Hearing Voices

What do we mean when we say “Hearing Voices”?

When someone says “I hear voices” they are referring to one or several experiences involving perceptions that other people don’t experience. “Hearing voices is a common human experience that anyone can have at any point in their lives. Even though we use the term ‘hearing voices’, we acknowledge that the experience is different for each person. It can include other sensory experiences, altered or heightened states of mind and there is no correct way to name the experience”^[1]

Hearing voices can mean people hear, see, sense, feel, smell or taste things that other people don’t experience, and can include:

• Hearing someone speak through our ears in a way that’s indistinguishable from ‘real’ people, when other people can’t hear that voice.
• Hearing someone speak in our minds, when it is not our own internal voice or thoughts, and other people can’t hear that voice.
• Hearing music, sounds and noise that other people can’t hear.
• Having a ‘vision’ if we see someone or something other people can’t.
• Feeling the presence of someone near, or the touch of someone, when other people can’t.
• Having fixed or unusual beliefs that other people don’t.
• Feeling something on, or under, your skin that’s difficult to explain because there seems to be no physical cause for it.
• Having a group of people you can speak with that others can’t hear or see.
• Tasting something that other people eating the same ingredients cannot taste.

What Is Hearing Voices Like?

“The distinctive qualities of the voices – as opposed to thoughts, inner dialogue, rumination or dissociation – are present whether the voice or voices come occasionally or last for years.  Voices give advice, threaten, swear, or inspire.  They tell people to do things they may or may not want to do.  Voices can be loud and articulate or barely audible, like a radio turned down to low volume.  They can be accompanied by whispers, mutterings or humming.  They can incorporate strange noises – ticking or clicking, a bit of melody, or the far-off whoosh of a seashell held up to the ear.
Voices can be male, female, or a mixture of both:  people often can’t tell the gender of their voices, even after years of hearing them.  They may sound as if they’re coming from young children , they may be robotic and machine-like, they may sound like they’re coming from your neighbours, or they may sound like they coming from electrical appliances.  The voices may sound like someone the person knows now or in the past, or they can be totally unfamiliar.  Some people hear their voices only in certain contexts; for others they are a constant presence. Some voices speak the person’s thoughts out loud, or two or three argue or provide a running commentary on the voice hearer’s behaviour.  Some issue commands. Some make threats or repeat a certain word or phrase.  But whatever they sound like, voices compel attention – hearing them is too powerful an experience to be ignored.

People’s responses to voices are hugely variable, depending on what the voices say, how often they say it, what tone they use and how intrusive they are.  Most people are confused or frightened, at least at first [the Startling Phase].  Others are angry at being singled out.  Others feel special for having been chosen for such a mystical, otherworldly experience. Voice hearers may see themselves as mediums or clairvoyants, or they may be convinced they’re entering into a mental health crisis.  If the voices are commanding or unrelenting, it may ultimately prove too exhausting to resist them.”^[2]

Not everyone who hears voices has visited a mental health professional, some people cope very well without any need for psychiatric interventions.  These people seem to be able to listen selectively to their voices and are able to talk with friends, family, and others about the voices they hear. In contrast other people are frightened by the voices they hear.  They feel powerless to stop the voices or stand up to them, and are afraid to tell anyone for the worry of being declared ‘mad’ or ‘insane’. In a desperate attempt to try to escape their voices, some hearers may sleep long hours, play music through headphones, or wear ear defenders. It is this group of people who are more likely to seek support from mental health services.

^{[1] Elizabeth Svanholmer – OpenMindedOnline.com
[2] Agnes’s Jacket – Gail A Hornstein p35}