I think there is confusion about what visualizing is. For example, I have practiced visualizing with my eyes open for a long time. I see through my eyes, but I don't imagine through my eyes. Hallucination appears as if you were seeing something through your eyes. Also, people learn to visualize in general, I think. If your parents referred to imagined things when you were a young child, that would be practicing visualization. If your parents didn't do that, then you are less likely to practice and develop a skill of visualizing. Your comment and other people's comments seem to me like people think they will visualize through their eyes. That isn't how it works, for me, or the people who have been doing visualization exercises for thousands of years.

I think the difference is highlighted in the definition of psychosis, "when people lose some contact with reality." My boyfriend, who also has bipolar, says he sometimes sees giant creatures. He can also visualise really well (might even have hyperphantasia). Some people in psychosis won't know that those creatures aren't real. That's one kind of reality-fantasy mismatch. He does know they're not real, but that doesn't mean he can remove them. That's another kind of reality-fantasy mismatch. But if he was just visualising them, he could just stop. I think the main thing is, if you can visualise, most people can't visualise things so well that they appear lifelike, unlike hallucinations. But even those who can (hyperphantasia), they still ultimately have a choice about what they imagine and for how long, whereas if you're in psychosis, you don't have as much control. (This is all from my observation and own research tho, I don't have bipolar, psychosis, or the ability to visualise, so take my opinions with a pinch of salt perhaps!)

I think it's the ability to discern reality from not. Maybe the ability to modify what you see is the difference you are looking for, like making the apple in your head green, blue, rotate it, cut it and so on which I don't think you can do with hallucinations. I have a hard time visualizing things in my head. I have heard claims that of you discover you are in a dream you can modify it and do whatever you want, however I have discovered I am dreaming and couldn't do much about it maybe that it's related to aphantasia and hallucination vs visualization. If this reply was hard to understand tell me i am not so good at English

I'm new here in general and definitely an have aphantasia. Perhaps the answer to your question is the control of the sense. I can hallucinate with hallucinogenics but I can't imagine any senses. However my daughter can imagine images, sounds, tastes and tactile sensations, fascinating.

I think there is confusion about what visualizing is. For example, I have practiced visualizing with my eyes open for a long time. I see through my eyes, but I don't imagine through my eyes. Hallucination appears as if you were seeing something through your eyes. Also, people learn to visualize in general, I think. If your parents referred to imagined things when you were a young child, that would be practicing visualization. If your parents didn't do that, then you are less likely to practice and develop a skill of visualizing. Your comment and other people's comments seem to me like people think they will visualize through their eyes. That isn't how it works, for me, or the people who have been doing visualization exercises for thousands of years.

I think the difference is highlighted in the definition of psychosis, "when people lose some contact with reality." My boyfriend, who also has bipolar, says he sometimes sees giant creatures. He can also visualise really well (might even have hyperphantasia). Some people in psychosis won't know that those creatures aren't real. That's one kind of reality-fantasy mismatch. He does know they're not real, but that doesn't mean he can remove them. That's another kind of reality-fantasy mismatch. But if he was just visualising them, he could just stop. I think the main thing is, if you can visualise, most people can't visualise things so well that they appear lifelike, unlike hallucinations. But even those who can (hyperphantasia), they still ultimately have a choice about what they imagine and for how long, whereas if you're in psychosis, you don't have as much control. (This is all from my observation and own research tho, I don't have bipolar, psychosis, or the ability to visualise, so take my opinions with a pinch of salt perhaps!)

I think it's the ability to discern reality from not. Maybe the ability to modify what you see is the difference you are looking for, like making the apple in your head green, blue, rotate it, cut it and so on which I don't think you can do with hallucinations. I have a hard time visualizing things in my head. I have heard claims that of you discover you are in a dream you can modify it and do whatever you want, however I have discovered I am dreaming and couldn't do much about it maybe that it's related to aphantasia and hallucination vs visualization. If this reply was hard to understand tell me i am not so good at English

I'm new here in general and definitely an have aphantasia. Perhaps the answer to your question is the control of the sense. I can hallucinate with hallucinogenics but I can't imagine any senses. However my daughter can imagine images, sounds, tastes and tactile sensations, fascinating.