Ghost Earthquake Perception

Phantom earthquake perception is the sensation experienced by an individual of feeling a shaking or ground vibration that is not actually occurring, as if an earthquake is taking place. In other words, the individual feels as though an earthquake is happening despite no such event occurring, and assumes they are undergoing a real earthquake experience.

This phenomenon, referred to by the public as “phantom shaking,” typically emerges after a real earthquake, during periods of high stress and constant vigilance for seismic activity.

A visual representing Phantom Earthquake Syndrome (generated by artificial intelligence).

Research has shown that this condition persists not only as a physical issue but also as a psychological one. These issues include:

•Post-earthquake emotional hypersensitivity

The individual reacts with protective impulses to even the slightest vibration or sway.

•High anxiety and hypervigilance

Following a real earthquake, the individual sends signals to the brain such as “what if another earthquake happens” or “what if I cannot protect myself,” leading to heightened anxiety.

•Emotional triggers

Even minor vibrations, such as a rug sliding or a curtain fluttering, are perceived by the individual as an earthquake, causing external stimuli to reactivate memories of the earthquake experience.

Experts included participants who called a crisis center for psychological support via telephone between October 2020 and January 2021 in the study titled “Phantom Earthquake Syndrome: A Pilot Study After Zagreb and Banovina 2020 Earthquake.” Inclusion criteria for participants required them to be between 18 and 65 years of age.

Interviewers were not permitted to ask questions specifically about phantom earthquakes. The exclusion criterion was that participants had not previously received treatment for any mental disorder. An additional requirement was the provision of documentation confirming exposure to an earthquake.

During telephone interviews, participants were asked to describe symptoms related to phantom earthquakes, psychological distress, behavioral changes, and the duration of symptoms. All calls were anonymous, and the study was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee as part of a broader research project.

Results of the research showed:

All participants spontaneously described the phantom earthquake phenomenon.

(Descriptions included: a false sensation of ground shaking and vibration, unsupported by any actual seismic detection.)

Participants did not associate the occurrence of phantom earthquakes with the real earthquake event and identified this as a distinguishing feature.

Of the 23 participants, eight reported waking from sleep due to a sensation of a non-existent earthquake, while other participants described the experience as occurring during daily activities.

Fourteen participants reported feeling that objects such as walls or furniture were moving or swaying. Twelve participants reported both motor and vegetative symptoms, two of whom had fallen to the ground.

This condition was defined as psychological distress, prolonged anxiety, panic episodes, insomnia, and preoccupation with earthquake records.

A diagram illustrating the development of Phantom Earthquake Perception (generated by artificial intelligence).

General concern among participants, when no earthquake was detected during the sensation, was losing control of their mind.

Participants reported intense startle responses to environmental noises and heightened alertness to potential earthquake cues.

The majority of participants reported changes in daily routines, such as avoiding prolonged or uncontrollable indoor activities (like showering or being on the balcony) and engaging only in short activities that could be quickly abandoned in case of the next event.

The phantom earthquake syndrome model from this study:

This table is adapted from the study titled “Phantom Earthquake Syndrome: A Pilot Study After Zagreb and Banovina 2020 Earthquake.”

As a proposed solution, this research suggests that phantom earthquakes arise from the misperception of earthquake-like motion, involving underlying brain mechanisms that integrate sensory physiology, cortico-limbic-striatal neural circuits, and proprioceptive signals affected by trauma and anxiety, alongside memory and higher cognitive functions.

It remains to be determined whether phantom earthquake perception is part of the clinical presentation of acute or post-traumatic stress disorder in earthquake survivors, or whether it constitutes a distinct syndrome, requiring further research.

The neurobiological effects of severe anxiety on the ability to distinguish between real and false stimuli have not yet been fully elucidated.