cause and aggravate existing anxiety symptoms.

Visit our Stimulants article for more information.

Hyper and Hypoventilation

Over and under breathing can also cause anxiety-like symptoms and aggravate existing symptoms.

Visit our Hyper And Hypoventilation article for more information.

Low Blood Sugar

Low blood sugar, even within the normal range, can cause anxiety-like symptoms. Low blood sugar can also aggravate existing anxiety symptoms.

Visit our Low Blood Sugar article for more information.

Nutritional Deficiency

Nutritional deficiencies, such as low vitamin B and D, can cause anxiety-like symptoms. Nutritional deficiencies can also aggravate existing anxiety symptoms.

Visit our Nutritional Deficiency article for more information.

Dehydration

Dehydration can also cause anxiety-like symptoms and aggravate existing anxiety symptoms, such as:

• Concentration problems
• Lightheadedness
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Involuntary panic attacks
• Muscle twitching
• Heart palpitations

To name a few.

Visit our Dehydration article for more information.

Hormone Changes

Hormones affect the body in many ways and can affect each other. Hormone changes can cause anxiety-like symptoms and aggravate existing anxiety symptoms.

Visit our Hormone Changes article for more information.

Pain

Pain stresses the body, especially chronic pain. If the pain is in the high degree range, it can cause and aggravate hyperstimulation.

If you are anxious, hyperstimulated, and symptomatic, pain can aggravate them all.

Visit our Pain article for more information.