Imagine seeing something that isn’t there—without drugs, without hypnosis, and without any underlying mental condition.
Now, imagine hundreds of people seeing the exact same hallucination at the same time.
This is no longer a sci-fi scenario.
Researchers have developed a method to induce a consistent visual hallucination in healthy individuals—using nothing more than a simple video.
The experiment, which has been tested on nearly 100 volunteers so far, causes people to see moving grey blobs that don’t actually exist.
The discovery could revolutionize how scientists study hallucinations and, more importantly, how they treat them in people suffering from conditions like Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, and even severe migraines.
And here’s the kicker: You can try it for yourself.
A Simple Trick With a Big Impact
Hallucinations aren’t just the domain of those experiencing psychiatric disorders.
Perfectly healthy individuals can hallucinate under the right conditions—after sleep deprivation, while experiencing extreme stress, or under the influence of psychedelic substances.
Even common ailments like migraines have been known to trigger visual distortions.
But scientists have long faced a significant challenge: Hallucinations are unpredictable and highly subjective.
What one person sees may be completely different from what another experiences, making it nearly impossible to study them in a controlled environment.
A research team at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Australia has changed that.
By modifying a century-old optical trick, they have successfully created a hallucination that appears identically for everyone.
How the Experiment Works
At the heart of this experiment is a simple yet powerful technique: a flickering white light against a black background.
This particular visual stimulus creates the illusion of pale grey blobs appearing and rotating in a circle.
This is a major breakthrough.
In previous attempts using flashing lights, individuals reported vastly different hallucinations—some saw swirling colors, others saw static patterns, and some saw nothing at all.
This made it incredibly difficult to pinpoint the underlying neurological mechanisms.
But the new approach removes that variability. Now, all participants see the same illusion, making it far easier to measure and study.
Why This Changes Everything
For decades, researchers have struggled to understand what exactly happens in the brain when hallucinations occur.
This new discovery provides an unprecedented opportunity to investigate the root causes of these experiences.
According to lead researcher Joel Pearson, the predictability of the hallucination is what makes this experiment groundbreaking:
“We have known for more than 100 years that flickering light can cause almost anyone to experience a hallucination. However, the unpredictability, complexity, and personal nature of these hallucinations make them difficult to measure scientifically.”
Now, with a stable and repeatable hallucination, scientists can explore what’s really happening inside the brain.
Are Hallucinations Just in Your Head?
Many people assume that hallucinations are purely a mental phenomenon—random misfirings in the brain that have no relation to normal vision.
But this study suggests otherwise.
To test where the hallucinations originate, researchers conducted a second experiment.
Instead of flashing light into both eyes at the same time, they alternated the flashes between the left and right eye.
If the hallucination was just a trick of the mind, switching eyes should have disrupted the effect.
But it didn’t.
The hallucination remained consistent, proving that it was being processed in the visual cortex—the part of the brain responsible for actual sight.
This discovery suggests that hallucinations obey many of the same rules as real-world visual perception, meaning they could be manipulated or even prevented using specific interventions.
What This Means for Medicine
The implications of this study extend far beyond simple optical illusions.
Hallucinations are a major symptom of several neurological conditions, and until now, doctors have struggled to treat them effectively.
- Parkinson’s disease patients frequently experience visual hallucinations. Understanding how these illusions form could lead to new treatments that help manage their symptoms.
- Schizophrenia is often associated with auditory and visual hallucinations. If scientists can determine the exact neurological triggers, they could develop better-targeted therapies.
- Migraine sufferers report seeing auras—shimmering lights and patterns. This research could help explain why these visual disturbances occur and how to prevent them.
According to Pearson, this is just the beginning:
“Nobody has been able to do this before, because they haven’t been able to overcome this key challenge. Now, we can objectively measure hallucinations and study the mechanisms behind them.”
Want to Try It? Here’s How
If you’re curious, you can test this for yourself.
The video used in the experiment is available online, but a word of caution: Those who suffer from migraines, epilepsy, or psychiatric disorders should avoid watching due to potential risks.
When watching, stare at the center of the flickering circle.
After a few seconds, you should start to see pale grey blobs moving around the ring.
The effect will reverse directions after a while, but keep in mind—it’s all in your head.
The Future of Hallucination Research
Now that scientists have a reliable way to induce and study hallucinations, the next step is to explore treatments.
The team at UNSW is already planning follow-up research on Parkinson’s patients, hoping to determine whether the same technique can be used to suppress unwanted hallucinations rather than induce them.
Understanding hallucinations isn’t just about studying rare neurological conditions—it’s about understanding how our brains construct reality.
If scientists can manipulate these illusions, they may be able to fine-tune how we perceive the world around us.
One thing is certain: The line between perception and illusion is thinner than we ever imagined.
