Understanding and coping with hearing voices
Last updated 11/06/2007
Voice hearers cope with their voices (or conversely don't), not because of the content of the voice experience (which can be either abusive and devaluing or guiding and inspiring - or both) but because of the nature of the relationship with their voices.
In this article Marius Romme and Sandra Escher provide and introduction to "Making Sense of Voices", a method to explore the problems in the life of the voice hearer that lie at the roots of the hearing voices experience.
Many people who hear challenging voices have found that a turning point in learning to cope with this experience has been finding different ways of talking with and understanding their voices.
Hearing voices can be regarded as a meaningful, real (although sometimes painful, fearful and overwhelming) event, that speak to the person in a metaphorical way about their lives, emotions and environment.
"Voice hearers are beginning to learn from each other how to creatively cope with and/or eliminate distressing voices. We are learning that we do not have to be victims of our distressing voices." Pat Deegan from the USA. writes about self help strategies.
Things that help people who hear voices cope with the experience, three page leaflet put together by The New Zealand Hearing Voices Network.
In this article Shuresh Patel considers his lifetime recovery in terms of his quality of life with respect to his long standing diagnosis of schizophrenia for over 26 years.
Further research into the issue of how people cope with their vocies.