A term used to denote a hallucination in which a perceptual memory trace or fantasy is compulsively retrieved and re-experienced, often in a repetitive manner. Two examples of compulsive hallucinations are drug-related *flashbacks, and flashbacks occurring in the context of * post-traumatic stress disorder. The notion of compulsive hallucination should not be confused with the notions of*hallucinatory obsession and * obsessional hallucination, which have a related, but slightly different connotation. All three types of hallucination have been described in individuals with a clinical diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder and/or * schizophrenia, but they may also occur in other conditions, as well as in individuals without a psychiatric diagnosis.
References
Poyurovsky, M., Weizman, A., Weizman, R. (2004). Obsessive-compulsive disorder in schizophrenia: Clinical characteristics and treatment. CNS Drugs, 18, 989-1010.
Dictionary of Hallucinations. J.D. Blom. 2010.