Visual release hallucinations

Hey kiddo! Today we're going to talk about something called "visual release hallucinations." It sounds like a big and scary thing, but I'll explain it in a way that's easy to understand for a five-year-old like you.

So, sometimes when our eyes are closed or we're in a dark room, we might still see things. Have you ever seen colors or shapes when you close your eyes really tight? That's kind of like what visual release hallucinations are, except sometimes they're more vivid and detailed.

It's like when our eyes don't have anything to look at, our brain starts making up things for us to see instead. Kind of like how you might make up games or stories to entertain yourself when there's nothing else to do.

Sometimes these hallucinations can be scary or unsettling, especially if we don't understand what's going on. But don't worry, they're not really there and they can't hurt us. It's just our brains being creative!