Hyperia, a fascinating hypothesis of the new psychiatry

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Hypera is a new concept proposed by a Spanish psychiatrist. It has to do with approaching some experiences considered “pathological”, such as hallucinations or delusions, from a different perspective, in which these are not abnormal in themselves.

The hyperia hypothesis is provocative and provocative at the same time. The concept is the result of work prepared by Dr. Javier Álvarez, a psychiatrist with almost 40 years of practice in the Health System.. Specifically, he is currently Head of the Psychiatry Service at the University Care Complex of León.

Álvarez is one of the pioneers of the trend known as New Psychiatry. This approach departs from the classic concepts of psychiatric science and is currently exploring new avenues. Hyperia is one of them and was explained in great detail in the book Ecstasy without faithwhich can be downloaded for free.

One of the most interesting aspects of the new psychiatry, and of the concept of hyperia as such, is that has integrated the knowledge generated by advances in neuroscience.

Classical psychiatry, on the other hand, remains closely tied to the famous DSM, a manual that has been widely criticized throughout the world. At the same time, the new current recovers the idea that the so-called “mental illnesses” have a decisive subjective and social component.

“Schizophrenia remains nothing more than a 19th century theory, with no scientific basis”.

-Javier Álvarez-

The hyperia

Hyperia is defined as a psychic brain function, on the same level as memory, intelligence, verbal ability, etc. This function has to do with the activation of a huge number of brain neurons at once.

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The word hyperia itself, etymologically, means ‘excessiveness’. This multiple activation is also called neuronal hypersynchrony.

This phenomenon has several characteristics that are its own. The first is that this multiple activation appears suddenly and without a person being able to control it at will. It just happens and that’s it.

In addition, It is experienced as an extremely intense experience, while the person experiencing it feels strange, as if something very strange was happening in his head.

This simultaneous discharge can occur in any part of the brain and, depending on where it happens, it manifests itself in different ways. Can lead to visual hallucinations delusional ideas, melancholic inhibition, deep ecstasy, panic attacks, suicidal impulses and depersonalization, among others.

epilepsy

The concept of hyperia is closely linked to that of epilepsy. When talking about epilepsy, what comes to mind for most are the epileptic seizures that constitute its most extreme manifestation. However, epilepsy It is a disease in which there are many more “partial crises” than attacks as such.

Let us remember that for a long time epilepsy was associated with a demonic manifestation. The attacks were inexplicable and in the absence of knowledge they were related to a possession, although Hippocrates himself had said that it was a brain problem.

Why do we talk about epilepsy? Dr. Alvarado found that in partial seizures of epilepsy, when there are no attacks, the phenomenon called hyperia occurs., that is, a massive and simultaneous activation of brain neurons. In turn, many mystics, artists, the so-called “mentally ill” and many people considered “normal” present a similar picture.

The perspectives

Hyperia is a function and not a pathology. This means that the fact that these types of episodes occur does not mean that there is a malfunction in the brain, but rather that a phenomenon of neuronal hypersynchrony occurred, for a variety of reasons. For Dr. Álvarez, a hallucinatory or delusional experience, for example, is in principle perfectly normal.

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When this phenomenon appears, whoever experiences it has the deep conviction that they have achieved clairvoyance, through their intuition. It is also possible that he feels that he has communication with another person or another being, from a distance; that is, a kind of telepathy. That this happens, within this perspective, is part of the normal.

Although hyperia is still in the hypothesis phase, it fits logically into the puzzle we already know. There is still a long way to go, but, without a doubt, this perspective could have a very important impactparticularly in the field of psychiatry.

Hyperia calls into question the concepts of mental health and illness, but it also opens other avenues for traditional treatments, as it is more oriented toward addressing antiepileptic medication than antipsychotic medication. We will surely hear a lot about this concept in the coming years.