The felt-presence experience: from cognition to the clinic

The experience of felt presence in a general population sample

“…Felt presence (also referred to as ‘sensed presence’) is the experience of an external entity in the nearby environment without clear sensory evidence. 1 Although typically associated with Parkinson's disease, 2 felt presence is increasingly recognised as a transdiagnostic phenomenon occurring in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, neurological diseases and under psychologically or physically taxing conditions. 1 Felt presence is closely linked to body-related hallucinatory phenomena 3 and to ultra-high risk for psychosis.…”

“…It is poorly understood compared with more widely known psychotic experiences, and is sometimes described as falling between hallucinations and delusions. 5 Currently, reports of felt presence are limited to case studies (summarised in Barnby et al 1 ) and small-scale phenomenological studies. 6 So far, no studies have examined felt presence in a large population sample and little is known about its wider non-clinical presentation.…”