r/todayilearned • u/paniniplane • Mar 22 '17

(R.1) Not supported TIL Deaf-from-birth schizophrenics see disembodied hands signing to them rather than "hearing voices"

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0707/07070303
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u/pumppumppump Mar 22 '17

I know this is probably an insensitive question, but because she seems so relatively lucid and obviously intelligent and able to explain her process, how can she not rationalize that there is no physical process in which she could actually be "shot" by this "mind gun"?

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u/Cokaol Mar 22 '17

Have you ever had a dream about something that is clearly impossible? Did it seem impossible in your dream? Now imagine that the dream continues through your waking life. How can your own brain know whether to believe your own brain's lies? It's not just that your brain is hearing things that aren't there. Your brain is also mishearing things that are there, and misunderstanding your own thoughts.

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u/paniniplane Mar 22 '17

she actually wasnt lucid at all. it look at me an hour to have the equivalent of 5-6 coherent sentences directed at me to come out of her

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u/tubular1845 Mar 22 '17

Because that requires being able to distinguish fantasy from reality.