The deep explorations of visual aura and hallucinations in the two latest entries on the New York Times migraine blog provide education far beyond what most migraineurs encounter; including one who writes about headache disorders and migraines nearly every day (me!). Check out the following posts to expand your knowledge.
Patterns
Acclaimed writer and neurologist and migraineur Oliver Sacks explains the neurophysiology of visual auras and describes the patterns, or “geometric hallucinations,” some see during an aura. His intricate depiction is a fascinating eye-opener for those without aura and excellent information for those with it.
Lifting, Lights and Little People
Siri Hustvedt, author and migraineur, wrote of the hallucinations she has had with migraine episodes.
It is comforting to think that visual perception is a matter of taking in what’s out there, that a clear line exists between “seeing things” and the everyday experience of looking. In fact, this is not how normal vision works. Our minds are not passive containers of external reality or experience. Evidence suggests that what we see is a combination of sensory information coming in from the outside, which has been dynamically translated or decoded in our brains through both our expectations of what it is we are looking at and our human ability to create coherent images. We don’t just digest the world; we make it.
You can hear more from New York Times migraine bloggers Siri Hustvedt and Paula Kamen on NPR’s Talk of the Nation. Headache specialist and founder of the Michigan Headache and Neurological Institute Joel Saper weighed in and responded to callers’ questions. Congratulations to Migraine Blog, Migraine Chick and Somebody Heal Me for being mentioned on NPR’s website.
by Jerome Groopman – The first time I read this, it was just an interesting collection of essays; the second time I “got it” and took the messages to heart. That was when I was first beginning to accept headaches as a permanent part of my life.