As well as hearing voices, these experiences include seeing people or things that others cannot see, or feeling and smelling things that others cannot feel or smell. A person’s own thoughts may seem as if they are no longer private, or it may seem as if other people’s thoughts can be ‘read’. People may feel they are being watched, monitored or controlled, or feel as if they have special powers – over the traffic or the weather, for example. Sometimes people may feel that they are particularly gifted or special. Paranoid thoughts can also occur – people can feel as if others are against them, or out to hurt them in some way. Events may appear to be important or personally meaningful, or connected for a purpose. Thoughts can feel confused or slowed down, or conversely, can flow unusually quickly and creatively.
While some people find these experiences frightening or distressing, others find them interesting or pleasant.
Because these experiences can be similar to the experiences reported by people who have a diagnosis of psychosis, researchers and mental health professionals call them 'psychotic-like experiences' (or PLEs).