Talking with Voices: An Introduction
Article last updated 08/02/2010
Many people who hear challenging voices have found that a turning point in coping with the experience is finding different ways of talking with and understanding them. Exploring the voice’s motives and discovering different ways of relating to them can help change the relationship between the voice-hearer and their voices.
Why is Speaking With Voices Helpful?
1. This method does not focus on voices as a symptom of “illness”: nor does it concentrate on discovering what is “wrong” with the person.
2. It offers a neutral but strong attitude to work with voices - acceptance is the core of the technique.
3. It offers a positive model for the existence of voices.
4. It helps develop increased awareness, objectivity and a more productive relationship between voices and voice-hearer.
5. By definition, voice-hearing is very lonely experience. Allowing others to “hear” the voices is empowering, liberating and a source of considerable support. In turn, it also affords professionals, friends and family some valuable insight into the reality of a person’s voice-hearing
experience.
Basic Principles
The most essential principle is that we are not necessarily trying to change the voices, nor banish them from the person’s life. What we are trying to do is explore their relationship with the voice-hearer. Doing this work will help the individual gain a different perspective on what the voices are trying to say: and if the person can develop a stronger attitude then the voices are able to change. Our aim is not to get rid of the voices, but to make their relationship with the voice-hearer more equal through helping the person take back control.
If you would like to find out more about this method, see the link below, including an article by Rufus, Eleanor and Dirk here
Comments
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Hi my name is Barry and I live in Northern Ireland and 2 years ago I had an experience of hearing voices and visual hallucinations. The voices that I heard were outside my head and I could Pin point exactly which direction they were coming from. At first when Iheard them I was distressed and didnt fully understand why this was happening and just listened to them, but soon I recognised the voices 2 in particular as being old friends belonging to my Dad who were still alive. Gradually as I lay in bed these 2 were using some sort of sharp instruments to cut pieces of my legs which i culd feel to a certain degree. I tried talking out loud to the voices to ask them why they were doing this to me and Igot no response. I soon learned that they would only talk back to me if I spoke into myself, then I began to have conversations with them. They told me that they were cutting me because they liked it. Although I was in my room and in bed I got the impression that the voices where next door in my neighbours house and that Iwas there too. They had me restrained as they cut my legs I never actually reciveived cuts but could feel movements on my legs as if I was being cut without the pain. Later a dfferent voice started and this voice said that he was God and he proceded to tell me all sorts of good things that I should do to improve my life, I got really good advice and the last thing this voice said to me was did I want to go to heaven I replied yes and he told me to reach out for him so I did and that was the last that I heard that voice. Later that night I heard what sounded like thousands of voices like an army celebrating agreat victory away in the distance and another voice was calling me to come outside the house. He told me itwas time, I asked time for what and he said its time to fight. He was talking to me as if I was the leader of another army and it was time to fight thevoices Iheard in the distance. I found this quite distressing at this point and tried to ignore it but the voices were getting mor and more impatient and where not in my house but outside a my window. After this experience I sought medical attetion and was put on Depixol injection 150mg. I continued to hear voices for the next 10 weeks who I had many conversations with some of which were dead people that I knew or knew of. After about 10 weeks the voices stopped and the medication kicked in, I have been on the medicaion ever since but am now on alower dose of 50mg and get no symptoms whatsoever.