Hearing Voices Ireland
From Brian Hartnett, Chairperson of Hearing Voices Ireland (HVI) October 2009

Our primary task is... To promote and foster acceptance of voice hearing as a valid human experience

I was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1996I was diagnosed with schizophrenia because I told the psychiatrist I was ‘hearing voices’. I had been having a lot of ‘unusual’ experiences for a number of years, in particular, feeling that I was connected to a force far greater than me as an individual. This included ‘hearing voices’ but for me it was much more than this.

'Voice hearing' varies from someone who talks to them selves a bit to someone with a much more dramatic experience. The 'voice hearing' aspect of the experience can be only part of a situation for a person although it may be a main focus of distress. My own situation is mine, yours is yours and so on. I don't necessarily think there is a right or wrong way of living with or working with voices. What works for each individual should be recognised as what is right for them and they should be supported in this.

Talking openly about all the aspects of a persons daily experience, not just the 'voices', with people who can listen and hear what the person is saying without judgment, can relieve a lot of pressure on the person and help them and those around them stay connected.

Because I have lived with this extra layer of experience for over twenty years it has become my way of life. I found it hard to relate the enormity of what I lived with to other people at first and learned to cope with dealing with consensual reality and my reality at the same time. Being diagnosed with schizophrenia and being told that I would have to take psychiatric medication if I was to get better added an extra element to my life. The idea that what I was experiencing was a mental illness never made any sense to me as I knew that I was not mentally ill, I just had a different experience of reality to most people around me.

The medication did not bring me back to consensual reality but simply numbed my perception and affected my physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing adversely. Thirteen years after being ‘diagnosed’ my life journey has brought me to the conclusion that my wellbeing is paramount to myself and others and that it is a balance of being strong in the three areas of mind, body and soul simultaneously.

As regards my perception of my double layer of reality I believe that I experience the physical and spiritual at the same time and that when I ‘hear voices’ that are not of the physical world they are of the spiritual world. I believe that there is a balance in mind, body and soul and for some people like me they live with a stronger spiritual awareness which can be partly manifested by ‘voices’.

The concept of schizophrenia does not consider the balance and strength of the individual elements of mind, body and soul which account for a persons well being.

To diagnose people like myself with a concept of a mental illness such as schizophrenia is a denial of their reality and does not help them to live with this reality. The idea that people like myself are mentally ill with a life long illness such as schizophrenia causes confusion about the validity of individual perception of reality and leads to division between families, friends and communities.

People like me who have been diagnosed as mentally ill often become very isolated. I started Hearing Voices Ireland (HVI) in 2006 and I believe its main function is to help improve and support social networking amongst people who have become isolated in this way.

HVI is currently developing a moderated mobile phone support service where the identity and phone number of individuals is protected. As this idea is at conceptual stage I propose to pilot the idea in the Limerick area for six months to determine positives and negatives of the system. Once we have refined the concept we plan to facilitate a support network for people who hear voices using the system.

Our website voicesireland.com features audio interviews with people who hear voices and discussions on related issues. We believe that sharing and listening to peoples stories is fundamental to understanding in this area. We have produced a CD with these interviews which we send out to people free of charge.

The website also has Poetry & Writing, and Feedback sections. There is also information relating to the launch of HVI in 2006.

We plan to further develop our website in the near future.

Enquiries and information: Contact Brian Hartnett at +353 (0)87 9259146

Website: Hearing Voices Ireland

Email: voicesireland@gmail.com