Visual Hallucination? Help me calm down please!

[Cptdebbie]

I've generally been doing so much better with my anxiety. It seems, though, like my demons are putting up a fight these last few days. I've been talking myself through a bunch of stuff, but I think I'm worn out and need someone to help talk me down.

I have a little safety pin type of thing that I use when I crochet. It is often on the fold down center of my beige leather couch. Today I walked over to my couch and looked down and briefly saw the little light green pin. The problem is, the green pin was not really there. This aberration lasted less than a second.

The sensible me is saying that this was a little brain blip. I'm used to seeing the little clip there. So, my brain saw it there. The non-sensible part of me is TOTALLY FREAKING OUT!! I had afterimage issues a few years ago. They weren't like this though. They happened right after I saw an object. I would then see that same object elsewhere for a few seconds. This resulted in a brain MRI and other scary stuff. (It ended up being a medication side effect.)

Has something like this ever happened to any of you?

Thanks :scared15:

P.S. Does anyone know why I am ranked as a new member? I've been around for a long time. I haven't posted for a while, but I joined four or five years ago.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Debbie,

The ranking system on here is based on the number of posts rather than length of time. That's why mines high as I waffle on a lot :biggrin:

Listen to your rational self as you are right. These issues don't bother me, and HA has never been an issue for me either, but I had just been washing up and when I turned from the bin I thought I saw my dog very briefly by the door to the living room. The next second there was no one there. But I'm used to seeing my dog there and I thought I heard a noise at the door so my brain has just conjured some harmless thing up.

You can guarantee if you ask anyone without anxiety they have had similar occurrences and just thought they were strange but that's as far as they think into them.

There are so many tings we can experience, and without anxiety, simply because we are tired or stressed anyway. This is why we should try to judge one off events and consider whether something is an issue if we see patterns. The body experiences weird things, so does the mind, it's the anxious person that doesn't just shrug them off as odd things and worries, particularly the HAer.

[Cptdebbie]

Thank you MyNameIsTerry. Your response was very soothing. I lost my husband ten months ago, and it's difficult to not have someone to talk with. Sometimes I think I just need someone else to reassure me. :bighug1:

[MyNameIsTerry]

Grief alone is known to cause hallucinations, Debbie. Anxiety is hard enough on it's own without something as emotional powerful as that to cope with. :hugs::flowers:

People on here will offer you support if you ever need it so just reach out. Many on here understand grief from personal experience far better than I can imagine it.

[pulisa]

I am so sorry for your loss, Debbie. Of course you need someone to reassure you-you must be going through hell. Grief is so powerful and all consuming and makes the mind play tricks on you. You know that NMP is always here for you if you need to talk xxx

[BlueIris]

Debbie, I'm really sorry for your loss. Please don't think it was anything more than a brain blip? Strong emotion can make your mind play tricks on you; I still see pets I've lost from time to time, and it never gets easier.

[Sparky16]

I have had those moments where you see something you expect to see, and then it is not there. It's little things like that crochet tool. I remember years ago reading a book about vision, and it talked about how much of your vision is your brain building the world from what it already knows. It makes sense that it would fill in familiar details, and then realize that item is not actually there right now.

[Cptdebbie]

Thank you all for you kind words and reassurances. You helped me through a rough weekend.