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I agree with Crystal in that many things (objects, people, etc.) that people "see" are constructions of the brain. And, I'm sure we can all relate to the expereince of sitting up in your dorm room doing homework and while reading, something catches your attention out of the corner of your eye. You could swear that something was either in the corner or ran across the floor. Now, whether your first reaction is: "oh god, please don't be a mouse! or hmmmm, that's interesting," is irrelevant. The interesting thing about hallucinations & things catching one's eye is how does one's brain know that the object/thing/person is not really there?

We have all heard the expression: "it's your mind playing tricks on you." But, where do these tricks come from & why does the brain allow one's eyes to do this? There is a big difference between thinking that you saw something & "knowing" that you actually did in fact see something, so how does the brain differentiate, if it does?