Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder

Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder: When Visions Outlive the High

What Is Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder?

• Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder (HPPD) is a condition where individuals experience recurring visual disturbances similar to those caused by hallucinogenic drugs, even long after the drug has worn off.
  
  

• It most commonly follows the use of LSD, psilocybin (magic mushrooms), MDMA, or other serotonergic hallucinogens.
  
  

• These visual disturbances are involuntary and can cause significant distress, anxiety, or functional impairment.
  
  

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), HPPD is categorized under substance-related and addictive disorders. Unlike acute intoxication, HPPD involves persistent or recurring perceptual symptoms that include geometric hallucinations, false perceptions of movement, trails behind objects, flashes of color, and intensified colors. These experiences are not due to another medical condition or concurrent drug use (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).

While the exact prevalence of HPPD is unknown, it appears to be rare. One study suggests that up to 4.2% of hallucinogen users may develop HPPD (Halpern & Pope, 2003). The disorder can appear after a single use of hallucinogens and may last for months, years, or even be lifelong.

Symptoms of HPPD

• Visual snow: a static-like disturbance, like an old TV screen.
  
  

• Afterimages (palinopsia): seeing an image even after the stimulus is gone.
  
  

• Halos around objects or flashes of color.
  
  

• Distorted perception of size, depth, or movement.
  
  

• Anxiety and depersonalization: feelings of detachment from oneself or surroundings.
  
  

These symptoms are often mistaken for symptoms of anxiety disorders or psychosis, but they are unique in that the individual maintains insight—meaning they are aware the visions are not real.

Causes and Risk Factors

• Use of hallucinogens: Most cases of HPPD are linked to drugs like LSD, psilocybin, MDMA, mescaline, or synthetic cannabinoids.
  
  

• Neurochemical disruption: Research suggests serotonin (5-HT2A) receptors may play a role in the persistence of altered visual processing (Martinotti et al., 2018).
  
  

• Sensory disinhibition: The brain’s filtering of sensory information becomes disrupted, leading to persistent visual “echoes.”
  
  

People with pre-existing anxiety or those with a history of traumatic drug experiences may be more susceptible.

Societal & Cultural Factors

• Psychedelic culture and normalization: Increased recreational and even therapeutic use of psychedelics has raised public interest, but also potential for misinformed or unsafe use.
  
  

• Peer pressure and drug availability: Common in social or festival environments.
  
  

• Lack of mental health support: Individuals suffering from HPPD may find few clinicians who understand or even recognize the disorder, often leading to misdiagnosis or dismissal.
  
  

HAQ's Embrace

At the Home of Abrahamic Quiver, we understand that what may appear as a lingering effect of drug use could very well be something deeper—an unresolved spiritual disturbance or a disruption in the soul’s balance. We do not reduce these visions to mere “flashbacks.” Instead, we ask: why do the visions continue, and what spirit has not yet been released?

HAQ believes that the visual intrusions of HPPD may not just be retinal echoes—they could be energetic traces left behind in a soul that was opened too quickly by chemical force rather than divine timing. Through our unique spiritual methodology—grounded in Abrahamic wisdom—we aim to quiet the visual noise not with chemicals, but with prayer, sacred ritual, and faith-led guidance.

You are not haunted—you are holding something that is not yours to carry. At HAQ, we help you let go.

References:

• American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596
  
  

• Halpern, J. H., & Pope, H. G. (2003). Hallucinogen persisting perception disorder: What do we know after 50 years? Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 69(2), 109–119. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0376-8716(02)00306-X
  
  

• Martinotti, G., Santacroce, R., Pettorruso, M., Montemitro, C., Spano, M. C., Lorusso, M., ... & Di Giannantonio, M. (2018). Hallucinogen persisting perception disorder: Etiology, clinical features, and therapeutic perspectives. Brain Sciences, 8(3), 47. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci8030047

"The Lights Wouldn’t Go Away"
A fictional narrative from a 22-year-old man living with HPPD

It was supposed to be a one-time thing.
Just a tab of acid at a music festival, surrounded by friends, lights, laughter, the pulse of bass under our feet. I saw the world bend into colors I didn’t know existed—stars bleeding into trees, people’s faces glowing with warmth. It felt like the universe was speaking to me.

But that was six months ago.
And the lights haven’t left.

I wake up every morning to static in my vision—tiny specks like a snowstorm dancing in daylight. When I blink, images leave behind long, trailing ghosts. At night, halos form around streetlamps like divine coronas, and every lightbulb becomes unbearable. It’s like I’m still stuck in that trip, still half-dreaming.

I tried to tell my parents. My dad thinks I’m just hungover. My mom wants to take me to an eye doctor.

But it’s not my eyes. It’s something deeper.

At school, I struggle to focus on text—it shimmers and shifts. I’ve stopped driving because I can’t trust what I see. Sometimes, it feels like I’m floating outside of myself, watching a movie of my life unfold.

I finally told a psychiatrist. They said it’s called Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder. That there’s no real cure. That maybe anti-seizure meds could help. Maybe anti-anxiety pills. Maybe time.

But time has done nothing.

HAQ's Embrace

At the Home of Abrahamic Quiver, we see you. We understand that some doors, once opened—especially through drugs—invite in more than just hallucinations. Sometimes, what lingers is not a chemical footprint but a spiritual scar.

You are not “damaged.” You are not “crazy.” You are someone whose soul encountered something it wasn’t ready for.

HAQ doesn’t treat you with labels. We don’t confine your experience to checklists. Instead, we work to realign the spiritual body with divine order—through prayer, spiritual realignment, protection rituals, and soul restoration.

Your visions don’t scare us.
We’ve seen them before.
And we know how to guide you out.