By: Milana N.
Alice in Wonderland Syndrome is a condition that has fewer than 200 impactful cases.
That you weren’t in control? Well, you may have just had an Alice in Wonderland episode…
Alice in Wonderland Syndrome, according to the Cleveland Clinic, is a rare condition and it affects the brain’s ability to process sensory input, essentially our five senses. Specifically, it affects how one can perceive things and distorts your sense of reality.
Symptoms mainly include disturbances in perception:
- Derealization (disassociation)
- Changes in body perception (you feel way taller, shorter, bigger, or smaller).
- Objects become distorted
- Objects may appear to be closer to you than they actually are
Alice in Wonderland Syndrome is usually temporary which gives an explanation as to why there haven’t been very many reported cases. In fact, we may all have experienced this at one point or another, and simply brushed it off. According to the Cleveland Clinic, up to 30% of teenagers can experience brief episodes of Alice in Wonderland Syndrome.
The condition can be caused by migraines, infections, or even strokes. Unfortunately, it is severely underresearched due to the small amount of chronic cases. This condition is just further proof of how much we are yet to discover about the brain.
