3 ms·

> HPPD is almost certainly a real disorder. I just looked that up and have assumed it was normal for most of my life. Sometime around when I was 3-5 years old,

by dqv 8y ago

> HPPD is almost certainly a real disorder. I just looked that up and have assumed it was normal for most of my life. Sometime around when I was 3-5 years old, I was laying in bed, looking up up at the wall and noticed this visual noise. I wondered about it and resolved that "that's just how it is." I would also close my eyes and let that fuzz "set in" and see beautiful fire works and replay music in my head. Maybe just developmental hallucination or whatever. In rooms with no lights, that visual noise actually forms into spacial "estimators", I think somewhat formed by memory of what the room actually looks like in full light. I've always noticed it, it's always been present, and I thought it was a normal function of human vision. I'm in a dark room right now and almost everything has that visual noise on it. The less light the object reflects, the more visual noise it has. > There's a rather worrying trend of psychedelics being "sold" as a safe panacea. I guess I missed that trend. Every time I've ever talked about psychedelics with people, it's always been "psychedelics, with disclaimer" - the disclaimer being that things can go very wrong and to be careful; read erowid for facts and contraindications; read recent "safe drug" reports; always have at least one sober person to steer things in the right direction; and have a safe place to go. > If you believe the cheerleaders, psychedelics are powerful enough to rapidly cure mental illness and facilitate profoundly positive personality changes, but have only trivial side-effects. I don't think I've heard it posited this way - I hear people say in some form that the effective administration of a safe dose of certain psychedelic drugs can be medically efficacious. I feel like I'm way more likely to hear drug side effects trivialized in a drug commercial. >any honest conversation has to give serious consideration to potential risks Agreed. It should be the hallmark of any "let's try some drugs" discussion.

deleted 8y ago
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pmoriarty 8y ago
I am no neurologist, but what you're describing sounds more like Prisoner's cinema[1] or some sort of entoptic phenomenon[2] rather than HPPD. HPPD happens with the eyes open, in the light, and is usually more pronounced than something like a floater[3] (which can also be seen in the lights, with the eyes open). [1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisoner%27s_cinema https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisoner%27s_cinema [2] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entoptic_phenomenon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entoptic_phenomenon [3] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floater https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floater
- KozmoNau7 8y ago
  I don't know about the other poster, but while I do experience all of those, I also have visual noise, color flashing and movement, even with my eyes open in bright conditions. The best description is that I basically don't see flat even colors anywhere. There is always some amount of colorful noise. It's not that bad, and I can mostly tune it out. But it is always there. I know phosphenes are normal, visual stuff that happens when you close your eyes. I have them all the time. I don't know if it's related, but I regularly get migraines that are usually not painful, just uncomfortable and accompanied by strong auras.
  - pmoriarty 8y ago
    Visual snow[1] and scintillating scotoma[2] are associated with migraines and can be seen with the eyes open in the light. But, again, I am not a neurologist, so I would really recommend you see one to have this properly diagnosed by someone actually qualified to do so. [1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_snow https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_snow [2] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scintillating_scotoma https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scintillating_scotoma
    - KozmoNau7 8y ago
      It doesn't really bother me, it's just always been there, so I'm used to it. And it's harmless for all I know.
KozmoNau7 8y ago
"> HPPD is almost certainly a real disorder. I just looked that up and have assumed it was normal for most of my life." I've always had visual snow and similar symptions as described for HDDP, color patterns and flashing/movement, visible on any flat-colored surface and especially with closed eyes (similar to what Prisoner's Cinema is described as being). I have never taken any drugs in my life, other than alcohol. Honestly, I've always just thought it was a normal part of the visual processing that happens in the brain.
darpa_escapee 8y ago
> I just looked that up and have assumed it was normal for most of my life. Everyone gets this. Visual artifacts are a fact of human vision. If effects like walls breathing, significant visual snow, people's faces shifting/morphing and a skewed perception of proportions are interfering with your daily life, that's more than what we commonly experience. Abusing psychedelics (especially certain ones) can bring about this type of experience after they've left your system.

by dqv 8y ago

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

pmoriarty 8y ago

I am no neurologist, but what you're describing sounds more like Prisoner's cinema[1] or some sort of entoptic phenomenon[2] rather than HPPD. HPPD happens with the eyes open, in the light, and is usually more pronounced than something like a floater[3] (which can also be seen in the lights, with the eyes open). [1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisoner%27s_cinema https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisoner%27s_cinema [2] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entoptic_phenomenon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entoptic_phenomenon [3] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floater https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floater

KozmoNau7 8y ago
I don't know about the other poster, but while I do experience all of those, I also have visual noise, color flashing and movement, even with my eyes open in bright conditions. The best description is that I basically don't see flat even colors anywhere. There is always some amount of colorful noise. It's not that bad, and I can mostly tune it out. But it is always there. I know phosphenes are normal, visual stuff that happens when you close your eyes. I have them all the time. I don't know if it's related, but I regularly get migraines that are usually not painful, just uncomfortable and accompanied by strong auras.
- pmoriarty 8y ago
  Visual snow[1] and scintillating scotoma[2] are associated with migraines and can be seen with the eyes open in the light. But, again, I am not a neurologist, so I would really recommend you see one to have this properly diagnosed by someone actually qualified to do so. [1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_snow https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_snow [2] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scintillating_scotoma https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scintillating_scotoma
  - KozmoNau7 8y ago
    It doesn't really bother me, it's just always been there, so I'm used to it. And it's harmless for all I know.

KozmoNau7 8y ago

"> HPPD is almost certainly a real disorder. I just looked that up and have assumed it was normal for most of my life." I've always had visual snow and similar symptions as described for HDDP, color patterns and flashing/movement, visible on any flat-colored surface and especially with closed eyes (similar to what Prisoner's Cinema is described as being). I have never taken any drugs in my life, other than alcohol. Honestly, I've always just thought it was a normal part of the visual processing that happens in the brain.

darpa_escapee 8y ago

> I just looked that up and have assumed it was normal for most of my life. Everyone gets this. Visual artifacts are a fact of human vision. If effects like walls breathing, significant visual snow, people's faces shifting/morphing and a skewed perception of proportions are interfering with your daily life, that's more than what we commonly experience. Abusing psychedelics (especially certain ones) can bring about this type of experience after they've left your system.