LSD Flashbacks

Summary

Visual distortions can persist long after their onset, as demonstrated by a case of a woman experiencing 14 out of 16 visual symptoms typically associated with LSD flashbacks, despite having no history of hallucinogen ingestion. Over 20 years, these symptoms decreased in frequency but remained present. Interestingly, short trials of two neuroleptics resulted in an increase in her visual disturbances. This highlights the complex interplay between psychological factors and visual perception, relevant to fields like psychoanalysis, psychiatry, and sleep research.

Abstract

To the Editor.— I read with interest Abraham's article on "Visual Phenomenology of the LSD Flashback."1The description of visual flashbacks and the apparent reduction in symptoms with the administration of a benzodiazepine called to mind the case of a woman I treated whose major difference from the patients in Abraham's group was the absence of a history of LSD ingestion. This patient had experienced the onset of visual symptoms at the age of 17 years during a near-psychotic upheaval, without any known exposure to hallucinogens. Of the 16 visual symptoms described by Abraham, my patient reported 14. Of the remaining two, she did not spontaneously endorse color confusion or positive afterimages but did not deny them. These visual distortions had persisted during the 20 years since their onset, although with decreased frequency. During short trials of two neuroleptics (thiothixene and trifluoperazine hydrochloride), she reported an increase in

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