Sensory experiences during treatment of phobias by in vivo exposure.

The author describes several patients undergoing in vivo exposure therapy for simple phobias who reported transient sensory distortions without other evidence of psychosis. The experiences occurred mainly in the tactile, kinesthetic, and visual modes. Their nature and significance are undetermined, but they appear to resemble conversion symptoms, hypnotic sensory distortions, and other nonpsychotic sensory experiences stimulated by emotionally charged ideas.