This Is Your Brain With Dr. Phil Stieg: Presence: Hallucination or Visitation?

Listen here to This Is Your Brain With Dr. Phil Stieg, a podcast that provides a fascinating look into the human brain, with each episode asking new questions — and finding new answers — about our most mysterious organ. Together with his expert guests, Dr. Stieg takes us on a journey that reveals unexpected secrets at every turn, and redefines what we know about ourselves and our place in the world.

The podcast explores the many fascinating aspects of neuroscience, ranging from how the brain is wired for both sudden bursts of violence and the pervasive inner calm of meditation. Where does confidence come from? How do we remember traumatic events – or do we? How do other animals experience consciousness? Does storytelling change our brains?

Take the journey with us as we explore the very foundation of what makes us human.

Originally released: March 23, 2023

Have you ever felt a "presence" - someone next to you, even speaking to you, when no one is there? Dr. Ben Alderson-Day, a psychologist at Durham University in the UK, studies the phenomena of felt presences, or what he calls "the unseen other."

These experiences are not always symptoms of mental illness - these are universally reported and not always distressing. Learn what's happening in the brain during these hallucinations - or should we call them visitations? Plus... how the Internet brings together groups of people who can conjure up invisible friends, seemingly on command.

For more about Dr. Alderson-Day's book visit Presence; The Strange Science and True Stories of the Unseen Other

For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit thisisyourbrain.com

For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit neurosurgery.weillcornell.org

We believe that the principles expressed or implied in the podcast remain valid, but certain details may be superseded by evolving knowledge since the episode’s original release date.