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Fanon Alert! This article contains tribute art, spin-off fiction, theories, reference and community material created by fans inspired by the show. It is by definition non-canon, but generally distinct from intentionally fake hoaxes or humorous fan parody material.

A shared hallucination is an unconscious illusion upon numerous individuals at the same time, though producing the same illusion to each individual. In Lost, this is a theory as to the entire existence of the survivors on the island, and the strange occurrences during their stay there.

Pros

• In episode "Dave", the whole Island is claimed to be a figment of Hurleys imagination by Dave (who is also not real). This is backed up by the "coincidental" appearance of the Numbers on the Island and by the appearance of Libby as a mental patient of the Santa Rosa Mental Health Institute with a slightly different appearance in a flashback.
• The Whispers could be shades of reality seeping through the facade.
• Mysterious appearances and disappearances of persons and/or animals like the Polar Bear or Kate's horse are easily explained.
• Also, dreams like Charlie's dream that seem to be almost prophetic could be explained.
• It would explain why an island of that size (and beauty) is not yet inhabited.
• Death would not be final, so "dead people" could possibly be heard as Whispers - also the experiment would still be cruel but not totally inhumane if people don't really die. Death could also mean someone "woke up from the dream" or is "healed from the hallucination"
• The issue of "The Others" not leaving tracks on some occasions could be explained.

Cons

• The polar observatory men employed by Penelope Widmore detect the electromagnetic discharge created by the system failure at the end of the Season 2 finale, suggesting that the Island, the Swan and the magnetic force within are all very real and can affect the outside world.
  • The numbers and the computer could control a portal to the outside world, for example the plane was brought to the island the portal when Desmond failed to push the button.
• Since the nature of a VR or dreamstate is essentially that everything one sees is controlled, it is hard to find hard evidence against this.
• Does not explain per se the strangeness of events prior to the crash, esp. "the Numbers", except there events are at least partially part of the VR/DS.
• The theory of everything being someone's dream has been dismissed by one of the creators of Lost (Damon Lindelof). The idea of a shared hallucination was not addressed however.