Basic theory of this technique is that a person experiencing hallucinations really has an image on one's eye retina.

In 1973 in Perm (USSR that time, now RUSSIAN FEDERATION), Dr psychiatrist Gennady Krokhalev made an experimental camera based on this simple theory. He used framing of a mask for scuba-diving, but the glass was replaced by camera. He positioned the lens in front of the left eye of the patient holding the mask while camera focus was set to patient' s retina. Exposures were around 10s.

Most of Krokhalev' s patients hallucinated in result of alcoholic psychosis. Doctor made experiments with 203 patients and got successful images of hallucinations in almost half of all of experiments (87). Pictures were examined against oral evidence provided by patients.



Dr Krokhalev tragically died in April 1998 in suicide.

Very interesting. I would like to read more about this but don't see a link. Can you include one?

Jemison

Reminds me of an experience a friend and I had once... ended up with 32 pictures of his rug, walls and ceiling

Seriously though, the good doctor makes me wonder if he's not doing this for similar reasons; in that he must know how ridiculous that is. Hallucinations take place in the brain, obviously, not on or within the eye.

I think this must be a joke and you're overlooking it...

[edit on 11/23/2008 by ZombieOctopus]

Blind people see absolutely nothing? I feel like an idiot I guess. I didn't know that. I thought as you said, if they had a good imagination, they'd be able to envision things in their brain.

This is interesting though. Nice post.

Originally posted by mahasvin
You can only "see" in your brain what is on retina. Signals come from there. Blind persons see nothing even if they have a good imagination.

In that case, how does one see in dreams?
Does the dreaming impress itself on the retina?

Has anyone proved that hallucinations are not just a combination of dreaming and wakeful states?


Once I visited a friend without wearing my glasses. I have very poor shortsighted vision. Her mother was in the kitchen when I walked in, I could see her quite clearly with her grey hair and wrinkly face. I stood there watching while she made scones, until she looked up and said hello.
Hearing my friend's voice come out of this person, I realized who it was, and what I saw changed immediately, so I was then seeing my friend equally clearly.

This showed me that vision does not come directly from the eyes.
What we see is the result of the brain's processing of the input it has collected from the eyes.
This input is compared to patterns already stored in the brain, the set of patterns chosen being influenced by our beliefs as to what we are seeing.

Perhaps there is a feedback loop by which the brain's perceptions are transmitted back to the retina, allowing them to be photographed there.
It sounds pretty unlikely, and I'd want powerful proof before believing that, but I would not completely dismiss the possibility.


BTW, unless blind from birth or soon after, blind people do see in dreams and in their imagination.