#161: Charles Bonnet Syndrome - with Judith Potts, Founder of Esme's Umbrella

How would you live if suddenly a terrifying tiger appeared in front of you now and then, or if dead people used your sofa or with beautiful flowers pouring into your cake dough on weekly or even daily basis?

You know you aren't losing your mind, so what is it?

Did such hallucinations become more frequent during the covid-19 pandemic? Who can help? Can the hallucinations go away?

An estimate 1 million people in UK are affected by Charles Bonnet Syndrome and about 4 million will be in few years.

"Charles Bonnet syndrome (CBS) is a condition that causes visual hallucinations in patients without any mental illnesses. CBS is characterized by the presence of vivid, complex and recurrent visual hallucinations, and do not occur in the setting or as part of delirium or other psychological illnesses. The condition is present in patients who have visual loss due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), cataracts and/or other ocular diseases that influence vision" (Stojanov, O.,2016).

We talk about it with Judith Potts, who founded Esme's Umbrella to create awareness about CBS, to fund research in this field and to offer broader support to those who are affected by the syndrome.

As a student in Sport Psychology at Roehampton University, London, UK, I have read an interview with Ms. Potts on The Psychologist September 2021 issue.

I was very touched by the unfolding story and I immediately thought that as a student I should learn more about CBS and that as Martial Attitude Training is developing, this should be an aspect to be considered closely.