psyche
Hallucinations
Adverse effectHallucinations are an adverse psyche effect involving auditory or visual experiences described as psychosis or perceptual disturbances. They may occur alongside paranoia or other stimulant-induced psychotic symptoms.
Hallucinations are listed under psyche effects.
These are research findings, not promises. Most options have little evidence, and results differ from person to person.
What can cause it
How likely each one is to cause it, most likely first.
AcupuncturepracticeUnclear
Based on one study. Strongest study: a pooled analysis of several trials.
A pooled analysis of randomized trials in 2025 reported hallucinations in studies involving people with Parkinson's Disease.
Open the Acupuncture pageYogapracticeUnclear
Based on one study. Strongest study: a systematic review of studies.
A review pooling studies whose designs were not recorded described psychosis involving auditory or visual hallucinations and paranoia.
Open the Yoga pageQigongpracticeUnclear
Based on one study.
A psychotic reaction associated with Qigong can include hallucinations and paranoia, mostly with intense or improperly guided practice in people prone to psychosis.
Open the Qigong pageBinaural Beatspracticesimple.meter.userReports
Based on one study.
Open the Binaural Beats pageFocused Attention Meditationpracticesimple.meter.userReports
Based on one study.
Open the Focused Attention Meditation pageMeditationpracticesimple.meter.userReports
Based on one study.
Open the Meditation page
The expert view shows every study, dose protocol and source.
What can cause it
Interventions reported to bring this on6 listedHighest probability
- →PracticesAcupunctureCertaintyLowSourceClinical1 other source
A pooled analysis of randomized trials in 2025 reported hallucinations in studies involving people with Parkinson's Disease.
- →PracticesYogaCertaintyLowSourceClinical1 other source
A review pooling studies whose designs were not recorded described psychosis involving auditory or visual hallucinations and paranoia.
Who was studied
- People with a condition
- ADHD
- Depression
- Obesity
Open YogaStudy result
Psychosis (auditory/visual hallucinations, paranoia)
- →PracticesQigongCertaintyLowSourceReference knowledge1 other source
A psychotic reaction associated with Qigong can include hallucinations and paranoia, mostly with intense or improperly guided practice in people prone to psychosis.
Open QigongStudy result
Qigong-induced psychotic reaction (qigong deviation syndrome, a recognized culture-bound syndrome) can bring hallucinations and paranoia, mostly with intense or improperly guided practice in people prone to psychosis.
- →PracticesBinaural BeatsCertaintyLowSourceAnecdotal1 other source
This effect was mentioned in 4 of 313 Reddit reports discussing it.
- →PracticesFocused Attention MeditationCertaintyLowSourceAnecdotal1 other source
Sensory distortions or mild visual phenomena may occur during prolonged practice, particularly in silence and darkness.
- →PracticesMeditationCertaintyLowSourceAnecdotal1 other source
Rare cases of visual or auditory hallucinations have been reported during long-duration meditation, particularly in silent retreats.
How to read the evidence
Evidence tier — overall strength of the evidence for the whole compound
- StrongWell established — backed by strong, consistent human research.
- ModerateSome genuine support, but mostly from small or lower-quality studies. Promising, not proven.
- PreliminaryEarly-stage evidence — a promising hypothesis, not an established effect yet.
- LimitedVery limited evidence — treat this as a hypothesis, not proof.
- InsufficientNot enough good evidence to draw conclusions yet.
Certainty — how sure we can be that the effect is real
- Very highVery sure — strong, consistent evidence
- HighFairly sure — consistent evidence from good studies
- MediumModerately sure — new studies could change this
- LowNot sure — little or mixed evidence
- Very lowVery unsure — almost no usable evidence
Source — where the data comes from
- Meta-analysisPooled analysis of many trials — the strongest evidence
- RCTRandomized controlled trial — a strong human study design
- ClinicalA human clinical study
- Reference knowledgeFrom general health-science or pharmacology references, not a study of this exact claim
- Animal researchStudied in animals, not humans
- Community reportsAggregated user reports — anecdotal signal, not evidence
- TheoreticalMechanism-based reasoning, not yet tested
Study grade — quality of each underlying study (A best, D weakest)
- AHigh-quality — strong, consistent human trials
- BGood — solid evidence with some limitations
- CModerate — limited, small, or mixed-quality studies
- DWeak — preliminary, indirect, or animal-only
Confidence — how strongly the sources back a finding
A 0–100 score from study quality and agreement
Most supplement evidence is graded C–D. Read it as preliminary signal, not proof.
Full write-up
What is it
Hallucinations are an adverse psyche effect involving auditory or visual experiences described as psychosis or perceptual disturbances. They may occur alongside paranoia or other stimulant-induced psychotic symptoms. This outcome refers to altered perception, rather than a general change in mood, focus, or imagination. Caffeine and Yoga are among the interventions associated with this effect.
How interventions help
The interventions listed here are associated with causing hallucinations rather than reducing them. They do not form a single, comparable treatment group: one finding concerns psychosis in people with a clinical condition, while most of the other observations do not specify the health status of the people involved.
The type of support also differs substantially. Some associations come from clinical or pharmacology references, whereas others come from anecdotal reports. This means the findings should not be interpreted as showing that every intervention carries the same likelihood, mechanism, or relevance to every person. In particular, anecdotal mentions can identify reported experiences but cannot establish that an intervention caused them.
The findings describe different kinds of experiences, including perceptual disturbances, psychotic symptoms, and hallucinations. For Caffeine, the reported concern is linked to very high intake; St. John's Wort is described in relation to rare cases and susceptible individuals. These examples illustrate why the surrounding evidence context matters more than treating the interventions as interchangeable.
No dose, duration of use, onset time, or persistence after stopping is provided here. As a result, this information cannot establish how quickly hallucinations might appear, whether continuous use is required, or whether the experience continues after an intervention is stopped.
Choosing guidance
The options differ more in the type of support behind them than in the reported probability category. Yoga is the clearest fit for someone seeking evidence linked to a clinical condition, with a systematic review providing the strongest study design represented here. Melatonin also has clinical evidence, but it is summarized through a narrative review rather than a systematic review.
Caffeine and St. John's Wort are supported by pharmacology references, while Ginger, Reishi, and Vitamin B7 (Biotin) rely on anecdotal reports. These categories do not establish the same level of confidence or the same relevance to people with a clinical condition. The listed evidence also does not resolve whether effects depend on a particular amount, how long an option must be used, or how quickly the outcome might appear.
For choosing among them, prioritize whether the evidence matches your situation and whether you prefer clinical research, pharmacology references, or anecdotal reports. The entries should not be treated as interchangeable: differences in evidence type and study design matter even when the reported probabilities appear similar.