Ben Alderson-Day
Search for other papers by Ben Alderson-Day in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
“I’ll Set the Table for Three People When It’s Just Me and My Wife”
in Presence
Chapter DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7765/9781526173515.00012
Online Publication Date:
21 Mar 2023
Abstract only
Log-in for full text

Visual hallucinations are known to occur in both Parkinson’s and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). This chapter studies both conditions. The author posits that we have at least two different theories to consider. The body theory of felt presence reflects how we think the motor system works and provides a plausible explanation of how presences might be possible in particular situations and conditions. An alternative theory of presence is based on the broader idea of ‘predictive processing’. When we see, hear or feel things around us that aren’t there, our brain attempts to fill in the gaps based on some kind of ingrained expectation. That might not be something we are consciously expecting – it is more like a learned response. We can call this the expectation theory of presence. These models might not be mutually exclusive. Both of these theories could be playing a role in the presences of psychosis or Parkinson’s. They could potentially explain different examples of presence, or they could work in concert in some way, one laying the groundwork, the other offering a finishing touch.
  • Collapse
  • Expand

All of MUP's digital content including Open Access books and journals is now available on manchesterhive.

 

Presence

The strange science and true stories of the unseen other

eISBN:
9781526173515
Publisher:
Manchester University Press
Cover Presence
Subjects:
Psychology
Page Count:
26
Publisher:
Manchester University Press

Metrics

All Time Past Year Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 230 152 15
Full Text Views 31 30 0
PDF Downloads 19 18 0
Cover Presence

Presence

The strange science and true stories of the unseen other

Book

Publication History:

Online Publication Date:
21 Mar 2023
Subjects:
  1. Psychology
Available In:
Redeem Token

This book follows a psychologist's quest to understand one of the most curious experiences known to humankind: the universal, disturbing feeling that someone or something is there when we are alone. What does this feeling mean and where does it come from? When and why do presences emerge? And how can we begin to understand a phenomenon that can be transformative for those who experience it and yet almost impossible to put into words? The answers to these questions lie in this tour-de-force through contemporary psychology, psychiatry, neuroscience and philosophy. Presence follows Ben Alderson-Day's attempts to understand how this experience is possible. The journey takes us to meet explorers, mediums and robots, and step through real, imagined and virtual worlds. Presence is the story of whom we carry with us, at all times, as parts of ourselves.