Online Hearing Voices Groups

Welcome to “Talking Voices”. We are part of the English Hearing Voices Network offering online hearing voices groups for anyone who hears voices, sees visions or has tactile sensations that other people don’t.  The online groups use Zoom and are open to anyone anywhere in the UK.  All you need to join is a computer, laptop, tablet or mobile phone, and a willingness to explore your experiences with others whilst supporting them too.

Our aim is to also hold a monthly in-person, face-to-face, group on the Isle of Wight, and are currently looking for a suitable room or accommodation. This in-person group will be for voice hearers on the Isle of Wight.

 

Why Join a Hearing Voices Group

Hearing Voices Groups whether face-to-face or online offer people who hear voices, see visions or have similar sensory experiences the chance to meet and support each other. They can become a safe haven where people feel accepted, valued and understood.
People come to Hearing Voices Groups for lots of different reasons, including:

• Meeting people with similar experiences.
• To be supported, and use personal experience to support others.
• Learning new and different ways of managing difficult experiences (coping).
• Making sense of experiences.
• Using experiences to challenge stigma and discrimination.
• Talking with people about other issues that impact on their life (eg: relationships, benefits, work, navigating mental health systems, study, medication, discrimination) ^[1]

“Hearing Voices” is an umbrella phrase that includes many different perceptions that most people don’t experience including voices, visions, touch, sensed presence, smell and taste.

How Do Online Hearing Voices Groups Work?

Online hearing voices groups follow the same pattern and ethos of regular face-to-face Hearing Voices Group (HVG) meetings. The main difference is that you are online, using a computer, laptop, tablet or mobile phone. This technology had proven to be a great help during the various COVID lockdowns enabling regular and new members to meet together in their own safe space. Since then it has enabled more people to join and be together to share their experiences. Some people find online meetings more comfortable or convenient than face-to-face meetings, being able to sit in the comfort of your own home is ideal for those who have difficulty venturing outside. For some people there are no face-to-face groups in their own area or within an easy travelling distance; and so online groups are the best option to chat with others about their hearing voices experiences.

 

How tech savvy do I need to be to use Zoom?

If you have the basic skills to use a computer, a phone, or tablet then you should be fine using Zoom. It’s no harder than making a phone call or surfing the internet. Each week we email everyone in the group the Zoom link, you just need to click it and follow the instructions.

Get In Touch

If you’d like to join a Talking Voices – Online Hearing Voices Group, or if you’re on the Isle of Wight and would like to also (or instead) join our monthly in person group get in touch with us at:  talking.voices@yahoo.com

Hearing Voices Groups

“Within the realm of mainstream psychiatry, hearing voices groups (HVGs) can offer a powerful alternative to dominant practices around the experience of voice hearers. In contrast to the biopsychosocial and biomedical frameworks, HVGs aim to facilitate a process of exploration and personal meaning-making through creating spaces that enable empowerment, emancipation and liberation. For many, these spaces offer a restorative forum for peer support, where diversity of experience and identity are welcomed and respected, rather than being silenced.” ^[2]

^{[1]Hearing Voices Network Intro Booklet
[2]Sasha Priddy and Charlotte Howard – Chapter 4, The Practical Handbook of Hearing Voices Therapeutic and Creative Approaches}

Grounding techniques in nature can help calm the voices – Denny Wood