Is it rude to walk through someone who isn't there?

I’d probably walk around them too, just too feel better about things.

One can’t be rude to something that doesn’t have feelings, such as a plant, or a table, or a hallucination, so I wouldn’t feel bad for walking through them. But there might be benefits to walking around them – perhaps the hallucination could become more vivid or dramatic in an unpleasant way by walking through them. Or maybe you walk through what you think is a hallucination but in reality it’s actual people.

If you’re certain you’re hallucinating when you initially encounter these “people,” wouldn’t it be advantageous to your mental health to just keep on walking your path without veering? What better way to prove to your mind that there really is nobody there?

Your never 100% sure, even at 99% that 1% is always a big risk.

I don’t know anything about hallucinatory etiquette, but I sincerely find your consideration quite touching

It’s perfectly acceptable as long as you shout ‘coming through’ loudly before proceeding. If you’re in a large crowd of real people you may need to shout extra loud for the hallucinatory people to hear you.

@peedub I would tell you what I thought of that comment but it would get deleted by the Fluther gods…...

Do they behave differently when you do walk around them versus when you don’t?

I have never walked through one, so I’m not sure.

I am more concerned that you are HAVING hallucinations than I am about your etiquette.

Little ghost, little ghost, one I’m scared of the most; can you scare me up a little bit of love?

I don’t know who wrote this bit of doggerel.

“Yesterday upon the stair,
I met a man who wasn’t there,
He wasn’t there again today,
I wish to God he’d go away.”

Ask your doctor…you can’t be the only one who’s ever wondered about this! I find it touching, too.

If you’ve never tried it before, give it a shot. Maybe it’ll help, maybe not, but it’s worth a try at any rate.

What is your feeling towards the hallucinations you might walk through? If they are hallucinations you feel good about, I’d not walk through them. If they are the scary hallucinations, I’d say you should do it, except that it might make them angrier towards you, and they might do something really nasty.

So, maybe it’s just as well that you are respectful towards all of them.

In January’s Discover magazine, there was a little article about scientists finding that unique mutations are linked to schizophrenia. One of the co-investigators was Jon McClellan, a child psychologist from the University of Washington. These mutations might help identify neurobiologic pathways that, when disrupted, lead to neuropsychiatric illnesses. This, in turn might help researchers develop more specific treatments.

Your brain doesn’t work the same as most people’s. Some ways that your brain ought to work are blocked. As a result, among other things, you see people who aren’t there. They’ve been created in your mind. Therefore, they are a part of you. To walk around them is to respect yourself, and I think that is a good thing. You should take yourself seriously.

You don’t have to prove to yourself they aren’t real. You already know that. What is left is to be as kind to yourself as you can be.

Dunno if that makes sense, but it’s what occured to me. What do you think?

Have you ever seen “A Beautiful Mind”, I know it’s just a movie but (in case you havn’t seen it) John’s hallucinations were able to physically interact with him(also I’ve never tried to touch one) that would bring up new problems if I piss one off…..., on Monday I see my doctor I think I will wait to talk to her about it before I try anything.

Nice work, daloon – at least I think so. I wonder if tyrantxseries does too.
@tyrantxseries – let us know what happens next. This is great.

no

I’ve got to say, I agree with you here. I think it would be rude to walk through the hallucinations.

Also, it sounds like you’ve decided it’s rude. Since that’s what you think, it would be safe to assume that your hallucinations would also consider it rude. They take on your characteristics when they come from your mind.

I think it depends. Has that hallucination ever walked through YOU without excusing itself? Then screw ‘em!

I agree with bodyhead if you think it`s rude they might as well, If it was me I don`t know what I would do.

It’s very rude! Just make sure you apologize so your karma isn’t messed up!

so what did your doctor say about this?