History Main / HelpfulHallucination

* In ''OrderOfTheStick'', [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0605.html Lord Shujo explains he could be this.]]

[[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment Detective Bob is a detective.]] He's in the middle of an important case when, suddenly, a whole bunch of traumatic stuff happens to him, he hits his head on an orange crate, and he somehow ends up taking a lot of drugs. Now, wherever he goes, he is followed by a talking, pink hippopotamus name Oswald, that only he can see. Bob is hallucinating!

** When Booth was trapped by [[SerialKiller the Gravedigger]] on a ship that was to be sunk he received help from the ghost of a private who died in Bosnia(?) while under Booth's command. Booth knew it was a hallucination, but there were things that he did needed two people to do.

[[quoteright:245:[[Webcomic/OrderOfTheStick http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/OrderOfTheStick_Helpful_6377.JPG]]]]

[[quoteright:245:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/OrderOfTheStick_Helpful_6377.JPG]]

* Erik in ''DiarioDeUnZombi''.

* "Radar Man" from ''ParanoiaAgent'' appears to have this happening to him. Or...the sexy figurines might actually be talking to him. It's that kind of show.

* In last couple of episodes of the fifth season of ''Series/{{House}}'', House gets advice on a case from a hallucination of [[spoiler: Amber]], who had died in the season four finale.

* In ''[[BridgeOfBirds The Story of the Stone]]'', Master Li and Number Ten Ox drink hallucinogenic tea in order to take a "mind trip" to the [[CelestialBureaucracy Chinese]] [[SpiritWorld Hell]]; it is deliberately ambiguous whether their experience is this trope or a genuine spirit journey.

* The (unfortunately) [[ShortRunners short-lived]] TV series ''Series/{{Raines}}'' wore this as it's hat. The main character, a police detective played by JeffGoldblum, had hallucinations of the victims of the crime he was investigating, who followed him around until he solved the case. The hallucinations would actually change slightly in appearance and manner as he learned more about the victim. He was completely aware of them not being real--in fact, the hallucinations would sometimes comment on it.

* In ''Series/{{House}}'', House gets advice on a case from a hallucination of [[spoiler: Amber]], who had died in an earlier episode.
* Happened a few times on ''{{Bones}}'':
** Bones hears the murder victim telling her information about herself and the case

** When Booth was about to have ADateWithRosiePalms to donate sperm for Brennan to artificially inseminate with, Stewie from ''FamilyGuy'' appeared on the TV and gave him relationship advice.

* The (unfortunately) short-lived TV series ''Series/{{Raines}}'' wore this as it's hat. The main character, a police detective played by JeffGoldblum, had hallucinations of the victims of the crime he was investigating, who followed him around until he solved the case. The hallucinations would actually change slightly in appearance and manner as he learned more about the victim. He was completely aware of them not being real--in fact, the hallucinations would sometimes comment on it.

* In the ''WestWing'' episode "Two Cathedrals" (which is widely considered one of the greatest single episodes of television of any genre in the history of the medium), President Bartlett has a soul-searching conversation with his personal secretary, Mrs. Landingham, for whom he attended a funeral earlier that same day.

* ''{{Fringe}}'': while trapped on the other side and brainwashed, Olivia hallucinates a version of Peter who tries to convince her that she's in the wrong universe.
* ''StargateAtlantis'': When [=McKay=] gets trapped at the bottom of the ocean in a broken puddle jumper, he has a hallucination of Carter that's his subconscious trying to keep him from doing something that will get him killed.
* In a grim variant, Gibbs' former marine commander on ''{{NCIS}}'' wound up a fugitive when he was suspected of stealing a cache of Saddam Hussein's money recovered in Iraq. He was goaded on in his quest to find and eliminate the real thieves by a fellow marine, who turned out to be an hallucination of a man who'd died in combat years earlier.

* ''StargateAtlantis'': When McKay gets trapped at the bottom of the ocean in a broken puddle jumper, he has a hallucination of Carter that's his subconscious trying to keep him from doing something that will get him killed.

For extra creepiness, the hallucination may know things the person they haunt ''shouldn't'' know. This is usually a clue they are a {{ghost}} or an AngelUnaware.

* In ''{{House}}'', House gets advice on a case from a hallucination of [[spoiler: Amber]], who had died in an earlier episode.

* In ''[[BridgeOfBirds The Story of the Stone]]'', Master Li and Number Ten Ox drink hallucinogenic tea in order to take a "mind trip" to the [[CelestialBureaucracy Chinese]] [[SpiritWorld Hell]]; it is deliberately ambiguous whether their experience is this trope or a genuine spirit journey.

** When Booth was trapped by [[SerialKiller the Gravedigger]] on a ship that was to be sunk he received help from the ghost of a private who died in Bosnia(?) while under Booth's command. Booth knew it was a hallucination, but there were things that he did [[OrIsIt which needed two people to do]].

* The (unfortunatly) short-lived TV series ''{{Raines}}'' wore this as it's hat. The main character, a police detective played by JeffGoldblum, had hallucinations of the victims of the crime he was investigating, who followed him around until he solved the case. The hallucinations would actually change slightly in appearance and manner as he learned more about the victim. He was completely aware of them not being real--in fact, the hallucinations would sometimes comment on it.

* In a grim variant, Gibbs' former marine commander on ''{{NCIS}}'' wound up a fugitive when he was suspected of stealing a cache of Saddam Hussein's money recovered in Iraq. He was goaded on in his quest to find and eliminate the real thieves by a fellow marine, who turned out to be an hallucination of a man who'd died in combat years earlier.

SPOILERS to follow, as some of these hallucinations aren't initially identified as such until TheReveal.

For extra creepiness, the hallucination may know things the person they haunt ''shouldn't'' know. This is usually a clue they are a {{ghost}} or an AngelUnaware.

-->'''Gusteau:''' I am only a figment of your imagination!

-->'''Spirit guide:''' I'm only a memory Homer, I can't provide additional information.

* Played with in {{Ratatouille}}, where Remy hallucinates Gusteau advising him about cooking, and life in general. Until Remy finds out Gusteau has a son:
-->'''Gusteau:''' "I have a son?!"
-->'''Remy:''' "How can you not know you have a son?"
-->'''Gusteau:''' "I am only a figment of your imagination!"

* In ''House'', House gets advice on a case from a hallucination of [[spoiler: Amber]], who had died in an earlier episode.
* Happened a few times on Bones

* The (unfortunatly) short-lived TV series ''{{Raines}}'' wore this as it's hat. The main character, a police detective played by JeffGoldblum, had hallucinations of the victims of the crime he was investigating, who followed him around until he solved the case. The hallucinations would actually change slightly in appearence and manner as he learned more about the victim. He was completely aware of them not being real- in fact, the hallucinations would sometimes comment on it.
->Raines: What do you want?
->Sandy Boudreau: It's your imagination, Detective; I'm just a figment.
->Raines: What do you want?
->Sandy Boudreau: I want you to find out who killed me.
->Raines: Then you'll go, back to whatever dark, twisted, malfunctioning part of my brain that you come from?
->Sandy Boudreau: Yeah.

* StargateAtlantis: When McKay gets trapped at the bottom of the ocean in a broken puddle jumper, he has a hallucination of Carter that's his subconscious trying to keep him from doing something that will get him killed.

* Averted (or Subverted?) on ''TheSimpsons'' when Homer tried to access information from his coyote SpiritGuide while concious:
-->I'm only a memory Homer, I can't provide additional information.

* ''{{Fringe}}'': while trapped on the other side and brainwashed, Olivia hallucinates a version of Peter who tries to convince her that she's in the wrong universe.