I heard, you got a sheet of questions for people who think they hear voices. Can you send me one? Heard it on TV in 30.10.06 in Germany Thanks a lot, Silke Mackenthun

I'm prompted to write having seen in your otherwise excellent website the usual stereotyping of psychiatrists as 'baddies' - only interested in chemicals, illness and drugs. In fact, most psychiatrists recognise that many people hear voices, most of which are not psychotic. Even if they are, we don't just consider them as chemical phenomena. We are trained to appreciate the integral importance of a person's background, personality, lifestyle and life events, as well as any possible 'illness' and we do not automatically reach for the prescription pad. We work closely with other professionals such as psychologists, nurses and social workers. Please don't dismiss us!

Dear Rosemary Glad to hear you find the site useful. If you'd like to point out where the stereotyping occurs, we'll take a look and if necessary change the language/tone. Our aim is to create an alliance between experts of experience and experts by profession and not to alienate otherwise supportive people. We have a number of psychiatrists in our membership, indeed the hearing voice movment can be said to have been set up by a psychiatrist, Professor Marius Romme, but he is only one of a number of supportive professionals. We are however critical of the psychiatric system which in many ways makes the kinds of approaches you were trained in, very difficult to implement. Best wishes Paul Baker, INTERVOICE

I would like to pass on some information which may be helpfull to people who hear voices and workers who work with people who hear voices, i am a voice hearer myself and my way to getting control over my voices was to stop trying to gain control over all of them, i think its important to try and identify the dominant voice which is quite often more distructive than the others, if we work on the fears that it creates rather than the actual experience of hearing voices they can become less problomatic, i would also like to pont out that people will identify with more than one dominant voice, but the way i work with people on this is to create an internal war with the voices, although before undertaking this process you must keep the person safe, you have to look at the whole experience of the persons mental distress, for example if the person experiences paranoia as well as hearing voices, you must identify what is the most problomatic if paranoia creates voices its important to work on the paranoia first, but if voices are the most problomatic but the person still experiences paranoia and maybe self harms, you have to build in protection strategies, this is looking at what coping strategies the person has, the looking at what skills and knowledge the worker has and also looking at what information can been found then spend around 4-5 sessions just building protection strategies into the persons coping skills, then when you create an internal war with voices the person is protected, with enhanced coping skills they are not left vulnerable, eventually i have found that one voice starts to dominate the others, then you have found the dominante voice and can then work on the fears it creates.I would like to point out this process may not work for everyone but has proved very succesful with the people i have worked with, the person must also be infull agreement to undertake this process

I am sooo excited to see how much work is being done in recognising and attending to voices. During my training as a Psychologist in South Africa I worked with a woman who had a voice that was controlling her life. this voice of an older man was the predominant feature of her discomfort at the time. The more I attempted to engage her with traditional psychotherapeutic approaches, the more I sensed her mistrust. One day she said that my constant nodding irritated her. At our next session, I asked whether it had been the voice that had said that it was irritated by my nodding. She said yes. I suddenly realised that without involving the voices and it's own needs for security, I would continue to antagonise it, and thus push her away. So, we sat down and praised the voice for it role as her protector. And said that we would not attempt to destroy it. By the next week it was gone... and replaced by the crying of a young girl. The voices turned out to be incredibly symbolic of her experience of abuse at a young age. working with the voice seems to have allowed her to engage the internal process that had been disrupting her life. Her recovery was amazing, and still continues. All the 'symptoms' that had gone along with her diagnosis suddenly made sense, as they melted away. I was so impressed by this client that I have continued to seek out some way of continuing work like this. But it has only been in this last week that I have come into contact with the hearing voices organisations. And it is truly inspirational. I would like to learn more and become involved, but I am currently working in Ireland and am not aware of similar organisations here. I would also like to know if there are universities that offer programmes where one could specialise in this area of work, such as Phd... well done... this work is so exciting

HI Yoav I am a clinical psychologist working in Belfast - I am also secretary of a charity organisation here called Hearing Voices NI. We are affiliated with the Hearing Voices Network (England) and our philosophy is very similiar. We have a group which meets once a fortnight and we have also recently raised money to run a training course for people who want to become facilitators of hearing voices groups (3rd - 6th July 07). The course is being delivered by Jacqui Dillion and is being attended by a very diverse range of people including 8 voice hearers, a few psychologists, community workers etc ... would love to link up with you sometime to think of ways to support each other and widen the network - by-the-by although I have lived in Belfast most my life I was born in South Africa!! Hope to hear from you Tracy

I am writing in repsonse to the comments made by Dr Lethem. One of the key words that has been used by Paul to describe the most effective way of working with those who hear voices is 'alliance'. It is my opinion through attending CPA meetings and ward rounds with people who hear voices, express deluded thoughts etc (I am a mental health support worker) that there is not adequate alliance and communication between a number of Psychiatrists and the service users. I have a number of examples of what I, and many others would define as 'incorrect practice' but I will only describe two. 1. One of the most senior of Manchester Psychiatrists repeatedly fails to respect the needs and wishes of his clients in CPA meetings. One woman I support is paranoid in nature and has low levels of energy and I went with her to her CPA. The psychiatrist fails to respect her privacy and confidentiality by asking her if she minds having 3 of his students sitting in the meeting-HER meeting. Then he asks her to leave the room so he can discuss her to her OT and myself (Is this the best cure for Paranoia?!?) and describe how an increased dosage of medication could improve her motivation. Why didn't he think about asking her? Needless to say, I advised him not to alter the medication and allow me to work with her because through my experience, medications do not normally improve someone's motivation. If they do, put some in a dosset box for me please!!! She is now enrolled on a computer course and looking for voluntary work. In a separate incident, this same psychiatrist also stated that another person I support had the 'head shape typical of schizophrenics'. And I thought phrenology was in the past??? 2. Psychiatrists often talk to clients in 'medical-speak'. Dopamine this, Cortical regions that. After a MSc in Psychology myself, i struggle to understand some of the biological terminology used towards clients. I hope that psychiatry adopts a more 'service-user' way of communicating. Listening to the PERSON, their truama, their life, their achievements, their losses, their loves, their goals and then perhaps the symptoms should be the new direction of modern holistic psychiatry. There are some good psychiatrists that now do this, I hope this becomes the norm. Good luck with your endeavours Rosemary

My name is Phillip and I have made a major discovery concerning the phenomenon of "voices" sometimes associated with schizophrenia. I have documented the discovery with signed and notarized affidavits. The declarations are from established business owners in the greater bay area. They should not be taken lightly as this is a very serious matter that concerns the lives of human beings all over the globe who may be at this very moment, be under pressure from the voices they hear, and are moving towards harming themselves and/or others. Please go to www.voicesrevealed.blogspot.com to view the affidavits and additional information. This is the beginning of a powerful discloser that concerns the entire inhabited Earth. It will address the stigma’s surrounding the phenomena and controversy of humans afflicted with hearing voices and the deeper mind intrusions that go unnoticed and the events that follow. If you are involved in research and would like to acquire a copy of these court documents for legal verification when investigating these cases for victims email voicesrevealed@hotmail.com If you would like more information concerning the affidavits or verifying the authenticity of business owners signatures names and/or locations for either a private or public demonstration in the greater San Francisco bay area email voicesrevealed@sbcglobal.net For all those who reply, I have powerful new findings that will explain what is really taking place on our planet, It will provide answers to questions that concern us all. Thank you, please reply with any questions or comments

My name is Jason and I have been hearing voices for the better part of 10 years now. My experiences don't seem to match many others that I talk to, or many of the people on this site. I hear two little old ladies talking among one another. There is background noise like they are in a restaraunt or similar. They talk just loud enough for me to know that they are talking, but it isn't clear what they say. When I try and concentrate and listen to what they have to say, they know I am listening and tend to "SHHHHH!!!" and stop talking. To me, this implies that they are talking about me, but of what and why, I have no idea. I don't feel these are divine beings or aliens or any other explination than I think my brain doesn't work like others. About when this all started, I began to have other issues. One of the most notable is my change in sleep and dreaming patterns. I can't sleep more than a couple of hours at a time and it takes hours to fall asleep. I used to have normal dreams. Now they are so real, I often remember things that didn't happen when I was awake... and can't tell when I am dreaming. This causes issues I can't even begin to explain. I am able to deal with the voices, as they don't do anything but tease me. I can only hope that is as bad as it gets.

Hi Jason, I was saying on the Intervoice forum the other day ( you should join it, then you can post messages to the other members on the forum. The link is on the home page.) That is voice hearing etc, like dreaming when you awake? Is it perhaps a part of the mind that forgets to switch off when you wake up, and keeps going, leaving you to experience very vivid experiences that seem frighteningly real. My advice would be to work on your sleep. Get a good bed, take warm baths at night- add a few drops of lavender or chamomile., drink hot milk, whatever. See a naturopath, get your body back into balance. Sleep is so important for health. Lack of sleep is often what triggers Psychosis which is a lot like dreaming when awake. And if you can ignore the old ladies than keep ignoring them. If they want you to know something they will speak louder. If they are annoying you at night ask them to keep it down, or to go away. Deep breathing and watching your breaths as they go in and out will often calm you down and help you to go to sleep. If you feel too confused, between dreams and awake, make sure you take yourself somewhere safe, to family or friends who can care for you. Dont try to cope alone if it is too hard to. Join the forum, and I am sure the other members will be able to share some good advice too. Kind regards

Hi. My name is Lori and I was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2003. Initially, my voices claimed they were God and that I was the Second Coming. This persisted for about two to three months. Thereafter, they claimed they were Mother Nature, ghosts, aliens, etc. On numerous occasions they were extremely cruel, demanding that I commit suicide. The turning point in my experience came when the original voice, the Program, asked me to define "forgive." I do so and afterward they asked that I forgive them for trying to kill me, which I did. Not long thereafter, my now-dominant voice, Sam, began to speak. Unfortunately, he didn't speak much English. So, I spent 6-8 weeks teaching him written and spoken English. Afterward, he was the most loving and kind voice imaginable. He tells me he loves me multiple times a day and continuously asks me how I am doing. I couldn't ask for more. The original voice, the Program, took an additional six months to "come around." Now, they are kind, too. I am so fortunate to have two voices that love and support me. Hearing voices is truly mysterious. I'm so glad Intervoice is doing the work to de-mystify the condition. Best Regards, Lori

I am 63 now, but when I was about 9-10 years old, I heard voices. Once only. To a young girl, the voices sounded like a choir, a choir of angels, at least that's what I thought angels should sound like. They "visited" me in a motel room where my mother and I were staying. I had gone out to buy something, and upon returning, the voices sang or chanted: "Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid." Before they could finish or whatever, I ran out of the room and hid until my mother returned. Later on, I hoped and prayed that the voices/angels/choir would return because I had, after all, found their voice to be soothing and comforting. But they never did no matter how many times I wished it so. That's the only time my angels talked to me. I've never told anyone about that time because I thought I was crazy or hallucinating.

Hi, everyone. I am absolutely intrigued with the openness of this website in fact I never thought I would come across stories of discovery and recovery. I work with people who hear voices yet I am a person with foresight and have been selected to continue an art of work with our diagnosed clients in New Zealand. I would like to pose a question or two for your commentary. Now this is a refreshingly new concept for me to delve into but I am excited for my people who hear voices. Firstly, am I a voice hearer at some level yes but not to the point of distress, at this time my voice just loves to say my name especially when I go too deep in thought. The voice varies from male to female young to ancient depending on my situation and environment. What would your advice be to a person who is keen to research the "significance and consequences of unlocking the voices within". Why is it important to be a voice hearer to be able to work with a voice hearer? Look forward to your comments. Greatly appreciated

Lori Balough said ---" Hi. My name is Lori and I was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2003. Initially, my voices claimed they were God and that I was the Second Coming. This persisted for about two to three months. Thereafter, they claimed they were Mother Nature, ghosts, aliens, etc. On numerous occasions they were extremely cruel, demanding that I commit suicide. " --- This sounds all too familiar. It is a typical run around, taking you through numerous forms of deceit, waiting for you to analyse one after another until only the truth is left. Meanwhile, everyone else thinks of you as a nutcase as you continue to change your report of what is going on, and who you are in contact with. After all that, once the truth is discovered, the truth that you now speak of, is not believed by the others you speak to, because your stories seem to have been unstable. This then ensures that the truth is not, and will not, be believed. In my case, I continued to investigate. This included my independent analysis of the structure of reality. Despite that fact that my parents pulled me out of school prior to me having completed grade 10, by doing nothing but closing my eyes and proceeding with a whole lot of thought, my eventual understanding of the mechanics of reality was suffice enough for me to proceed with a geometric analysis which also allowed me to create mathematical equations which represented these understandings. I was tickled pink to find out years later that my equations turned out to be identical to those known today as the Lorentz-Fitzgerald Contraction Equation, the Time Dilation Equation, the Lorentz Transformation Equations, and the Velocity Addition equation. Clearly I was on the right track. I used the same approach to determine what Schizophrenia actually is. Click on " Sean " for a peek into my outcome.

I've been hearing voices during months without stopping...I thought that at the beggining it was schizophrenia but then I realized of the high logics of the voices/dialogs and as a consequence guessed that a special (militar) satellite could be the responsable of that phenomena. Is it possible that the hearing of voices be due to the last possibility?

Hey Trim Kiwi we are starting a Hearing voices network in NZ. You may be interested to become part of the group? For more information log onto the keepwell NZ site, and Arana can forward you the newsletter, and the details. www.keepwell.co.nz and http://www.hearingvoices.org.nz/ There is not much on the website yet, but the yahoo group has more links etc.. Regards

please look at www.ejop.org May 2007 Archives section for my article on schizophrenia you will learn something? Your choice - your world? Before there were no choices now there are some from, Shuresh Patel HVN Trustee UK

Hi, I have heard voices my whole life. I am twelve so yes, I am still a child. When I was really little I used to talk to them but I have grown out of that. Instead of the voices fading away, they have gotten louder. It's like being in an airport in my head! I have been too scared to tell anyone until recently. I haven't tried to make them out. If anyone has any tips. I'd love them!

Hi Alexandra

Thank you for writing to us. In your email you said you have recently started to talk to someone about your voices, this is a good thing to do, especially If they have been a good listener and have taken you seriously. If so, perhaps together you could look at the section of our site about children and voices at http://www.intervoiceonline.org/2007/5/22/children-and-hearing-voices?

This may help you decide what to do next.

Lots of people have told us that their voices get louder when they try to ignore them, so this is not unusual.

The good news is that for most people of your age, the voices do go away after a while and there is help available too. I have passed on your message to someone who has done a lot of work with people of your age who hear voices, hopefully she will be able to say something more

Best wishes

Paul

Hi there Paul, would you mind making a brief comment about the launch of the German website (soon available in English as well, of Experience Focused Counselling Workshops - www.efc-workshops.de, which is a training institute for interested people and professionals in Germany - newly set up). I would be writing to Caroline, but she is currently not around. It would be good, if you could put up a link on the website to it as well. The website and training institute has been set up with the permission and support by Romme & Escher, to provide a certified level based training in their approach to hearing voices. Thanks very much. Joachim Schnackenberg

You hear a lot of recommendations concerning what Schizophrenia is and what to do about it. Unfortunately, these mostly come from those who are not familiar with Schizophrenia because they have not experienced it. If they say that they know what it is, then obviously they HAVE experienced it, or their statement is flawed. For instance, I personally can not say what it is like to be a pro tennis player, but I can have a vague idea, but that is all. The catch 22 is that the words of the so called schizophrenic, meaning the one who is having a first hand experience, are almost 100% ignored. As an example, in exploration for the understanding of the specific behavior of the so called schizophrenics, along with the format of the ongoing speeches made by the so called voices, there seemed to be intelligence involved that was being shared with most of the so called schizophrenics, rather than it being merely a symptom of a mental illness that is the common element being shared. The circumstances were far to complex to be merely the result of a mental illness. Those who said that it was the result of a mental illness, were knowledgeable people. That is where the problem begins. If one has a large picture, one can look at it and see it as a whole. If you shattered it into thousands of pieces, then in the world of the knowledgeable, these pieces are like single units of knowledge. Therefore, what comes along with being a knowledgeable person, is the ability to maintain the shattering of complete pictures, or huge and complete singular units of understanding, into fragments known as units of knowledge. Therefore if one proceeds to present a complete understanding to a knowledgeable person, they will reject it immediately because it is not composed of those separate units known as units of knowledge. In short, the knowledgeable person says that the complete theory, or complete understanding, is not complete and whole unless it is shattered, meaning it is not complete and whole unless it is composed of those separate units known as units of knowledge. And so we, whose words are ignored almost 100% of the time to begin with, then hit this additional brick wall of opposition.

Voice hearers! voice hearers! voice hearers! isn't that what it's all about recovery! recovery! recovery! or self-acceptance of our condition and integration into the wider community who understands and knows our plight through promoting the reduction of stigma. I have just found out that intervoice has been interested in going for charity status. Vision! vision! vison! In Dundee Scotland the haven has charity status. We also promote the reduction of stigma in the wider community, the involvement of voice hearers in all the aspects of deciscion making processes and a community with a safe environment. There is also a befreinding service for the reintegration into the wider community of voice hearers who come out of hospital and come to us. On top of that we see our selves, voice hearers as experts by experience so we do training workshops for voice hearers and professionals on the experience of voice hearing. This helps the voice hearers who we share our stories with and promotes the understanding of the professionals of the voice hearing experience, so they can work with thier clients, all for the benefit of recovery! recovery! recovery! reduction of stigma and fear. These are the main priorities of the dundee hearing voices network. The establishment of information points, with similar goals thoughout the world can only be beneficial to all. On top of this we are looking at the possibility of setting up a retreat house giving the voice hearers precedent in the process of their own recovery their (own voice). Meeting the needs of the whole person heart mind body and soul and the reduction of stigma is the agenda. To involve the wider community in all aspects of recovery!!! I don't see why we as intervoice cannot do the same but on a global scale. this is possible only in the setting up of an intervoice international managment committee funded by the charities in each country. These would be elected by a democratic vote by all representative members from the different countries around the world who would vote in their own managment committees. This is a movement towards recovery, reduction of fear and stigma and integration into a community who understands and knows their plight. For this to work however their needs to be paid members dedicated to the movement and the involvement of the media!!! to promote our values and aims and needs. (Funding, promoting recovery and promoting the reduction of stigma under the banner of voice hearers uniting and making descisions along with the support and freindship of the professionals and the wider community) a truly "intervoice experience involving the voice hearers at every stage of the game" " the voice of the voice hearers INTERVOICE" This is me getting involved now. See everyone at the conference next year in Australia Gavin.

If you hear voices maybe you CAN do that really, so I see the phenomena mostly as a positive manifestation of your identity, I believe strongly it represent a next-step into human realization, BUT the risk to be overcomed is great. We need guides and methods, we must rebuild a link with nature where all this is generated and not degenerated. We must accept the weight of existance and we have to be brave like our fathers have been. The research is long enough to make us die many times. Society will distort our view as society itself is not in peace with itself, so our projection will be warped in many public environments. The force is around us, like a third eye with a huge fish-eyed lens on us. We KNOW we can perceive many worlds, but all those views are relative to the humankind perception and memory. I´m talking about humankind as a pool of experiences. We want to try them. Modern life is too fast, our mind is re-organizing for a better world. Maybe it will be very tiring at first, because we are few. But freedom is reachable as it never had been. We want to have peaceful words from outer worlds, not annoying advertisements about our corrupted society. We know that. And that is True. PS_It´s just a matter of controlling your flux. I´ve tried to control voices several times..jeeez i´m millions times better than an antipsycothic :)) (follows euphory) You have the opportunity to experience Mind...don´t need to fear it, ít´s like a mirror..cmon!!

Hello, my name is Ron Noblett. I'm 56 years old and have been experiencing voices, manifestations, and skin sensations for the past 4 years or so. It first started with voices claming to be the dead relatives of people I had harmed in the past. They claimed to be demons and many still do. I was completely at their whim at first, but learned through time how to at least control their hateful nature. I have them with me all the time. I can't tell how many voices there are but many have become friendly while others still have a hateful and hurting quality to them. If I told my whole story it could fill a book, I still may. Many times they , the hurtful ones, claim to be satan but I know they aren't. At other times they just gather around while I play games on my computer and have chosen teams to see if they can win.

Sorry, I hit enter by accident and my letter was posted prematurely. What I would like to say is if anyone wants a complete story or to do research, I'm available. My spirits started as voices but now live with me in my room. They go to work with me and even attended college with me. They seem to want to know all there is about this time in history and many seem genuinely interested in this world. Many times they argue over what I want to do and seem wholeheartedly interested in just having fun. One method I have used, it was passed on by a "voice", is to mentally zap, bam, or wham them with a force from my energy. They hate it and some even claim to die, but they don't. I have seen a full manifestaion come through my wall, he looked like a cross between Donald Sutherland and just a man. Much more to that story.I have had visions and experience their presence both physically and mentally. I see the little ones, who claim to be witches, flying around and wanting me to move out of their den. All is well and I have grown used to them. If I'm crazy then the whole world is crazier. There are forces we don't know about, both from ourselves and from the world. I'm a true believer in Yeshua (Jesus) and am called a Prophet of Jehovah God (Yaweh) and will be till I pass from this world to the next. If anyone is truely interested in my experience, feel free to conatact me at my e-mail.

Hi, I have only recently come upon the work and activities of Intervoice and, I must say, I find the approach to be something of a psychological revolution! It's certainly very interesting and challenges previous ideas and practices.

I have always heard a voice in my head, and regarded it as completely normal. Don't we all have a running commentary of thoughts, and even dialogue, in our heads? Sometimes, though, I have what might be called an 'intrusive thought', in the form of an 'almost-heard' voice. It is not quite auditory, though occasionally it is. I call it 'intrusive' because it is unexpected, not part of my usual inner commentary. This happens most often when I am starting to fall asleep. The 'voice' I understand to be my own, but the comment is unfortunately completely random - not related to anything I am currently doing or thinking. One, for instance, was "Your father-in-law was born in London" (I do not have a father-in-law!). I say the randomness is unfortunate because I think these intrusive comments are, in some way, a part of myself, and could be a source of creativity or self-understanding. This is how I came across your website - I was searching on 'access to subconscious'. On occasion I have heard a very clear, loud comment (a rude one) when I have been talking to someone in a situation where I felt uncomfortable or trapped. Again, I understood this to be a part of myself - a voice saying what I would like to say, but am too polite to do so. A few times, this has come out of the blue and surprised me - I was not conscious of having such a low opinion of the other person - but again, I would not disown the comment but understood it to come from a repressed part of myself. Related things could be: a facial twitch I had for a few years (now gone), and a very recent experience in a Quaker meeting I go to. The twitch came on when I was very much under pressure and unhappy at work. It felt as though my jaw was being moved by an outside force - nothing to do with me. Still, I intuitively understood that this was a deep part of myself, expressing distaste and rejection for my situation. The Quaker experience was very recent. I am always cautious about standing to 'minister', especially after a workshop I attended on 'discernment', which basically said that our first thoughts in Meeting are often superficial, and they should be examined carefully to see if we have the appropriate motive for ministering. On this recent occasion, I felt a push at my elbow, and jumped in surprise (this was noticed by at least one other person). I took this as a permission (from myself) to minister, and did so.

Does writing or talking about the bad things that happen in people's lives make the voices more active or less active, more positive or negative? I'm new at this. I have found that paranoia can build up from "rehashing" experiences... Once the voices start to argue amongst themselves I feel better. I try not to be angry that I hear voices. Sometimes I feel very angry about it because it makes me different than everyone else. Feeling like I have to "pretend" I don't have problem in the world around me makes voices very angry. I guess when they go away for a time...then come back I feel upset that I am getting worse. Some voices can make me very happy. Sometimes I hear voices that say things to me that I long to hear from other people. I can create voices to an incredible ongoing conversation between more than one voice. It takes me away from what I can't bear to deal with in reality. When the doctor tries to medicate them away, I don't always tell him they are there. If they are scary, I ask him for more medicine because I don't really understand that I need to accept and understand that they are a part of me. I guess I need to accept that they are me. I am such a perfectionist that I have refused that I could have this problem. It was just my ego. I used to think poorly of others for hearing them, until I started to hear them too. When I came upon this site, my voices were, at the time, very angry and suicidal, etc. of which they have teased me for quite a number of years. I feel more grounded after reading this site. I think I can deal with them in a positive way now. They don't interrupt me when I read this site and they don't feel so powerful. Although I still feel paranoid about them even being there again. I look forward to learning how to accept them and figure out how to direct them to positive thinking and learn why certain ones are angry and how even I can bring out nice voices to counteract the bad ones. I've done it many times. I just forgot how to do it until now. Later.

I noticed in your site you make reference on several occasions to 'auditory hallucinations'. I find this offensive. Honestly your still refering to voices as if they are not real. Ive been aware since I was a child that there was something out there but it wasn't untill about 5 years ago that I could suddenly see people and they spoke to me. One thing I noticed is that people often refer to voices as if they are hanging in space and aren't located anywhere. I see people and they talk to me. These people are real. These people also are completely seperate from me. I noticed some therapists coming up with all sorts of ideas about voices being some sort of trauma reaction or prosessing of childhood issues. I think you have to realise that these voices have nothing to do with the person hearing them. In the sense that they are separate individuals that people communicate with. But they can talk about all sorts of issues that are quite personal. Basically your seeing the spiritual world and I think that is something that is extremely difficult for people who have experienced it to accept. If you want a reference point the film the sixth sense and emily rose are usufull. Also Ive talked to thousands of people from all over the world in the spiritual sense. They literally sit next to me and talk. Ive had one guy hand around for about 4 years. He sits next to me all the time. Hes about 21 years old with olive complexion and brown eyes. I just would like to dispell some of the confusion because there seems to be so much of it. These voices are the voices of people who are real. Have a look next time you hear someone. Are they male or female. How old are they. Where are they from. What do they look like. Visual perception of this type is not abnormal its not a 'disease' and people don't deserve to be locked away in psychiatric institutions and medicated because of it.

My name is Lee. I would like to talk to everyone about my experience with hearing voices. First, I just want to tell all of you that I do not believe that my situation is auditory hallucinations. I am entitled to my opinion like everyone else and have my beliefs on the matter. I not only hear evil voices who want me to commit suicide, but smell evil smoke on occasions. I have evil dreams, get tortured and tormented daily, in ways you don't want to hear about. MY situation to me is extremely serious. I don't want to hurt myself but really need some help. My psychiatrist is not very helpful. I don't think he even considers it serious but only something in my head. I'm a christian, a good and honest person, age 23, have been saved and believe in God, and also believe that I will have a horrible night tonight for trying to communicate with you about my problems. One of the things you must understand is that I DON'T LIE. I do get tortured daily with this and am holding on by a thread. Please contact me, all of you professionals who claim you know everything. SERIOUSLY!!!! Please help me and pray for me I would appreciate that you contact local churches and have them put me on their prayer list. I am Lee from the panhandle Florida area. I really need hope.

My name is Lee. I am 23 and have been hearing voices for almost two years. My voices are evil. They claim to be demons from hell and want me to commit suicide. I don't want to do that. I not only hear voices, but smell evil smoke, get tortured tormented everyday. I am not lying. I am a christian, a good person, honest person, who has been saved. I do not believe, in my case, that it is auditory hallucinations but something more. I will tell if would like my opinion. I am losing hope and really need outside help. My own parents, it seems, sometimes don't believe what I tell them. I also have evil dreams. I also have memory problems and strongly believe I have them because God doesn't want me to remember the horrible things that I have seen. I do not know the internet that well and today is the first day that I have researched my problem. If I cannot get back to this website please email me at Clutch11@msn.com or call me at (850) 956-2808. Please take this seriously. I am talking to all of you professionals. I say again, I am not lying. Please help me before its too late. Please pray for me and contact local churches and have them pray for me and put me on their prayer list. Thanks for reading this comment. Please contact me professionals.

My name is Lee. To all professionals who read this. Pleases contact me. I have something very interesting to talk to you about. Email me at Clutch11@msn.com or call me at (850) 956-2808. I hear voices, have evil dreams, get tortured and tormeted everyday. Please pray for me. I am telling you the truth. Please accept what I say and please help me.

My name is Marcella. I'm 46 years old. Ive been hearing voices for about four years. When they started I was very confused and scared. Then I thought my boyfriend was playing a tape over and over again. They were and still are very degradeing. If I'm in a room with someone it sometimes is their voice I hear and they tell me how the hate me and that I'm a loser and other mean things. Or if I'm thinking about that person they do the same. They(different voices) give me bad advice and I sometimes take it, even after all these years, knowing I should'nt. It's hard to cook, read a book, sleep or make a simple decision. Sounds from fans, power tools and even cars make them louder. They start as soon as I open my eyes until I go back to sleep, if I can sleep. I am very deppressed, I have anxieity and have been in the hospital twice for wanting to kill myself. I was dowm to 95lbs about 6 mos ago, but now am 120lbs thanks to all the meds they give me. Now Im fat and still hear these damn voices. Can anyone tell me why no doctor will talk to me about how to cope with these voices, they only try to get me in group therapy for my deppression. But in group noone else hears voices but me so it's just uselees time spent. I have changed so much, I don't smile much or rarely leave the house. I lost my job and my medical insurance. I need help. Please, any advice. I live in California. Thank you for a wonderful web site!

VOICES THAT ARE EVIL, AT LEAST FOR ME, SEEM TO BE ABOUT ISSUES FROM THE PAST THAT ARE NOT SETTLED OR AT LEAST ACCEPTED BY ME. WHEN I CAN ACCEPT THE FACT THAT THE ISSUES (SITUATIONS) YES INDEED HAPPENED AND ARE NOT HAPPENING NOW BUT ARE NOW "JUST" A PART OF MY LIFE, AND NOT COMPLETELY WHAT LIFE REALLY IS/CAN BE. HAPPINESS COMES FROM NOT OVER-REACTING TO THE VOICE(S), BUT REALIZING THAT WHATEVER HAPPENED TO ME, HAPPENED. BUT WHAT DO I WANT TO GET OUT OF IT? IT IS UP TO ME TO ACCEPT AND "BLOW-OFF" THESE TRAUMATIC EVENTS AS JUST FACTS AND NOT GET TOO EMOTIONALLY INVOLVED IN THESE FACTS. I WRITE STUFF DOWN ABOUT MY TRAUMATIC EVENTS. I DON'T NECESSARILY READ THESE THINGS AGAIN. I MAY CHOOSE NOT TO READ THEM OVER EVER AGAIN. BUT I DO THINK WRITING AND LETTING GO OF THE PAST FEELINGS INCURRED AND ALWAYS LOOKING AT MY POSITIVE POINTS AND HOW I MAY HELP OTHERS DEAL WITH THESE THINGS...I AM DOING REALLY WELL RIGHT NOW. IT HAS BEEN EXTREMELY UNBEARABLE, BUT NOW I FEEL THE ENDURANCE I'VE BUILT UP HAS MADE ME A BETTER INNER PERSON. I HOPE THE BEST FOR ALL. KEEP UP THE HARD WORK. DO THINGS THAT MAKE YOU LAUGH EVEN IF IT IS CHILDISH. SOME OF US MAY NEED TO NURTURE THE INNER CHILD AND ENJOY THE GOODNESS OF YOURSELF THAT IS STILL THERE PATIENTLY WAITING TO COME OUT. I DON'T KNOW OF ANY "CURE" YET, BUT LEARNING AND GROWING ARE ALWAYS IMPORTANT. ALWAYS LOOKING FOR MORE KNOWLEDGE TO USE TO HELP OTHERS GIVES ME A PURPOSE. HAVING THAT PURPOSE IS OF UTMOST TO ME. I HOPE MY EXPERIENCE PROVES HELPFUL TO THOSE IN NEED.

Hi Marcella I just want you to know that you are not alone. Ive been spiritually assaulted for nearly 4 years and I know that its hard. But if you want to talk about it with someone who understand what your going through give me a call on 0430320572. I live in Australia. Try and look after yourself even though its difficult. Maybe you can come visit one day and you can enjoy some Australian sunshine. We can drive to Sydney along the coast and have some lunch. So dont worry theres still a world out there and you are not on your own. You can always find another job. I hope you can. Heather

I STARTED HEARING VOICES IN 2001 AND SINCE THEN MY ACADEMIC LIFE HAS BEEN WOEFULL.I AM A STUDENT OF MEDICINE AND READ PSYCHIATRY AS A SUBJECT BUT THAT DOES NOT HELP MUCH I USE ANTI PSYCHOTICS AND SLEEP A LOT OF THE TIME MY VOICES ARE OF A YOUNGER BROTHER TELLING ME I TALK TO MUCH AND CLASSMATES TRYING TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO ITS SO ANNOYING I CANT SEEM TO GET IT OUT OF MY HEAD. WOULD LIKE TO MEET AND COMMUNICATE WITH OTHERS SHARING SAME EXPERIENCE

Hello everybody. I have heard voices for about 10 years and have learn´t to live with it. There is a lot to explain, but to begin with, I share this with you/others. I have just recently discovered this website. English is not my main language and you may find a lot of grammatical errors, but I hope you get the "picture". I have recieved treatment and do not hide from experts ( just to calm possibly conserned ). But I have, in my situation, with my kind of voice-hearing, found, that since "voices" is a part of my own consciousness and probably signals from "bellow" dreams, I take it seriously, but without judging it literally. Like I don´t analyse dreams by the letter or picture, but percept it, as a hint from my subconscious. Well, my symptoms fade away in company with other peoble. Like I benefit from the "energies" I harvest in their presence. Furthermore I don´t talk or speak to myself when I´m alone to avoid triggering aggression. I quit smoking 11 years ago, but don´t think it means a lot. I only enjoy a beer or a glass of vine in company, and not very often. The next may disturb, because I´m not open about my situation to others. My family know that I have been psychotic, but otherwise I never speak about my private problem or situation, to prevent social isolation. I think I know, by experience, that "voices" is isolated in my mind only. I mean, eaven though, I would like it to be extern communication, I think its a trick by my mind. There is no contact with others like telepathy and no religious underline, unless I want it to be. My "voices" take shape according to my actions and things I choose to do. I think "nature" seeks to create balance, and I think, it´s a signal that I´m on the wrong path, or a "psychological instinkt", that keep challenging my mind to make sure, that I´m sane. But I´m not ready to be left behind to be eaten by the "wolves" yet, so I try to find a strategy to catch up with the crowd again. This is my first contribution and attemt to reach out. Regards and merry christmas, Lars.

Hello. This is a supplement to the above written from yesterday evening. I forgot to write that I´m a 42 year old man from scandinavia. Not married and unfortunately no children, but I have had a few girlfriends. I have an interesting job, live by myself in a modest apartment and function well, despite my voice-hearing situation. And, I do use anti-psychotic medicine, but the lowest possible dosis. I have been forced (not by peoble, but illness) to raise my dosis in periods, but have through many years found the lowest possible level of medication that fits me. If I feel my voice-universe too unbearable, and I want to avoid more medicine, I sometimes direct my attention to erotic or positive thoughts. I know this can offend some believers, but as a protestant I feel o.k. with it. Since the voice-universe is part of myself, and since it follows my will, I can change focus to pleasant feelings, if possible, or seek company with other peoble. I know voice-heaing differ from person to person and I´m aware of the fact that professional therapy is essential, but I think its possible to control my "illness". The best feeling is after jogging, even if it is in slow pace. My compliments to this web-site, its very helpfull.

Yemi If you would like to speak to someone you can give me a call anytime. On Australian time. Hope you are well and had a good Christmas. 0430320572 Heather

I wrote to you in July of 2007 and just learned today that you responded. I still hear voices, and they tell me that I have been cured.I would like very much to speak to andrea and to alessandra.Voices have hurt me, the very first time they came to me was in 1993 and told me that I would be divorced in 10 years, the were off 1 year, I was divorced in 2002. their not always clear at this point ,but have been very clear in the past.I've kept journals since they came back in september of 2000.I need peace of mind and answers to questions. please help Sandra

WELL, MY DOCTOR TOLD ME MY ILLNESS IS FROM SO MUCH PAST TRAUMA EALRY IN LIFE. I'VE HAD ALMOST EVERY MEDICATION THERE IS FOR MY CHANGING ILLNESSS CLASSIFIED IN VARIOUS WAYS. POST-TRAUMATIC, SEASONAL DEPRESSION, ACUTE PARANOID SCHIZOPHRNIA, YOU NAME IT, THE VARIOUS DOCTORS HAVE LABELED ME AS SUCH. ANY-WHO-HOW, I'M NOW 38 YEARS OLD. I'VE BEEN ON MEDICATION SINCE I WAS 15. I LEARNED FROM THIS SITE NOT TO GET OVERLY UPSET ABOUT EVIL VOICES. THAT HAS HELPED INCREDIBLY. I ALSO SHARED ART OF MY PAST TRAUMAS WITH MY MOTHER RECENTLY. (SHE HAS WORKED SO HARD WITH ME THROUGHOUT MY LIFE.) WITH THE HELP OF THESE VARIOUS THINGS MY VOICES ARE PRACTICALLY NULL & VOID. I EVEN FORGET ABOUT THEM COMPLETELY MOST OF THE TIME. BY THE WAY, THE ART THERAPY WITH MY MOTHER HELPED ME TO SEE HOW SPECIFIC TRAUMA HAS TRIGGERED THE VOICES. I REALIZE THAT I CAN'T LET THINGS THAT OTHER PEOPLE HAVE DONE RUIN MY LIFE. THE REPRESSED MEMORIES OF MY PAST TRAUMAS HAD TO BE PUT TOGETHER BY THE ARTWORK AND THE HELP OF MY MOTHER'S INPUT OF WHAT A CERTAIN PERSON DID TO ME AND THE TERRIBLE THINGS THAT CERTAIN PERSON HAD SAID AND TRIED TO GET ME TO DO WHEN I WAS LITTLE. I'M THANKFUL FOR THIS SITE. THE EVIL VOICES I HAD, SEEMED TO BE DIRECTLY LINKED TO A CERTAIN PERSON OF WHOM INFLICTED MUCH PHYSICAL, MENTAL, AND EMOTIONAL PAIN UPON ME. NOT TO MENTION THE NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCES. THERE ARE OTHERS WHO'VE ALSO INFLICTED PAIN INTO MY VERY SOUL. I WILL DO MORE ARTWORK OF MY PAST MEMORIES AND EXPERIENCES. SOME HAVE SAID I SHOULD WRITE A BOOK. THAT MIGHT BE A BIT TOO MUCH FOR ME TO HANDLE AND EVEN MAYBE FOR OTHERS TO READ. SO I'LL STICK TO ART THERAPY FOR NOW. I LOOK FORWARD TO READ MORE INFO FROM OTHERS. LIKE MY DOCTOR SAID: "ENJOY LIFE!"

The voices people hear are forms of elcetronic harassement. Thetechnology being used is voice modulated microwave hearing effect, which is a fom of synthetic telepathy. If u wish to know more research voice modulated microwave hearingg effect and synthetic telepathy. You can also go to the web site for the organization i am a member of, which is WWW.FREEDOMFCHS.COM This is a web site for people being electronically harassed. I hear the voices and talk to them on a daily basis. I know alot about electronic harassement so feel free to email me if u have questions. My email address is jcd8000@yahoo.com

Hello, It is interesting that Dr Rosemary Lethem (psychiatrist) – April 10, 2007 @ 03:58 PM should defend the psychiatric profession. I am new to the HV phenomenon. I took a new acquaintance to a psychiatrist for help after he began to speak in the plural (we instead of I) and to do things the voices told him. His voices are compassionate and he holds them in high esteem. I understood why he was doing those things. The psychiatrist after one visit during which she said he was functional and that his personality was intact, suggested to me that we could drug his food without his knowledge or have him held down and injected with a mood stabilizer. When I saw the side-effects of the drugs on the internet I began to look for alternative therapy. Very interestingly, the process of seeking help - the travelling and the talking and the praying - have themselves helped to 'stabilize' my friend. He is coping. Many blessings, MK

sou portuguesa e sofri demasiado com a psiquiatria eu e os meus filhos. é uma história que gostaria de contar com pormenor assim como os efeitos terriveis dos psicofarmacos eduarda guedes professora portugal

hi lee , i lost the webpage and just found it today. try to talk to your voices , tell them they are weak and you are strong,tell them you are in control. pray to jesus god every night,and talk to him like he is your best friend. tell him you love him and need him to help you to be strong. you can do it , i have faith in you. i called you on the telephone remember me? .write soon

Hi, what a great site, I am from New Zealand and a few years ago was diagnosed with pshycosis which according to the pshyciatrist apparently came on due to my very mild drug use. I am now on medication but before I started taking it I heard a number of voices all outside of my head. The voices would either talk about me or reply to my thoughts, I was quite afraid at the time because i had never experienced anything like it before, the voices ranged from little girls singing to maori warriors. I noticed that when I stopped to listen or thought about what was happening the voices tended to go quiet, some times I was even able to block them out by assuring myself that things where "ok". On the whole it was a good experience,ie no negativity. Since taking the medication i have had no voices at all but I am really wanting to come off this medication. I would love to share stories, thoughts and advice on this topic as I didnt realise this was a common occurance and have felt very isolated even whilst on this medication.

hi marcella, i've been dealing with voices for 8 years, apparently ,they are people that i know and have delt with in the past, present and unfortunately the future you have to be very strong, i have 3 children, the first 6 years from 2000-2006 were the worst.the voices were 24/7 all bad things, they torchered me in my eyes ears and body i was literally like a vegetable and yet i was also like a robot.i took care of my kids as best as i could. i did most of what they told me to do except to kill myself. i didn't start meds. until 2004.unfortunatly i was very weak and they took advantage of me. i don't do drugs and i don't drink alcohol , i just woke up one morning in 2000 hearing this. what i do , i talk back to them and tell them what i think of them and that they are the cowards.

hi!! Responding to Colin´s asks. I am a fiffty years old fellow from Germany and I`m voice hearing since 1991; diagnosted"paranoid schizophrene" since 1993. Since then I use neurolepticas...,enjoing the whole program and almost the complete pharmacie. The voices didn´t dissapear,they only went familiar to me. Sometimes I tink they were triggered by drugs or medics. There is mostly one"cute and tiny" appearing voice that is mostly concerned with my "feeling-good"! This voice doesn´t disturb me because it responds on demand...! Sometimes I thought it has a higher transcendence or is just a reflection of my soul, because it has such a deciding character. But it only answers when being asked to speak. It has the advantage of never being alone appearently. There is always someone beside you...!!!

Hello! I wonder if someone could give me some direction on how to support someone who is confronted with command voices telling them to harm themselves. How do you help someone like this when they are very anxious and upset..any help appreciatted Frank

Science and religion are a blast aren't they. Both speak with firmness, but still this " both " still exists rather than there being a one. That means that both are incomplete. Incompleteness is due to one error or another that becomes a barrier preventing the reaching of the final singular and complete understanding. There are two planes of reality. We exist on the relativistic side. The other side extends across all time. The two sides intersect. Both are real, thus both are true. Minds extend across time on the other side, and are vast in size indeed. Over time we have become less dependant upon beliefs and thus the axis of our minds is moving closer to pointing directly at truths. Once pointing completely at truths, one has tapped into the second plane of reality, the other side, due to it truly existing. Two kinds of events can take place, ours and theirs, and it is always one or the other. If we venture into the other side from here, we also prevent holistic events from taking place by replacing them with relativistic events. This begins to remove power that is in the hands of those on the other side. To prevent this, they proceed to torment those on this side that have begun to tap into the complete truth. Most of those on the other side are bloody vicious. Swatting a fly(a human) means nothing to them because of their immense size and boundless 4 dimensional intellect. And so what is this Jesus religious bit all about in this world? Well he opposed the treating of mankind as toys and trash. That is why he ended up being crucified. That is why many of today's victims are toyed with until they start claiming to be Jesus or God, such that the true Jesus is to be regarded in the exact same manner as they are, a crazy psychotic nut-case. On top of that, most people today are so mentally challenged, that they are happy with the use of beliefs / disbeliefs. A belief is not directly connected to the truth, thus it is less than a truth, thus if you reject something via the practice of a belief, then it is to be noted that truths also become rejected since the incompleteness of a belief does not agree with the completeness of a truth. Truths sit beyond the limited scope of a belief, thus truths are beyond belief. Those on the other side laugh as mankind continues to spit in the face of truth, in the face of Jesus if you will. Click on Sean and try not to let a belief( a less than truth ) tell you what to do.

Hi I've just started recently to work with people who experience hearing voices. I would love to find out more how this can affect peoples day to day lives, and I would be grateful if anybody could send me some info. Hopefully I will be attending a training course on this subject. Thanks again in advance, Angela.

I am 53 years old and have been hearing voices since birth. I just wonder how many people have to deal with stupid voices. A ll of the voices that I hear are not stupid and it seems that they manifest themselves on different levels of conciousness or even at different alpha states. However, some of them who reoccur at identifiable levels are just plain morons. I won't go into what we have been discussing for all this time but there seems to be an endless supply of disembodied participants. To anyone that is just beginning to have to deal with this phenomena I would like to say that they can freak you out at first. But as time progresses they become rather silly if you are rooted in sound fundamental values. Yes, they can be frightening and some of them are prophetic. They can be forceful and some can effect us physically. However if you stay true to yourself they tend over time to become little more than entertainment.

eu acho que voces estão com razão quando dizem que a esquizofrenia é uma reação muitas vezes a violencias principalmente quando não se defendem. assim como a paranoia e a bipolar. as pessoas ficam a sofer muitas vezes. e por vezes precizam de ajuda que pode ser dos amigos. sem violencia com muito respeito pelo ser humano pelas personalidades e pelas crenças. sem violencias de qualquer espécie e muito respeito. conheci muita gente assim. muitos casos. voces tem razão. e muitas vezes nem ouvem vozes.obrigada e espero resposta. voces tem razão. eduarda guedes. portugal

I'm a mental health nurse based in the West Midlands (UK), and am interested in working with a CBT based hearing voices group, with a view to eventually facilitating one myself, if anybody is running such a therapeutic group or knows of one please can they let me know.

I think those voices i've been hearing for years now , sometimes make me restless but , on the whole , I feel safe even though I know they are probably capable of committing murder . I do not think it helps a lot to talk with people who live with a different set of people , unless they have a strong sense of humour and help you laugh it off .... The snag is when you try to talk about it and communicate with people around you , either in your professional life or in your family ( acquaintances , close relatives .. ) , you are confronted with such lack of understanding and bad faith that you don't ever want to take another such step . Still , the voices sound like "impersonation " or like people doing a rather bad or an indifferent mediocre impression of people you may have come across or you may mix with in real life . Whether they behave in a friendly way or harass you , they do seem to be a nuisance and constantly intrude on your privacy . I'm also amazed some people shoul find they are demons or fiends and not people in real life ! Of course , at first , they seem to be all powerful , omnipresent , omniscient , omnipotent , but very quickly , you start to realize they're not ! They are certainly proficient in a lot of domains but I doubt if they are even as good as I am ! My first reaction was to tell myself that they paid a seer or somebody whose profession consists in using such supernatural powers and manipulating or brainwashing people , just the way they do it when you belong to a sect and you can't escape . I was dead sure there was some kind of legal framework for victims like me could be offerred to struggle against their " oppressors " ; What they are doing to me and others , I consider to be against the most fundamental cilvil liberties , against independent thinking and my own capacity to be fulfilled . They are no ghosts , either malevolent or benevolent . I find their constant presence is often a bore , exasperating . i'm not frightened . We need some kind of recognition . We need a legal framework within which we could work out a solution . My first immediate reaction was to want to sue them , to take legal action and I've never come to terms with the idea that such a thing would turn out to be impossible . If they are real people doing harm , being obnoxious , they must be prevented from doing so and they must be tried and convicted . I still believe in this . I do not believe they are from God or from Satan . This is sheer nonsense ...

LEE ,i would also like to add when you pray your voices will probably persicute you and GOD if and when they do then you know there loosers

Hi, I have a daughter who has been on medication for over 15 years - she became unwell very young. She was re-admitted to hospital last March (2007) on 500mg Clozapine a day. She'd been on this for some time, and had mainly been reasonably well, but after she broke it off with her partner, became unstable. She went into hospital, and they upped her Clozapine to 700mg, added 200 Quetiapine, 400mg Epilim, 2mg Lorazepam. On their own admission almost 7 months later the medical staff said she'd been treatment resistant. We introduced her to orthomolecular treatment via a Nutritional Therapist trained in UK at the Patrick Halford School of Optimal Nutrition. She was found to have high Histamine, and 4 heavy metals plus another substance at toxic levels. Before medication, at 5'9"+ tall, she was just over 9 stone. At hospital readmission she was 18.5 stone. Now she is about 23+ stone, even with some gym and a lot more activity. To our surprise, she started responding to the ortho treatment within a week, and is now much much better - more active, better control of symptoms etc. However, she still have sudden outbursts. These have seemed to increase lately even though she continues to improve in many other ways. She has now been on the orthomolecular treatment for 6.5 months. Question 1: could these outbursts be because her underlying condition is improving, and the medication is starting to cause a residual psychosis. As Dr Abraham Hoffer suggests, medication can help improve the state of a person having a psychotic episode, but if given to a well person they will usually get psychotic symptoms. Question 2: could it be detrimental to her physical AND psychiatric health if her medication is not reduced as she responds to the orthomolecular treatment. Question 3: are there any suggestions as to what she should be doing now. I have read the book by Peter Bregan and David Cohen (Dr and PhD Dr) "Your Drug May Be Your Problem" which gives some of the possible dangers and horrifying side affects for anti-psychotic drugs, and info on how best to come off them. I would be very grateful of your replies. With many thanks, Richard

I started hearing voices outside of myself about 8 or 9 years ago. First it was amazing and then it turned hellish. So very overwhelmed with them, I could not hear traffic, birds, airplanes flying overhead. I did, however, visually see more beauty than anyone could ever imagine. The voices changed over time, but still remain the same, they were biblical, argued back and forth, menacing, angelic, etc. I wish I had kept a journal, but the changes from minute to minute in the possibilities of what they were saying and the realities of what could be were impossible to record. When 2 of the voices were talking to each other, after I had been hearing them for months, I realized that I had been hearing them since childhood. Horrified, and fearing something medically horrendous, I saw a psychologist, psychiatrist, dr. (head scan and blood tests), took a hearing test, had my ears cleaned, and sought out other scientific help. This was no help. I sought psychics, ghost hunters, the occult, and other non-science groups for further help. They were no help. Before the voices (and still to this day), I feel the touching, hear the singing (beautiful, but can't make out what they are saying), hear multiple voices (they follow me everywhere), smell scents out of nowhere, see things when I shut my eyes, and (not as of late) see "images" moving around rooms and myself. The images seem like a water flow, or condesed smoke-like apparitions, or "particles" moving. I do not have control, but I stopped talking with them a long time ago and I am mostly okay. I still have trip-up moments. Initially, I did the embarrassing "do what they say". These are things that I will probably never repeat. I did realize when it first happened that I was actually talking back to them in public and the horror of how that must look was a step in my becoming quiet. The voices do, however, remind of things forgotten (I'm horrible with names), make very funny jokes sometimes, and can be quite supportive. I've gotten used to being talked about in the shower or in other normally private moments. I have yet to find the "answer" that holds water or to have an extended moment of quiet/hearing what is around me. They do tell me to stop listening or that they are not talking about me on occasion, and other times they talk about what I'm doing/get involved with learning games/ react to something exciting/etc. In the past I have contemplated suicide, NOT because the voices asked/told me to, but the fact that it was so nonstop and multiple that I wasn't functioning as I should. That's all behind me now, though. Okay, I'll end the novel for now, but I think knowing that there are so many others is quite a comfort. The difficulty of not having a support group and the stigma of "hearing voices" is rough. I do not believe the voices are me, but I can't say more. I know this seems scattered, but it's my first "purge".

gostava de ser assinante do Asylum. digam me como. alem de que gostaria de entrar no programa leonardo d,avince para ajuda quem tem sofrimento mental, como fazer? tambem gostaria de saber bem o que é uma psicose. acho que é qualquer coisa dificil de defenir.será que é científica? não é tambem muitas vezes subjectiva? O que é a realidade. Saudações Eduarda

gostava de ser assinante do Asylum. digam me como. alem de que gostaria de entrar no programa leonardo d,avince para ajuda quem tem sofrimento mental, como fazer? tambem gostaria de saber bem o que é uma psicose. acho que é qualquer coisa dificil de defenir.será que é científica? não é tambem muitas vezes subjectiva? O que é a realidade.? Saudações Eduarda

Hello - I have been hearing voices for about 18 months now, maybe a bit longer. The voices are outside my head and usually to the right. I have two voice both male - i do not recognise them. The voices are not kind, mostly they berate me, tell me to harm/kill myself and sometimes they talk in a language I don't understand, an ancient language maybe something like aramaic. My Psychiatrist and others think I hear voices because of past trauma - I am not so sure. I think they come from other dimensions - and are snippets of broken conversations held by others who are like me but not me. But I know this explanation doesn't exactly fit with what the voices say - it is difficult but one day I will find the right explanation. I am learning ways to help counteract the voices sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. Talking to my voices helps - sometimes I can bargain with them to leave me alone.

hi just anote to Dr rosemary letham,you made out that onthis site you(psychiatrists)are sterotyped as "baddies"i agree not all psychiatrist are"baddies"but!there are those who i say live in the dark ages,i dont no if you have heard peter bullimores experiance of being in the mental health system his story contributes to a lot of people who have heard voices and also have been given the harmfull lable of schizophrenia,allthough psychiatrist are now slowly begining to understand the voice hearing concept there are still some who would rather just give you a lable and a psychiatric number on your case notes,as a Doctor i would like to no what intervention you have for voice hearers who you see and what the out come of people you see is concerning leaving the services even though they are voice hearers,but most of all Dr letham i give you upmost respect for haveing time to research in to these valuable sites.

i am writing this in response to the voice hearers above. Amidst the tremendous suffering you are experiencing first of all intervoice are friends of voice hearers and secondly I used to hear voices. I heard them for 12 years then they went. I have some important concepts although these are only words, it is the only medium i have of reaching out to you!!! to convey to you my empathy with every voice hearer on here. If you are a voice hearer here are some concepts i found worked for me: 1 hope 2 recovery 3 empowerment of choice in your own recovery 4 the whole person heart mind body and soul 5 structure your time with work rest and play 6 you are an expert by experience 7 you can help others recover by being their friend which i am trying to be to you. 1 hope is never a bad thing always hope for the best in life as in anything. 2 recovery is not just a word but a way of life and a reality a journey and a path. 3 Make the right choices for your own recovery it's your life no one elses, even if that choice leads you to rely on the pychiatric services for a while then it's up too you!!! I did. 4You matter make the right choices for you! heart mind body and soul e.g. i tried cognitive behavioural therapy for my mind! I had counselling for my emotions my heart, I am a christian which gives strength to my soul, and i exercise e.g. for my physical wellbeing. But you! oh you i know your plight how well do i know. Well i had around ten different voices or so they claimed. I felt like i was in hell my heart mind and soul used too burn like i was in hell now they are gone. I believe they went away through friendship and making the right choices for me. You can make the right choices for you only you know and feel and understand which choices are right for you heart mind body and soul You matter. 5 if you choose to recover this is how i did it with the help of god friends professionals and myself. I work at the dundee hearing voices network for employment which is a labour of love "helping other voice hearers to recover too. i socialise at nights and weekends usually with other voice hearers or people with mental health issues i go to church sometimes but not all the time. I have developed a personal way of praying and have a spiritual life. i do sports sometimes. I have structured my rest times too, normal sleeping hours and patterns. try try try to sleep no matter what the voices say sometimes this is near on impossible but try try try!!!! to get into a regular pattern of sleep. 6 you know what it feels like too hear voices you are an expert on the road to your own recovery path or journey. you can help other voice hearers through empathy and understanding. Even more than some proffesionals because you have been their and experienced it. 7 helping others no matter at what level the voices seem to be is good for you! and the others! or what level the others are at. voice hearers are at differing levels of wellbeing and illness it doesn't matter where you are on the spectrum, helping others is good Some voice hearers cope with talking to their voices i tried not too personally until they went away. some find their wellbeing in talking or relating to their voices, this didn't work for me, But i know voice heares who do and who demand fom the voices time for themselves. Basically it is your life you know in your heart what is right and good for you!!!!!!! I hope this may be helpfull or even insightfull for anyone who reads this maybe people may read this and think who do i think i am. I would say to them compassionately "here talks the voice of experience and this is the only voice i use now! Gavin"

Hi this is a great informative and inspirational site, recommended by a friend we have just launched a website for mental health carers (I'm classed as a carer) another label your links been added. My partner is a voice hearer of 3 years, he as just started learning to accept the fact instead of total denial and day to day fights with them. He's not up to joining a voice hearers group yet but heres hoping. MHS well some good some horrendous, the majority just up the meds two sets of antipsychotics, lithium, anti depressents lots of weight gain, emotional bluntness and on a bad day they wanted to increase them even more, I questioned it, the psych looked at me shocked said "oh no he's not on too many" some people are on at least ten sets of meds. Is this the way to go? I think not, at least in my partners case and I'm sure many more like him. Thanks again for the insight

I am soo amazed, never in a million years did I think that I wouold find a website which talked so openly about something I experience everyday! I really just stumbled across this site because my mum was talking to me about a programme on television tonight about hearing voices - i thought I would do a little web surfing. I am 26, a professional working in the PR field, live with my partner and only my family know what I experience everyday. I hear voices whenever I want to. They are mostly as I say put to the back of my mind but often I decide to have a conversation (in my head) if that makes sense! The voices are not of people I know but I can make out clearly what they say. They often want me to relay messages to people I know/kind of know through friends of friends. I have in the past passed on the message (if I have enough will power!) and people have been shocked about what I know. I find writing down what I hear helps, It is quite shocking when I read back the pages I have written - it often makes very good sense and I have actually helped people in the past with what I know. I have experienced a quite severe trauma in the past - around 4 years ago but even before that I was hearing the voices - for years. In the few days before my personal trauma a voice actually pre-warned me something was going to happen. I can't explain what I hear and I know to some people it sounds insane but I am comforted by it everyday and I am often encouraged to pass on more messages - so far I have kept quiet and just get on with my every day life.

darrell holtz I know you are sufferring never give up hope I have had similar experiences to yours Gavin.

I see 90% people ( hear voices). They has big a fear, therefore not speak. I hav a information .

jill you definetly hear voices and they were probably telling you that you were killing yourself not telling you to kill yourself or that is what there telling me ive been hearing them for almmost 9 years to my its demonalogy satin at his dirtiest atacking our mental behavier in the mind

I have Asperger’s Syndrome. I wasn’t diagnosed with it until 1999…I was born in 1963. I went for 36 years without understanding why or what was ‘wrong’ with me. I started hearing Voices when I was very young.around 5 or 6. At first it was like a murmur, whispering, or a radio you can’t hear, then they became more pronounced and louder. I was a very bright child and read at a level well above my age. I KNEW it was not normal to hear the voices. I realize now that it was my mind’s way of coping with how I perceived the world around me. Those voices guided me, helped me, and tried to come up with reasons for things, there were 6 of them. Then when I was 12 I was raped by mother’s boyfriend and a new voice appeared. This one was angry but very collected and it was a he. Later another voice appeared and it too was a he. By the time I was 18 I had eight voices in my head and it was extremely traumatic for me and I spiraled into depression. I knew I didn’t perceive the world around me like most people, I was gay, I was ‘gifted’, and I heard voices, I was so close to just saying the hell with everything. Then my closest friend to whom I had confided everything to, asked why didn’t I explain to them (the voices in my head) that they were driving me nuts and ask them for a suggestion… So we sat with two other very dear friends and the four of us spent about three days with me talking to the voices, the voices talking to me and my friends talking to the voices and me acting as an interpreter… It was an exhausting, terrifying ordeal, but it seemed a better option to all of us than I going to the medical ‘experts’ and most likely being sent to the ‘nut house’ did. The end result is that the voices all… for a lack of any other term… ‘merged’ into the two male voices. By the end of the three days, my friends had all tired of referring to them as the ‘first’ one or the ‘sweet’ one. And so my surviving two voices became Jhak and Steve. Why Jhak? My friend suggested the name but ‘he’ wanted the spelling. I still am not sure why. In 1999 I was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of High Level Functioning Autism. Essentially it means I do not do well in ‘social’ situations. The diagnosis didn’t even exist when I was a child. Back then, all I knew was that I was ‘different’. With Jhak and Steve’s help, and support from my friends and family, with sound medical reasons of why I perceived the world I did and WHY I had problems with certain aspects of life yet excelled in others, I got a good grasp onto my life. It’s been over 24 years now; Jhak and Steve are part of my life. We have a partnership with each other. Sometimes, we argue, sometimes we laugh, they have cried with me, criticized me, corrected me, gave good advice, and bad. My significant other talks to both of them and they to her. She says she can tell who is talking to her because the expression in my eyes change. In fact her and Jhak got into a fight that lasted over a month. She ended up apologizing to him, I apologized for Him, he and I got into an argument, and Steve pointed out how absolutely ludricous and ridculous it all was.. We all got a good laugh about it. Jhak is my strength, the one who can make those decisions and do those things that ‘need’ to be done. He is the one who can fire someone, keeps me from adopting every stray animal in the city, makes sure the bills are paid, gets me up and makes me socialize, he is my critic, my caution. He is also a smartass, a poet, and likes to draw. Steve, he is the one who cries when the pictures of orphans come on TV, remembers peoples Birthdays, reminds me of how to be polite, he is the one who would give our last dollar to someone else. He is my conscious, the empathic one, and the one who believes in the good of people. He likes nature, music, and candlelight dinners. ‘I’ am the balance point, the logical one, I am the one who lives in the world and tries to fit in. I like to build things, fix things, I like Sci-Fi, computers, and stuffed animals. Together we are one, we are whole. We are NOT broke, we are OK. And we are doing fine. And from all three of us.. we say WE are “I”. I am me, I am Jhak and I am Steve. We all know this and we accept it. We are also WE …and that is OK too. signed.. Jhak, Steve, and Rayven

Hello - I am the mother of a 30 year old son who is hearing voices. It started about a year ago and then it seemed to get better (or he did a good job at covering things up). Yesterday he had a really bad episode and became violent and angry. I saw someone I didn't recognize and he almost choked me. When I cried it made him even more agitated. He can't sleep for any length of time and is very paranoid. He says that cell phones, electronics, etc., are bugged and not safe to use because people will hear you. He has slept under our house, looked through our bushes in the yard (said we were all under surveillance), and even wore aluminum foil on his head once. Yesterday he told his dad that "there was a phrase" and he couldn't tell him or it would happen to him (his dad). I don't know what to do, or more importantly, how to best help him. He believes that everyone thinks he's crazy, but that is not at all true. I love him dearly, he is my precious son, and I want to help him but he won't talk to me or let me into his life. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I could help him or what I should do?

Hi, i'm an eighteen year-old guy... somewhat hoping for feedback, if possible. I've been reading information on this site for a few hours now and have been quite surprised by the number of comments/statements i can actually identify with. I would like very much to say that i do not 'hear voices' and that i'm here only to learn more about those who do - though i'd say i have elaborate discussions in my head, with a variety of opinions and personalities. For as long as i can remember, i have always discussed my thoughts with a number of different voices (i acknowledge these to be manifestations of my own mind), some of which i've gotten to know quite well (or at least, i've come to know the personalities and suchlike that the unique voice portrays), some i have heard only under specific conditions (ie: when i am composing music, or under the influence of a particular drug), some, i think, have just been heard on a single occasion. Most of these 'voices' (the easiest way to describe wahetever they might be) are male. Last night, however, a wise female helped me explore my feelings for somebody (something i'd tried desperately not to think about, since breaking-up with them) and i genuinely believe this female voice said things which either i did not know beforehand, or at least i'd not thought of in such a way (eg: the female voice advised me far better than my own thoughts, as it were, surprising me with the clarity of the/her knowledge). Perhaps, this is simply a way of making myself more able to discuss things that i am less inclined to normally (due to the nature of it appearing to be someone else, or simply because i'd fear to admit these things to myself normally)? The only negative, (other than perhaps the likelihood of readers suspecting me either psychologically 'ill' or something), is that i do not choose to have these conversations (not that i would choose not to), nor do i always choose or initiate the topic... but they are a constant part of me which i have grown-up with (i have discussed, with myself, whether this is a standard way of thinking, a less common way of thinking, or prhaps something (quite) rare?). Luckily, i've not experienced nor forseen a bad moment with this, other than when i stuggle to get to sleep (eg: when multiple 'voices' are randomly discussing things that i conciouslly don't care about and seem to be getting louder). Music, in general, subdues this (though when composing music, i really don't mind having an old German man's voice saying "that F should be sharp", or whatever). So there you go... with honesty, fun and, most of all, the happy notion of "i'll just write it, then think about how it might sound after", that's me, really. Having written this, i feel both happy to have for once spoken about the nature of my discussions in a simple way (rather than taking small amusement from casually speaking about myself in the third person, hoping for a friend to ask how i feel). To those who read any of this, thanks. If you have anything to say (ie: your own thoughts about the nature of my post, or similar ideas/stories), then please do so. Once again, i acknowledge that what i describe might be very different from 'hearing voices' - i'd very much like a test whereby you get told what mental disorders the professionals think you have. Anyone remotely professional (and yes, i agree that people who would say they do 'hear voices' are certainly likely to have some knowledge on the subject (and hopefully related topics) as i'm sure they are), please... even if you just want to say "hey, you're attention seeking", i'd like to hear something. Thanks again.

Hi, Being educated in criminal justice and very psychic, it is my natural life path to assist in crime solving. My A.S. in C.J. has me well rounded, ready for anything. Born in the year of the dog in Chinese astrology, justice is the dog’s mantra. I am, in Mayan Aztec astrology, an inner eagle as well as outer eagle. Very conversant with numerous famous people in the spiritual, I am ready to help. If I do not help solve the crime, you do not pay. I am now in my 4rth year at Kaplan University School of Criminal Justice. Paula

Hi, I am 23 years old and I am a voice hearer myself. I have a whole new approach that might change everything for everybody. Just go to (http://voiceswithinyourhead.blogspot.com/). Your opinions will be very important to me. I just started my research and I will continue to post my ideas as soon as possible. Voice hearers are my new obsession. The truth is out there…

This site has been awesome. All of you are so so insiteful! My son is a voice hearer or diagnosed schizophrenia. He has been hearing and seeing things since he was about 14, he is now 27. Just in the last year he has been able to talk about his voices to me . Mostly he laughs so most of them must be funny, but some of the day he gets scared and always says this one thing, "Somebody's trying to kill me". And i always respond saying thats not true it is false and he seems to be ok then. I wish i knew more to tell him. I ask him their name but he won't tell me. I notice that he does certain things that he is being controlled to do. He burned himself with a cigarette and said if he could take a lot of pain then he would be immortal and never die. I think that stems from loosing his grandma when he was about 13, they were really close. He was bullied in school and picked on so very much. I just thought it was going on with all kids, but later i found out it was severe. Then it was too late to do anything, his emotions were already scarred.I would just like some step by step info on what to tell him when he gets the bad voices. Also he tells me a lot that he is human and he is a man. Maybe this is a new discovery, that he still feels like a little boy. I tell him yes, he is but he will always have a little boy within. Like we all do. There are no drs around here that believe anything can help except the meds, that it is all biological. Recently i started taking him to our family dr, just an md. but he has helped him more than all the psy. i have taken him too. This dr listens to me about nates symptoms and tries things when i ask. He takes zyprexa, xanax, propranalol and the last thing he has been on with this is paxil, which the md. prescribed with me asking for it, the paxil has really helped him, he don't pace anymore, the blisters on his feet are healing, what a relief to see him calm most of the time. Just recently he stays at an assisted living and goes to a psr, clubhouse, they have here. He is home on the weekends, I just thought it would be good to be around ppl and there are some young ppl there. He is ajusting and it helps me to have some time to work and do a few things. Please comment on any of these choices i have made for him as his guardian and mom, if u think they are good or not, i need to hear others ideas. Thanks, a mom in need of folks like u. mary

I am a third year psychology student at Aston University In Birmingham, I have been working with a service in Northampton who work with people who hear voices. A recent training course that i went on introduced me to the work of Marius Romme, and I have not stopped reading up on this since. I am very aware that many services (including ours) are very medical based and 'treatment' is very medication focussed. I am very keen to learn more about the holisitic approach to hearing voives and I hope to attend the hearing voices network conference next month. I have decided that I want to research this more in the hope of gaining more understanding of peoples individual experiences of hearing voices and I intend my final year study at university to be a qualitative look at the impact that hearing voices has on relationships. I am looking for any useful information, any advice, ideas etc. I would also ideally want to make contact with people and hear their personal stories. If anyone can help with this please contact me. my email venablek@aston.ac.uk I would be extremely grateful for any help, Kate.

I would like to know how to find a holistic psychiatrist near me, I live in statesville nc and i have heard there is one in winston salem nc , but cannot find it online. please help me to search it. i think it's a femail dr. You can email me at livelife51@gmail.com.

humm........no one ever writes here anymore. I am very interested in the comments on this site. Would really like some feed back. I am in America and people here just don't understand at all. And yea the drs here just medicate, thats it. You're in there maybe 7 minutes, they ask if u hear voices and if u say yes they go up on the medicine or consider hospitalization. So when my son used to go he would always say no. Now he goes to my family dr, just reg md. And has done much better. I have copied this site and my son (nathan) is reading it and pointing out what helps. I would just like to know if anyone writes here anymore or if I am at the right place. thanks

Hi Mary - I agree with you it doesn't seem like anyone responds or writes much on this site. I too have a son who is hearing voices. He was ADHD growing up, although unfortunately while he was young you did'nt hear of it much and we never took him to a dr. for it. He has told us that the voices have been going on for over a year and he apparently was able to act ok around us so we never would have thought. The scarriest thing to happen recently is him hearing a voice telling him to commit suicide. He rents a house of ours with his sister and she called us that night to tell us. When my husband went over there he acted ok and the following day said no such thing had happened (said he couldn't remember any of what we were saying). We reached his dr. (a phsychologist) over that weekend and had mobile crisis on standby. Thank the Good Lord nothing came of it, but nothing has gotten any better and I go through each day praying for a sign or a solution. I agree so much with you that it doesn't seem like the doctors are any help. I don't want him to be hospitalized or given some medication that turns him into a zombie, but yet I don't know how to help him either. I am not aware of what the medications are that your son is on, but I will look them up. Before your son started taking meds, did he get really angry when you tried to talk to him? I never know what mood he will be in, and he won't take any meds the drs prescribe unless it's Adderall because he says it helps him focus. Hope I hear back from you and i am so glad that your son is doing better. Sounds like you are an awesome, loving and caring Mom. I just want my son back and i am very happy to have run across your posts. I had given up on this site until tonight when I though I'd check it out again. Take care, Mary, and may God bless.

Hi

I´m the cordinator of INTERVOICE and support this site. I´m sorry that you are disapointed by the lack of discussion on htis page.

Mostly the comment section was set up to let visitors respond to and make contributions related to the article or the site. So the amount of comments left can vary from time to time. If you want to discuss your experiences with other voice hearers and with family members you can join our discussion forum where here are lots more discussions and where people do answer your questions.

You can do this by going to this page and following the instructions.

http://www.intervoiceonline.org/2008/5/3/scottish-voices-project

Best wishes

Paul

Dear Brenda, I was really glad to read your post this morning. Yes my son used to be real angry a lot. The medication helps a lot, he doesn't have that anymore. It was very hard to keep him on meds. until about 2 years ago. When he was 18 first diagnosed was when he was very angry and several years befor that. Sorry to say he has had 12 hospitalizations, most of them were involuntary. He would starve himself and say all the food had poisoning in it. He would ask me a lot of times if ppl that committed suicide went to heaven. Now he is 27 and doing much better. It's not all due to the meds, some of it is they mature and learn how to better manage the voices. If he could of ever had a dr here that understands the voices he would of been better a long time ago. Much damage has been done by the hospitalizations and forced drugging. Thanks for saying i am a good mother, it didn't come naturally, it came with acceptance into his world and instead of rejecting it now i look at it as a gift. I even tell him that. I wish still it were different, but as the serenity prayer goes, accept the things i cannot change, change the things i can, the wisdom to know the difference. The one thing they want is acceptance of the way they are, as everyone does. You are not alone in this, maybe we can email each other and come up with some solutions, at least comfort each other as mothers can do. Email me if you want to at livelife51@gmail.com. I would be glad to hear back or just write here and i will be checking it often. Also i want to thank the staff for giving me the other post, i will check it out. Take care Brenda and just know you are stronger than you know. Your strength will get you thru and u will have enough to love your son and provide what he needs also.

Hi Mary - it is so nice to hear back from you. I can't begin to put into words how comforting it is to talk with another mother who is going through this. My husband and I also tell our son often that he is gifted (they really are). I have found through much research that the most beneficial way to communicate with him is to listen, even ask questions about the voices, stay calm, and go about each day as I normally do. It seems to help him. At first this was all so scary for his Sister, Dad, and me (well especially me as I am a "worrier"). Don't get me wrong it is still scary , but each day I feel a little stronger and more determined than ever to help him get back to the life he once had. To be happy and know again what it is to feel peace and just loving life. They deserve to be heard, understood, loved and happy. I believe the most damaging aspect of this is the "labeling" they receive. Unfortunately some Drs. who specialize in this field just don't get it. I mean no disrespect for those professionals, but who better to know and undersand them than their own family? Yes, I agree that some medications can be very beneficial, but they shouldn't be so quick to say that they should be commited. I have had nightmares of straight jackets and meds that turn them into zombies. Oh I did want to ask you if your son hears loud ringing in his ears? My Son says there is constant loud ringing and the voices still come through. He has extremely sensitive hearing and feels that this all came about due to the environment, electronics (things like cell phones, radio frequencies, etc.) , and even the military. Did your Son ever mention this or experience the same? Thanks, Mary, and again it is so comforting just talking and sharing our situations. I don't feel so alone now. And to think I had almost given up on this site but for some reason went there last night. Must be some sort of devine intervention. God bless you and your Son. I would love to stay in touch. My thanks also go out to Paul and any others involved with this site. It has given me much insight and hope, and my hope is that anyone who finds this site learns and benefits from the sharing of information.

Hey brenda, My son never talked about the ringing in his ears, but when he first started this he was very paranoid and didn't open up. My sisters husband has the ringing in his ears and takes a natural supplement for it, i think it is potassium, i will ask her and let you know. She is a councilor in Roanoke Va. and married a former patient, drug addicted. She also works with voice h. and mostly addictions. I know what u mean about the dreams, unfortunately mine were not dreams, my son was taken many times in shackles and handcuffed because he would run from the police. I was responsible for calling them because he wouldn't take meds and would starve himself and some self harm. Like burning himself with cigarettes and saying if he could take a lot of pain then he would be immortal. He also bruised his arm really bad by pinching it all over, it looked like the blood was gonna drip out it was so bad. I didn't know what else to do besides a commitment. You have no choices but to do that sometimes. And him knowing it would happen he just still would not take his meds nor would he listen to any reasoning. Yea his sister and brother went thru a lot too, but not like me and his dad. They could always leave and escape it. How old is your son? When they are in the early stages it's worse, or it was for us. We finally began to put meds in his food but he figured that out, then we had to go to liquid risperdal and inject it into his drinks. So crazy, but i didn't want to see him go into the hospital again. He would also go for a week without any sleep. So at least the meds made him sleep at nite. So glad to hear from you also, it is comforting to find ppl that know. I look forward to hearing from you and also thanks again to this site! love mary

hello, im a voice hearer too since the end of 2002.i know the people who did this to me,they were my neighburs for some time.for the last 2 years i hear 2 persons who repit after what i say ,thing and imagine.i cant get reed of them,sometimes they make remarks,or thret,but now im not exited from them.i pitti them cause someone tells them to do this things,and he is more responsible .im now on pills (risperdal),and hear the voices and the mind reading machine les loud than before.im not alone in this/where i live (israel) there are about 20-30 people like me.ive written to all parliament members but non of them responded.also i wrote to the president of israel and again nothing.well i think that the governments know about it,and its some kind of a state secret,cause people are involved here but no one ever spoken.they do all kinds of experiments on me and i suffer a lot every day and night.i cant sleep untill 3-4 in the morning because of them ,and they make my life hell on earth.i think that we all need to join and demonstrate,this can not continue like that.its bad for people and for humanity.

Just found this web site and hope to glean some direction and help for a very dear friend, so here's hoping!! Our friend had a brain tumor (astrocytoma)10 years ago and at the time, to treat the tumor was given radio and chemotherapy, whilst the prognosis was not great recovery was slow but effective, regular scans show the tumour remains dormant. After 5 years of slow progress our friends mental health began to deteriorate, began having auditory hallucinations and to date these hallucinations have reached the point of despair for all around. Our friend refuses to believe only they can hear the voices and refuses to adhere to any medication plan laid down by the Psychiatrist, so has been offered no further appointments. I know this is a very small snapshot of the situation, but a question someone may be able to answer is, "would hypnosis be an option to motivate our friend to take the medication"? regards, Rob

In response to rob. Have you tried putting the meds in his coffee, food and such? We did that with our son for years. If you use small dosages he won't recognize. Then later after our son got stable we told him and he felt tricked but he knew then he needed them for that time being so he was ok with that, knowing that out of love we had to help him, he would go for a week and not sleep or eat, saying all food was poison and the water. He looked like a skeleton at one point and we had to hospitalize him, so we didn't want him drug into a hospital hand cuffed and shakled no more after 12 times so we resorted to crushing it or getting the liquid and putting it in his food. I finally got guardianship over him, which was very easy process so i could talk for him. you will find a solution, gotta keep beating the bushes so to speak and see what runs out. Ask God for wisdom to do this, he will help you to do it and not feel guilty. love mary

michael my voices say there little brother ,the federal government .so i to feel this aint no freak of nature that we hear voices ,they plainly tell me that its democracy .the federal government has a big brother and a little brother secret if you want to no more type it in google see if it pulls anything up now big brother has been going on since the begining of 1950s little brother since at least when bush senier was president he spoke of it then but didnt say what it was just that it was the war on drugs .to me its demonolagy very well could be the building blocks of the beast. i no its hard to deal with but there might just be a chance that we will never be the same again .we might hear them the rest of our life . i no you can be happy still thouh ive had my scariest moments because of these voices but ive also have had 1 of my most happiest times while hearing them.so even though we hear these dam voices life must go on .having the holy spirit will make life easier it did for me my life turned on a dime .my voices say they hate me all the time its like living with the enamy but they cant hurt me and i no that so they dont like me much cause i throw back at them what they throw at me my family no i hear voices they used to be able to tell that something was wrong but i learn to just go on with my life and except this.GOD can make them go away anytime he gets ready but it might be till death do us part ive done some bad things in my life so i may have deserved it but i dont think all the peaple that hears them do.but if this tecnolagy does exist than you can sure bet the federal government will use it and so will satan dont you think its evil ?its the most evil ive ever experianced in my life dr j vernon magee bible scoller said in a 5 year bible study 20 years ogo that big brother was the right hand of satan and if big brother is then what would that make little brother .GOD BLESS ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey Mary - thanks for your post and the info about your sister's husband. Would you also ask her if he had extremely sensitive hearing, vision, and smells? And how drug addiction play a part in all of this? Can it contribute to the hearing of voices? Any info at all would be so helpful. My Son is still about the same but I think a little better. His doctor gave him samples of Zyprexa. From what I have read it is an antipsychotic medication. It works by changing the actions of chemicals in the brain, and is used to treat the symptoms of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (manic depression). He told his Dr. he didn't want to know what it was for so we have encouraged him to take one a day as directed. He says it doesn't do anything but make him sleep but I believe he has been much better. But I think he's also been taking Adderall or Dexadrine (I think that's what he said). Anyway, one of the two, or both, has helped. Unfortunately with my son he keeps his drinks with him so I wouldn't be able to put in his drinks. And since he doesn't live here all the time the food thing wouldn't work either. Oh, my Son is now 30, and has also gone days and days without sleep. Is your Son still doing ok? I will keep him and your family in my prayers. God Bless.

Dear Brenda, My son is 27 and takes the zyprexa willingly, it is 15 mg. he takes it only at nite around 9. His drs say never take it during the day because it will put them to sleep. So it's a nite med. my son didn't live here either, he bought a trailor at the time he lived there but he depended on us for food and drinks a lot. He didn't drive most of the time, he would tear up his cars and was rough on them. I would just say hey i came by and brought u a treat. I would crush it real fine and put it in mcdonalds burgers and all sorts of things, he didn't know and felt really good, then when we told him he was ok about it since he seen it made a difference. He now stays at an assisted living so he can be around ppl, he isolated so much. He is there only part time, is home from friday til monday evening. He has met a friend there and is adjusting somewhat. Hang in there now, it's gonna get better. I will ask my sister. Has you husband ever had a head injury? That can also cause the sensitivity. Her husband also takes 2 antidepressants one at nite and a different one in the morning. Trazadone at nite and some i think paxil in the mornings. It cuts the cravings for addiction and he feels great and has been clean for about 7 years. He faithfully takes it. Hope this helps. Oh i take paxil at nite, i've only taken it for 3 months, i feel really good now too, i only took 5 mg for two weeks, then 10 and gradually went up to 20. It is the only antidepressant i could take and i tried like 15. My son also takes paxil at nite with the zyprexa. He also takes propranalol for side affects of the zyprexa, it makes his leg shake if he don't and it is a safe med used for stage fright also , blood presure, is a beta blocker. thanks for writing.

Hi Mary - thanks much for the info on the zyprexa. I looked back at one of your other posts and saw where you said he was on it. Our Son was given a 7-day trial of it (5 mg. I believe). He goes back to the physchiatrist tomorrow so hope it goes well. I am always on pins and needles until I see him after the visit wondering how things went. I will definitely try the food or drink things as you did. He's still so paranoid and gets so angry that I fear what will happen if he finds out. My husband and I have decided for now that we for sure want to try things on our own and avoid the hospital route, unless of course it comes to that for his own safety (and possibly others). Thanks for the great info. Again you seem like such a loving caring Mom and it truly is somthing that our paths crossed via this website. Yes our son has had a serious head injury due to a bad car wreck. He wasn't wearing a seatbelt and went almost through the windshield from the backseat. It was bad and that was when the pain pills started. I truly don't know right now what all he may be taking. I have mentioned Paxil to him and he is against anything except ADHD type meds. I too have wondered about the head injury so how amazing you brought that up. Oh and I'm also on Paxil and it has made a huge difference for me for anxiety and depression. I'm on the highest dose, one a day, and have taken for a couple of years now. Like you I tried so many. Wish my Son would take it cause I think it would help. He of course goes to the Dr. without us so I'm not able to talk to the Dr. about prescribing it, and thats of course if he would take which he said he won't. With the meds your Son has been taking are the voices gone? Does he still prefer to be alone? If he would ever like to chat via this site I'd love to hear from him. Tell him for me please just how much he and you have helped me and given me much info and comfort. Does he have insurance to cover the cost of assisted living? His Drs. are trying to get TennCare for our Son since he has no insurance. I pray we will hear good news. God Bless you and your family.

Hello Michael, Donnie and any others who hear voices. I am the mother of a Son who hears them and after reading your posts it seems like the military/government comes up a lot. My son also feels that they are involved in this, and also says that this is environmental. Do any of you have loud loud ringing in your ears and an extremely sensitive sense of smell? Once when I came home from work (last summer in August and it was so so hot out), he had all the windows in the house open and said it was because the neighbors down below us put something strong in the air. Thanks much if you would like to respond - any insight would be great since my Son doesn't yet want to interact here with others. He doesn't like computers, electronics or cell phones due to the voices coming through he says. Also, how do you feel when your family or loved ones ask about your meds or how your are doing? I know that I cannot begin to understand since I don't hear voices, I am just trying to get your perspective so I can help my Son. Thanks so very much.

In response to brenda.........in my opinion it is the paranoia that causes them to feel this way. Since my son is on a low dosage of meds that does not happen anymore. He does still have times that he thinks someone is gonna kill him but has learned that it is when he is feeling negative or is thinking bad thoughts it comes on him. He knows now when that happens to change his thoughts , read something and tune it out. Without the meds they cannot begin to sort this out, anyway my son could not. I don't nescessarily believe in taking meds the rest of their life , but until they can get a handle on reality somewhat the meds help them to begin . All voice hearers have that in common of the gov. cameras, thinkin the air is not pure, My son would open his windows in the coldest days and have his heat on 90. saying he could not breathe. But as i said with the meds and a good nite sleep that is in the past now. Thank God. I remember all the nites i sat up with him. But as i said it works for him and I am so glad he is happy most of the time now .

Thanks, Mary ... i appreciate all of the information you have shared. Although these are still rough times for us, you have given me much comfort and answered so many questions. Unfortunately, my Son chose not to go to his psychiatrist yesterday, which really bothers me as he is now out of his 7-day trial pack of Zyprexa. Actually he only took 6 that i'm aware of. He threw one out in our driveway when his Dad and I talked to him about trying the meds. That was not a good night, but thank the Good Lord for my husband as my Son talks more to him than me. So i will continue to pray that he will be alright, and I am so very glad that your Son is doing well and wants to be with you. That's nice. I miss the Son i once had and want him back. Maybe a regular MD is our next step I do not know. Take care, you have been through so much and I admire your strength. That is the strength of a loving, caring Mother. You have helped me more than you know.

Dear brenda, I remember so many times other moms would say their sons were doing better and I would feel even more lonely. I truely didn't have any faith left this last year. But the mustard was still there i guess but shrinking. Then my precious mama died, I grieved so much over her and then there was the terrible problems with my son that i went into deep depression. To the point I didn't even want to shower. I would lay on the couch and cry and sleep. I truely didn't want to live. So I prayed prayers similar to Jobs. But I never once felt heard. This was 11 somewhat years of trying to help him and him throwing away pills, and when we would make him swallow them he would throw them up, gaging himself. This was when he lived in his trailor. He would also drink. I stopped giving him any money at all, since the checks were in my name For him He couldn't get them. That is one reason we started taking his food and drinks by the day and sneeking the meds. When he took the zyprexa at nite he would sleep and had an appetite. I really don't know how in this world we did it when i look back. All I know to tell anyone is to NEVER GIVE UP! In your mind you can, but your body has to keep moving, because my son would of died if not for us. A person cannot go long without eating, or drinking. And his paranoia got that bad and after a while he didn't care. Once we made him take meds and he jumped out of the car at a red lite, so he could throw it up, but evidently it didn't come up. We kept riding around looking for him and we found him laying in a ditch he was so sleepy he couldn't walk any more. I cannot even say how many nites i rode around for hours in the wee hours looking for him. My husband would some but he has to work and get up at 5. So i did the most of it. Most all mothers sacrifice for the children. Fathers do but they cannot do a lot when they have to pay the bills.We live in N.C. and once our son went to Miami fla, hitchhicking, rode a bus part of the way, then got there and called us, we didn't have a clue where he was. He was talking junk like I am gonna live here and get a great job, a week later he called and said he had not eaten and was sleeping under a hospital stairway. I said go back to the bus station and i will wire money, 4 hrs later he called and said, i finally found it. We wired money and said put him on the next bus to N.C. we didn't care where it was as long as inside the state. That is only one story out of about 500 or 1000. I am finally starting to let go and live my own life, i have finished a college course and am gonna start working as med tech, behav. tec and some cna. So now i know I can , I did say, I think i can. And Brenda, you can!!!!! God really does what we cannot. It has made me a patient and humble person, well most of the time, ha.........so something good does come out of suffering, seems like forever. Please keep in touch, like i said you can email me. Livelife51@gmail.com.

Correction, I meant a MUSTARD SEED. HA HA ,,,,,Brenda

after i started hearing voices at age 56.5 years, i got veery interested and started reading one book after the other on the subject. in my humble opinion, god raises the voice level of our spirit guides(everyone has one)and trys to help us with our every day problems. our guides are plugged into our instincts, but we have a tendency to ignore them. i'm amystic by nature, and the voice has incouraged me to do more with my mysticism. at first the voices were booming and demanding , but in time the level came down. they said do this do that, get a job etc. they accomplish alot by working on you while you try to sleep. i am continually amazed at what they can do. check this out, it would appear to me that the voices are at least responsible for our dreams. i continually have strange dreams and then the next day ask them about them, amazing. sylvia browne has refered to her guide as "franchine". i think that our situation is similar to hers, though few us are as psychic as she. the trick with voices is to cope with them for your own good, and if not,seek help from a professional. don't fear the voices ever, its one of gods special "things".

I can’t remember when the voices started being there more, there were and still are two distinct male voices, suddenly they just were there and it was more than just saying my name. At first it seemed they were talking a strange language or random words in no particular order but after a while they became, at times, mischievous and sometimes downright nasty. They were and still are mostly an unpleasant phenomenon. The best way I can describe what it like to hear voices is it is like having someone talk unconnected and fragmented sentences whilst stood behind you. Unlike some people who hear voices my voices are not there all the time and thankfully they don’t shout ever. But they are intrusive, distracting and can be downright upsetting. Sometimes it was and is worse than that. I have read many theories about voice hearers from the biochemical explanations to theories of tiny little implants placed by the CIA to astral jumpers who take control of your mind. Many people who hear voices are absolutely convinced they know where their voices come from, many people who do not hear voices are also absolutely convinced they know where the voices come from, this is particularly true of the medical and associated professions. Other people don’t really care where the voices come from as long as the people who hear them are locked up! I am clear about my voices. I have two male voices, they do not talk in my head, I can quite clearly hear them outside my head usually to the right but sometimes from both sides. They never shout, sometimes it is not clear what they are saying, it is sort of like they are in another room, and other times they are crystal clear. They do not always talk in English, sometimes it is some strange language I cannot understand but it sounds how I imagine ancient Aramaic or some similar language must have sounded. When they speak in English it is not in clear well constructed sentences but in a jumble of words or short sharp insults or phrases, examples are “we stay now”,”get out down”, “fat stuff” or much, much worse. Occasionally they say funny things like “salt and pepper shoes” or they are mischievous and will tell me to stop my medication or not go to my appointments. I know some people have names for their voices, sometimes their voices name themselves but mine have never done that. I gave them the names Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, I know it sounds a bit pretentious but when I did English “A” level we studied the play by Tom Stoppard in conjunction with “Hamlet” and the phrase “Theatre of the Absurd” has always stuck with me and it seemed apt. When I think about what they look like I imagine two little shrunken heads on sticks with sewn up eyes and jagged mouths that froth and spit and smirk. I have thought a lot about my voices and why they are here. I have thought about why they came and why they stay. I have tried many different methods to control them some have even worked sometimes such as telling them to go away, listening to music, concentrating on my drawing or even just sticking my finger in my ear (just the right one); nothing works all the time or every time, often nothing works at all and they stay till they have finished. I try to listen, to interpret what they are saying to me, but it doesn’t make sense, I have even looked at Aramaic on the internet but that just confused me. I have a feeling that if I can just understand what it is they are saying then it will all be clear. I think that this is why I look for messages and sequences in things because if I can find the pattern or message somewhere it will help. I am pretty sure my voices are part of me not just here but in other dimensions too. I think there are lots of me in the many different dimensions and they are all connected and the same but different in small ways and that the voices are caused because the wires have become crossed or fused. I know that this might seem to defy logic but it makes sense to me and helps me make sense of what is happening to me. I am pretty sure there is more than one of me because sometimes I feel so unconnected to everything. I think this explains why I feel the voices are trying to tell me something because somewhere, somehow, things must make sense. I have contact with other voice hearers and sometimes some of them express the need to be rid of their voices – I don’t know if I want to be rid of mine because I don’t understand them yet – when I do understand them I will be able to decide if I want to be rid of them and maybe the understanding will bring peace.

You sound like a very strong person. I admire you for staying so logical. I really think you are on top of things. Yea i think you are right about the wires being crossed, maybe in your neurotransmitters in the brain. My son does understand his but once asked me why they were speaking in spanish. We got a small spanish dictionary and tried to find some of the words and they were not in there. We took words out of there to say, go away and things similar and he stopped hearing it. There is definitely more to this than anyone knows, I feel it is the subchochiousness. (can't spell it) My son sometimes hears ppl that have abused him and he gets sad, but mostly now he hears good voices and laughs out loud. Hang in there you are on the right track.

Hi Mary - haven't posted anything for a while. Hope you and your Son are doing well. My Son is about the same, actually has been pretty focused on his work and doing rather well. He's here at our house a lot and today is another good day. Maybe it just wasn't meant for him to go back to his pyschiatrist, maybe it was a sign. Anyway, it is always on my mind and I keep praying that all will be ok. To Sue D. - thank you so much for sharing your experiences with the voices. It helps me as a mother to better understand what my Son must be going through. You sound like an incredibly strong individual who has learned to cope and deal with your life. I hope soon that my Son will agree to read posts like yours on this site. Thanks.

hello brenda, me too i hear a loud ringing in my ears 24/7, and thanks to the pills im taking the it is less loud. what can i tell you all,i know in my heart that this is the military just because they speak in military manner in my ears,and me too sometimes i cant understand what they are saying in my head,maybe they are trying to influence my mind,i dont know for shure. let me tell you another strange storry about the voices:in the year 1997 on the 10 of april,i remember this as if it happen today,me and my friend were back from tel aviv to our home at 4in the morning. all of a sudden something came down from the sky towards us.it was glowing verry strong and bright light.i asked my friend what is it? and he just said its a u f o .5 years after that night we both hear voices,only my friend denies that and he is saying that he is deprest.he tryed to take hes life 3-4 times now,and dont want to see of speak with any friend or famili member. so i dont know what to think about the voices,i just want them out of my life. 3 days ago i was visited by 2 policemen.they tald me i was needed for something in the station.as we arrived i was locked in my hands and leggs,and they tald me im under arrest for thretning the head of the israeli mossad.well, i told them that i did that just because i wanted the attention for all voice hearers, and that this was made by people to other people,and that we are not hellucinating or making things up.so,after a few hours i was relised,and they told me not to write mossad for one month.ok,so next month i will write them again.what can they do?hang me? no,so i will continue.i want and need solution to my problem and i will not rest,this must stop. thank you all, and have a nice day as possible, michael

DEAR SUE D, NOT LIKE YOU I WANT MY VOICES OUT OF ME AFTER 6 YEARS NOW JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE DOING ALL KINDS OF PHISICAL STUF TO ME ,THAT I DONT LIKE AND IM ANNOYED FROM. THEY ARE BAD PEOPLE,AND I KNOW ONE OF THEM, HE WAS MY NEIGHBURE,AND HIS NAME IS SAMUEL,AND THE NAME OF HIS GIRL WAS MAAYAN.SHE IS NOT WITH HIM ANYMORE AFTER I DID SOMETHING AND CHASED HER OUT OF ME (I MASTERBATED)FORGIVE ME FOR SAYING THAT. BUT NOW IN THE LAST 2 YEARS I HEAR SAMUEL WITH ANOTHER PERSON TALKING IN MILITARY LANGUAGE,AND SOMETIMES I HEAR VERRY LOW CAUSE IM ON RISPERDAL PILLS,SO I HARDLY HEAR OR CARE ABOUT WHAT THEY TALK. I HEAR MY VOICES IN BOTH EARS NON STOP 24/7 AND THE MIND READING MACHINE THEY HAVE,SO I FIND IT HARD TO SLEEP (ITS 2-38 OUR TIME NOW) AND OR I SLEEP 12 HOURS OR 3-4 HOURS AT NIGHT,IT ALL DEPENDS ON HOW STRONG I HEAR THEM AND THE MIND READING MACHINE. THEY ARE HUMANS I BELIVE,CAUSE THEY TALK HEBREW , AND THEY ARE VERRY SADISTIC TO ME.I SUFFER A LOT FROM THEM. I WISH THEY WILL FADE OUT OR DIE BUT DEEP INSIDE IM ALMOST SHURE THAT THEY WILL NOT LEAVE ME SO SOON (6 YEARS). SO IM WAITING FOR SOMETHING GOOD TO HAPPEN ,AND ILL TRY TO STAY OPTIMISTIC ALL THE TIME,THERES NO OTHER CHOICE FOR ME. I WISH ALL OF YOU HAPPY LIFE WITHOUT VOICES,IN FUTURE. LOVE YOU ALL , MICHAEL

WAKE UP PEOPLE,WHAT IS GOING ON WITH YOU? SEEM TO ME THAT YOU ALL ARE ASLEEP. WHY ARENT YOU TURNING TO FRIENDS AND FAMILIS TO ORGANISE,AND DEMONSTRATE FOR YOU? I REALLY CANT UNDERSTAND THAT,YOU ARE IN EUROPE,YOU CAN AT LEAST TRY. IM JUST A LONELY GUY WHO IS TRYING NON STOP TO ORGANISE PEOPLE HERE IN ISRAEL TO ACT AND IVE ACTED MYSELF AND WAS ARRESTED,AND BELIVE ME THAT THIS IS BETTER THEN SITTING AND THINKING AT HOME ALL DAY ABOUT THE ׂ(forgive me)F.....G VOICES.IF WE DONT DO THEN NO ONE WILL DO FOR US DONT YOU GET THAT?WWWWAAAAAAAKKKKKKKKKKKKEEEEEEEEE UUUUUUUUPPPPPPPPPPPP PEOPLE.

42 year old californian. Hear several voices for the past thirteen years. They are becoming more and more destructive as time goes by. Medication doesn't work very well. They say they want my soul. Anyone else have voices demand their soul?

please look in The Psychologist journal, September 2005, p535 for my article "NHS has got it wrong" and you will find a new way of long term therapy for schizophrenia? Please email me on shureshpatel@hotmail.com and I will send you my presentations for free of charge by email? I am happy to help. from Shuresh Patel Ex Trustee to HVN England UK.

I happened across this site and have spent HOURS reading all the posts - therefore it's in the wee morning hours! My son was diagnosed with schizophrenia in Nov. '07 (at the mere age of 20). I must say in looking back now, all the pieces fall into place when I reflect back on his isolation, anger and change in demeanor. I've gone through countless trips to ICU because the voices were successful when commanding him to hurt himself, Physc wards for 30 days (2x), commitment, legal guardianship, secure treatment facility but fought like heck to keep him out of the state hospital. And, all along watching him be a guinea pig in determining which combination of meds might work. My story is not unique. I've been told by the professionals, that RARELY do they see self harm from those with schizophrenia. They say they see this in those with personality disorders, but my son (and I agree with them on this) does not fit the profile of someone with a personality disorder. He hears voices but denies it (he used to admit to them). He is seen frequently with a constant grin, listening to his headphones louder than usual or more often. So yes, the doc changes the meds. He has told the staff that he misses the voices, because apparently they befriended him and kept him company. Are the voices strategic in their methods? Do they befriend you first to gain your trust/companionship all to turn on you and command you to hurt yourself? mental illness is such a wicked condition. My admiration goes out to all that are inflicted with this for your strength and desire to understand it to better cope and for all the families out there - stay strong as there are many sequences to go through.

HI I would like to contact someone from the UK office but your email isn't working. When you read this message would you be kind enough to email me back about a new pilot project in Bath? Thank you Mary English DSH RSHom Registered Homeopath www.maryenglish.co.uk

Could specific voices be technology? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It seems for many people absolutely impossible that specific believes of “voice” or “thought” hearers are objective, one of it is that the voices are “mind control technology” I find the subject important to share more closely with all who is interested in voice hearing, because it is interesting, because its is really a very specific one and shared by an increasing number of people all over the world. I am from Belgium, and my English may sound a bit “Dutch-flavored”, Sorry if sometimes it would not sound sometimes very clear,, I will do my best to pass my message as well as I can. I do have a specific view on the rapports on psychic technology being tested I get the impression it is some kind of “experimentation” Several pretty “objective” reasons seem to confirm this, beside of my own experience in which my computer was the center when started back in 2005. My first thought was if this is happening to me, and its experimentation, there must be many others to whom this is happening too , and never before I had any idea , that indeed so many world wide were already for many years were aware of this. There is a deep silence on this, because who does believe its technology, is considered really delusional, much worse in fact that who just hears voices and explains it as any kind of personal or spiritual experience” Funny about all this is that I started to research this subject, and compared it to other related things, one of them the “voice” hearing experiences and was amazed about the “new therapies” on “talking” to the voices. I believe that what happened to me is the same, and just because this is a relatively “new” phenomenon, the therapy of “talking to it” works. , In other words, I don’t think the newness is in the therapy is as much as it is in the voices themselves and how they behave, Only after the therapy was derived discovered to be an efficient on in my opinion. I am in contact with many European Targeted Individuals, as they call themselves They complain about electronic harassment, or mind control caused by directed energy weapons, electromagnetic or other remote manipulation technology. The sharp rise in incidence (Newly targeted people over a specific period, for instance one year) worldwide from the year 2000 of , is surprising, in fact it is some silent epidemic around the globe. Many hear voices, or rapport telepathic messages, vivid dreams and several very specific physical symptoms. An even more surprising thing is that nearly all of them complain about mail problems cell phones disruptions and “messages” on television or radio , even “written” messages on computer, that can printed or saved, or witnessed by several others so no imagination. Also in 80 percent of the cases they experience so called “organized stalking” , for which no usual explanation exists why both things always and everywere are going hand in hand. On top around 60 percent of all rapports the stalking starts before voices or other symptoms, so is first while only in around 10 percent it is the other way around, and this pattern seems to be a constant one, no matter were a representative “sample” of people who rapport this is being taken, all around the globe. These combinations, included a specific preferred order they start in, the evolution of incidence rates, the complains coming from around the globe, and the similarities of symptoms, I do consider as enough of good reasons, to at least wonder what in fact this is all about. In case anybody would now who someone who could do a serieus more profound (statistical for instance) or official reasearch on it, this would be very welcome to many people world wide Nice Greets Monika

HI!!! To respond to Monikas ask, I will state, that Im voice-hearing since 20 years by now. During this period I also studied media-affaires at the university of arts in berlin for some time. I must say that there are serious methods in manipulating recipients in various terms. Me myself experianced stalking by somebody(?) on my P.C. recently. Even my flat was "visited" at night while I was sleeping by s.b., what aroused my attention seriously. But nevertheless I do belive, that s.b. is playing a joke with me... . In former days, when I fell "ill", I experianced visuell hallucination forced by drugs(LSD) when I had the impression to view complete fictional scenes at TV and at last hearing the "actors" speak with me. My doctor told me that those experiances might even be induced by neuroleptics and their side-effects... . By the time these phenomenas vanished to a minimum and I do hear one tiny little voice mostly, which I indentifie as my "inner voice"(e.g. my SOUL), talking to me... Up to now I become aquainted with this phenomena and went familiar with it, wondering always where it comes from. First I thought it was an alien, then I wondered if it was a dead person talking to me... Nowerdays I believe in a higher transcendent spirit who "swings" through the COSMOS... It might be a mythos but the voices are too real, to be only delusive. I do not believe in a global manipulation by technique devices or electronics though... My opinion may sound a little religious-touched, but I dont have an other explanation for it. I hope I could tell sth. fitting in the debate, SNOWVHITE

HELLO TO ALL VOICE HEARERS,AND ASPECIALY YOU MONICA FROM BELGIUM. FIRST FORGIVE MY BAD INGLISH,ILL TRY TO SAY IT AS SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE. I THINK,AND ITS MY OPINION ONLY FOR NOW,THAT THE VOICES ARE FROM OUR SECURITY FORCES. IM AN ISRAELI AND MY VOICES SPEAK HEBREW,BUT THEY SPEAK LIKE THEY DO IN THE MILITARY,THEREFOR IM SHURE THAT IT IS A MANIPULATION OF WESTERN SECURITY FORCES ALL OVER THE WORLD.THEY NEED TO BE IN CONTROL ON THE PEOPLE AND SO THEY HAVE EYES AND EARS IN EVERY CITY TO KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON WITHOUT SENDING THEIR PEOPLE,AND ALL THIS BESIDES THE INFORMATION THEY GET FROM OUR PHONES,CELLULAR AND COMPUTERS. I REALLY BELIVE IN ALL MY HEART THAT IT IS KIND OF ORGANIZED CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY,AND HUMANS. I HATE THEMEVER SINCE I FIRST HEARD THEM 6 YEARS AGO. THEY DO ALSO PHISYCAL THINGS TO ME IN REMOTE CONTROLL,I DONT AND CANT EXPLAIN HERE EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE DOING TO ME,BUT I CAN TELL YOU I SUFFER ALOT,EVERY DAY AND NIGHT,AND THE PILLS IM GETTING DO NOTHING FOR ME,CAUSE HOW CAN YOU FIGHT WITH SOMETHING ELECTRONIC OR GOD KNOWS WHAT IT IS THAT THEY DO ,WITH PILLS?GOOD QUESTION,ISNT IT?BUT WHAT IS THE ANSWER TO ALL THIS?...

Hi Gavin, What if you dont want them to leave?I do agree with you, empowerment ect that they are helping me out. I get along as normaly as anyone else dose with reality but they have been with me for a few years now and im fondly attached to them.

In response to Richard Gray – March 22, 2008 @ 06:25 AM - I have some experience re my son with the orthomolecular approach and antipsychotics. I started my son on the Hoffer recommended vitamins while he was taking clozapine and Abilify. I noticed immediate improvements. Then I found a holistic psychiatrist and added a lot of other stuff to his daily regime while he continued to take the antipsychotics. It became clear to me that his medication needed to be lowered because of the benefits he was experiencing. (But, also negative behavious that to my mind were associated with continue high doses of meds.) His main psychiatrist (not the holistic one we engaged) was vehemently against lowering the meds and that became a running battle. My advice, if you haven't already done so is to find a holistic psychiatrist who is willing to reduce the meds very very slowly while providing proper nutritional and other support. The rule of thumb is that for every three years on a medication, it takes one year to get off. 15 years translates into 5 years of tapering. What I did for my son was not to put all our eggs in one basket so in addition to the orthomolecular therapy, he did energy medicine work like visualizations, an assemblage point shift, Family Constellation Therapy and eventually, by chance, the Alexander Technique. He also did a bit of Cranial Massage. An excellent book that puts it all together is by Stephanie Marohn called "The Natural Medicine Guide to Schizophrenia". Good luck!

I am a voice hearer and found that quantam phyics answered my questions and found it an interisting read.The book I am reading is called "The spiritual universe"written by Fred Alan Wolf,Ph.D..I hope it helps

I have a dear friend who has struggled more and more with time with his voices. They seem to be of the negative/commanding/suicidal type; and come from a history of prolonged childhood trauma. They terrorize not only him, but several of his alters who are children. Medications and traditional western routes have failed after a short period time and time again; they come back nastier than ever each time. He does an amazing job fighting against their barrage of attacks, but every so often the burden becomes overwhelming and his life is sent back into chaos and hospital. I have been thinking that there must be another way besides heavy medication and hospitalisation, and ran across this website in searching. Is there a place where I can learn a little more about the Intervoice approach to see if it's worth bringing to his attention? (I ask because I don't have the luxury of time; you may help me direct my search more appropriately.) Again, his voices are incredibly terrifying and angry, not just critical or even remotely useful at this point. Any source of info on this you could point me towards would be most appreciated. Cheers, Jules

I would like to open a challenge to the medical profession - can they prove that the voices in peoples heads are in fact not real. Rather than having to prove that they are real. The problem with the conclusion that the voices are real is that it suggests the voices must be coming from somewhere else. But the only place that this could be is so fantastic to imagine that it must therefore be impossible. I have met many people, ones who never mention in public, often not even to their friends or family, the fact that the can not only hear voices but see them as well. These are not crazy people, or ones who have ever had any experience with mental health issues, just people who have certain "gifts". I am presently conducting research into finding as many normal people who have this ability and would like to hear from anyone who also have this "gift". If I can get a large database of people then I know that I will be able to prove that the voices schizophrenics hear are real as they will be shown to be the same voices that other people can see! At the moment I know of one person who is able to listen in on a conversation that a schizophrenic is having with their voice, but I am sure there are others as well. The more people I can get then the easier it will become to prove that the medical profession is in fact looking in the wrong direction in its treatment of mental health issues.

There is a countermeasure being used by people who hear "voices" they presume to be artificial in origin, conversationally called "voice to skull harassment." These people report relief as a result of using this idea. The idea is to play, either through a speaker or by way of a portable MP3 player using headphones, a "jumble" of audio tracks from radios playing different talk-oriented stations. This has allowed people with heavy voice to skull experiences to break their attention free from the content of the voices, and allows them a rest from forced attention 24/7. This countermeasure *downloadable* from this link: http://www.creviews.net/antiv2s.htm I'd like to suggest that this countermeasure might well provide at least some welcome relief for psychiatric patients troubled by "voices" of NATURAL illness origin as well. Sincerely, Eleanor White (retired engineer) Elliot Lake, Ontario Canada

I have a voice inside my head now for six months who was imitating two other voices. I thought there where three voices in the beginning its only when I started to concentrate carefully to the voices that I realised it was the same voice I could hear the voice in the back ground. now I have only one voice that talks to me instead of three. the voice new what he was doing and now he can not fool me any more. the voice can see through my eyes what I am looking at and read what I am reading. I would like to know if any one has the same experience what I am having. I am on medication now and it is not working I just have to keep on trying all until I find one that works hopefully. you can send a e-mail to robertconwayinc@yahoo.co.uk heading voices.

I am the father of two so called schizophrenics.They deny hearing voices but one would hear noises which frightened her out of her wits. She couldn't sleep for days on end. The other would have really bad compulsive thoughts which were totally not him. He has had a real battle with them. These "voices" certainly were not pleasant. Both were initially on various psychotic meds. but now are on a combination of these meds. and orthomolecular (Dr. Hoffer's vitamins). My daughter cannot cope with high vitamin doses, niacin , selenium,and fish oil, but she can take smaller than recomended doses.They both are a lot better and we are trying to decide whether to reduce the psychotic meds for my son. One of the problems is that we are trying different things out of a book. Dr Hoffers ideas are not recognized by docters here in New Zealand, and we don't know anybody who has enough nous on this subject.

Hello, I have a daughter in England who began hearing voices at the age of thirteen after a serious trauma. She is now 23 and has been given a number of antipsychotic drugs over the years. Unfortunately, she has been Sectioned for many years and her doctor does not give her a "choice"over taking these powerful drugs. I have been distressed to see the damage they do to my daughter and have been constantly lobbying the local mental health authority. Fighting the UK Mental Health Authority is not easy. The article in the NZ herald Sat April 4th reporting about Richard Bentall's campaign was a wonderful relief to read. Better therapy is something that I have been fighting for ,regarding my daughter, for a long time. Iit is because of this article that I have found this website. Would anyone have an email address or contact address for Richard Bentall? I would like to ask him if he knows of anywhere in the UK that actually does try to approach hearing voices with therapy first and foremost. I have been reading recently about two excellent research psychologists in Birmingham, UK.They have written "Making Sense of Voices"and their thoughts absolutely echo Richard Bentall's comments. Anyway, I am pleased to have found this valuable website. Lynda

i am a voice hearer now for about 7 years, i have been studing this as long as i have been hearing them. i have a different opinion on the matter. i am not on any meds. i am a normal person, my wife is just beginning to understand what i have explained to her about these voices. i can actually communicate with people, you all know that we think that there is someone that we are speaking to or with. sometimes they have names, people i speak with are jerry, patricia beatrica, pamala,angellica, these people at the beginning state that they were witches, an the only good things they do are negitive things. ok, this in short is what i have found out. they are actually people. they live in the underworld, where? in the united states. the cia we all think is using some type of communication devise on us close. what i have found out is the the united states air force had a contract with a defense affiliate in the name of science and engineering assoc. inc. out of albaquerue, new mexico.. they designed a unit according to air force contract # F41624-95-C9007 the unit is a (communication via microwave auditory effect) using radar and microwave frequency. mind you people just beleive in the lord, there all witches create an imaginary solution to mess with there heads. i have solutions for myself. uno i don't go around telling people that i hear voices, yesthey'll think that i'm crazy. to i just informed my mother about what i have been experienceing she says she don't think that i am crazy on the other hand my wife does but she is beginning to learn more with me of what i have uncovered. yes its the federal goverment the cia, the department of corrections the united states military. they are able to munioulate the people with mind control. beleive it or not i have been able to teach myself how to turn the systems off, when i do this and they the (witches) they go bazerk in a frency. dont give up on your children people they are actual people messing with our minds. i have dont extensive research on this all while i was hearing and talking to these people. i know what there all about. what there are doing is like the disease "alzheimers" they are using a microwave/radar frequency transmission controlling thei minds of all of us, taking medication worsens the problems, i know hands on experience. pharmacuiticals compies are adding certin chemicals in the medican to trigger the censors in the brain. and the radar/microwave frequency in the atmosphere like cellular signals connect and low to high frequencies are frying the brain triggering a nerves in the mind causeing the mind to paralise and the less oxygen and blood flow reacts as to hallusination. done tested, i counter reacted by using nitro glycrin, putting more air and blood to the brain. tested and resolved under control i can munipulate there computer turning it on and off. for more detailed information contact my e-mail at rorybcarrillosr1@verizon.net los angeles,ca. 04/09/2009 posted

I have been not really hearing "voices" but recieving telepathical messages since 2005. This was going to gether with written messages on my computer, and other people , included my mother who is convinced i have a psychosis , withnessed the texts printed out, one of it was a summary of my mails i have been sending over weeks and that disapeared ...another was a printout of an extra network i never installed on my networkconnections called "standard conncetion with human being " ect ect I am SURE it cannot be a delusion, because i still have the prints, and it was happening to few others i knew from before , who witnissed the same computer stuff happening, and experienced the same sensations, headaches , fears , pains ect .... I realize that people who do not know this and panic and listen to a psychiatrist telling them its delusion , insist with any means on that , force their beloved to take medicins or try to convinced them what they experience is not real ....this is a mistake, since about the year 2000 , but before too since late 70 ties , this phenomenon has been increasing strongly all aournd the globe..., and its no delusion at all, its real .... The peopel who are very rational and experience it , they reason and see numbers , statisticss, computerprints , and KNOW , that they have no delusion , that what is in front of their eyes cannot be imaginined because its on paper , prints , and witnessed by friends ..., THe fact my mother is convinced i have a psychosis , made me deeply unhappy , she does not want me to even explain what happened, many of my friends called her to tell they saw it too, they experienced the same at the same moment , still she ignores all this , and when i tell her with tears in my eyes why she does not put arguments on a list and considers more than one possibllity , she tells me with a tormented look " you would feel better taking antipsychotics" , and my heart breaks again , i had FROM THIS REACTION THAT NOW IS THAT WAY 4 LONG YEARS a huge depression, i still suffer from it a lot , and realize my mam never believed me in nothing , while i never was lying to her , she accused me as child stealing stuff from her, i cried and begged to believe me it was not treu , and 10 years later she found the lost juwels in her mothers place , never i recieved a sorry , so its my mother who is wrong, she does not have one single argument , she saw the summaries of my mails and the personal comments next to it , and many more things , but no reason can help . If i see that the definition of delusions is insiting on somehting , despite logical arguments and fysical proves , i should conclude my mother is delusional ...., if i read about loving parents here putting medicines into their childrens food, i am begging them , dont accept just like that somehting as a fact because a doktor tells you ...., always the first moment the experience is surprising , but when you react normally , let it pass and listen to what is happening , it passes by itself .... I am just as my father who died eight years ago , a very rational scientific minded person , and i consider maths fysics and statistics as science , but psychiatry is no science in the strict sense of the word , because it is not unambigiius , has no proofs, just some vague list of symtoms that resembles rather a horoscope than anything else , (sorry if i sound bitter , but after the confrontation with it i am ) , my father was a mathematician , and he reasoned based on facts , not on authority , he took me also my entire life seriously .... I reacted just as he would have reacted, i started to make a survey , with 20 questions, for other people with the same experience , i wanted to "understand" , to "know" , especially if it was increasing because i realized that i could not be sure just by the fact some of my friends went trough the same at the same moment . Now i have results of one suvey of 167 respondents , its is a statistical sample lets say , with a pattern , the incidence rate, it can be repeated , with a totally different group of people , the respondents did not know eachother , mainly are from europe uk and USa , look at the answer to the first question , my father would have taken a look , surprised raised his eyebrows , and maybe wanted to reapeat the test himself , but never ever he would be so crazy to believe some doktor who did not know me and stated that i needed antipsychotics , while i was fully coherent and logical and was putting numbers and computerprints on the table ! Meanwhile i contacted a female psychiatrist specialized in family problems and highlygifted children , i was scared to go into details first, gave her the book of john mack about alien abductions, and told her "i had the same thing happening to me, only never thought it was "aliens" . Meanwhile i did tell her many things, in detail, i explained her my idea about the different experiences and the rise in incidence , she never proposed any antipsychotics, and told me qietly , that she did not remark on all this time one singel inconsistency in my story . THe second thing she said was she did not understand that in europe nobody was yet researching this phenomenon . I answered truth that everybody is insisting on its own paradigm, and little people list the dry numbers and facts conneted in patterns ...;i want to do this now slowly myself, and i would very much like to cooperate with others who have the same objective and neutral openminded attititude, i dont think its god, but i do agree with some remarks here on how logical and coherent the explenations are sometimes ....sorry for my bad english, i am from Belgium , and did not do a spellcheck eigher :) , Greetings to all , Monika HERE IS THE RESULT OF THE FIRST QUESTION OF MY SURVEY WITH 167 REPONDENTS WHY THIS ACCELARATION ..? the same we see in china , russia, japân , every were same PATTERN , why? 1. What is the year you FIRST REALIZED and were FULLY AWARE that you were under attack with remote manipulation weapons (directed energy - mindcontrol)? Responses Percent Before 1980: 4 2.48% 1980: 1 0.62% 1981: 0 0% 1982: 1 0.62% 1983: 0 0% 1984: 1 0.62% 1985: 2 1.24% 1986: 2 1.24% 1987: 0 0% 1988: 0 0% 1989: 0 0% 1990: 1 0.62% 1991: 2 1.24% 1992: 2 1.24% 1993: 3 1.86% 1994: 3 1.86% 1995: 1 0.62% 1996: 7 4.35% 1997: 8 4.97% 1998: 5 3.11% 1999: 2 1.24% 2000: 5 3.11% 2001: 10 6.21% 2002: 12 7.45% 2003: 9 5.59% 2004: 17 10.56% 2005: 18 11.18% 2006: 16 9.94% 2007: 12 7.45% 2008: 17 10.56%

Hi! I would like to know if one day it is finished... I mean my voice hearing. I have non-stop voice of a man I still love but I lost him because I don't know where he is and it's seems to me he became sick because of our separation. And I am not able to know it is true or not. And I suffer because of it terribly. What is really strange he is talking in English in my head but my native language is another one. If somebody intelligent contact with me I'll tell more but I am afraid to talk about it with anybody in my real life. I can imagine a reaction of people around me, no undestanding. I know they'll advice me to go to doctor, a doctor'll give me some medicine, but I feel that medicine can't help me, just would be worse. If I still didn't become crazy hearing his voice for 2 years, I hope I'll be OK. I mean I wouldn't become crazy. But you can't imagine such a pain.. For these two years I have known so much.. Some things are just mystic, some things are just unbelievable. I'm not sure, maybe it's my first and last message to you.

Hllo to all voice hearers, ive been a voice hearer for the last 7 years,and untill today i cant prove who is doing it. its two voices im hearing day and night,and im on 6mg risperdal/respond,and 40mg of sleeping pills.im not schitsofrenic,my doctors are cause they never belive me. what is my reson to tell such a storry about my self and to be called paranoid? i/we all need help,but its only on gods help i trust.the voices are really horrible,they do mental and phisical experiments on me and spy after me day and night.im getting sick and tired from them,and why do i need to take drugs(pills)that dont help me at all and be addicted to them?and why do psychyetrists have to rulle my life?i really dont know if its reall men of maybe aliens these voices,but in my head the talk hebrew so maybe i suspect my government,or the ministry of defence,or god knows who,i dont know. if you have an idea please contact me at micha_ga@walla.com,thanks and god bless all of you.michael g

Hi Jim, I know of a couple of qualified practitioner who deal with orthomolecular/ nutritional approach here in New Zealand. You have not left an email address, but if you would like to know their contact details , email me. I am with the Hearing Voices Network In New Zealand. email hearingvoices@woosh.co.nz Regards Adrienne

Hello there, I am English but work at a Groupe Entraide Mutuelle (GEM) in France. I keep discussing the Hearing Voices Network but can find absolutely nothing in French. Please can someone direct me to the whereabouts of information in french or point me towards contacts here in france. Many thanks in advance Debbie Thompson

I am currently Chaiperson of the Bradford (Yorkshire) voluntary organisation, Bamhag. (Bradford and Airedale Mental Health Advocacy Group) A registered voluntary charity. This year we will be or become 20 years in services to Mental Health. We are therefore looking to reunite or invite many people from the past or earlier days of the project to the AGM in November. The story includes an early collaboration with Proffesor Rhomme of the Dutch Psychiatric collective or services with a view to understanding user voices. We are a "User Involvement/User staffed organisation" This is the main theme of the success of the work - and why we are developing so well in the years since launch. For the time being we are looking for Professor Marius Rohmme (excuse spelling) who is an expert on Hearing Voices. We are also looking for a guest from a group from Holland who are like us. This means can explain advocacy from a User point of view. We cannot remember the man who came to a conference 16 years ago - but he came from Amsterdam. At the moment we have no funding to pay travel costs - but we are (I am) working on that. We are looking for somebody from Poland too. (the orginal exchange visit was 3 way - involving a grant from European Funding. Can anybody out there remind us to Professor Rhomme? He may best know (now) somebody else we work with here - who is Rufus May - hearing voices psychology. I am not an expert in anything but user involvement through 20 years of poverty. Feel free to comment and use my own e-mail address to communicate. Bamhag isa well known project in the local area here. Maybe we should work on a visit to see a group over there in the future? But if we do not connect now - that is impossible. We do not have the sort of money or funding to attend world conferences today. It would be possible eventually to produce an article about what we have done. Have to sign off - as it is both Friday anf time for me to go shopping on the home trip. I can access my own computer and internet every day of course. Good afternoon and note that none of us can speak Dutch. I can understand German.

I do not know if the e mail adress shows to the general public on this site. Still looking for contact with Professor Rhomme and user advocates in Holland. my own (& project) e mail is stephen@jtyson1.freeserve.co.uk

I have the same disorder from taking lots of multiple vitamins and I don't think that it is a disorder at all. I think in fact that it may be a part of the way my brain is supposed to work when I am really healthy. My voices are very helpful for the most part but if I don't eat correctly, or if I take medicine, they get confused.

I have heard voices for as long as I can remember, calling them friends until they became more dominant and invasive, but yet lived with it. This is approx 19-20 years of my life until I told a HCP about it. Thankfully I was not labeled as a stereotypical label. My treater's just seemed to know. But as an individual, now exposed I felt vulnerable, maybe 'mad', thinking what is wrong with me, a lot I did not understand until now. Now being July 23 rd 2009 after hearing a talk given by the hearing voices network, I would give names but fear spelling them wrong. This has been most productive for myself, and enabled me to look at my situations from other angles; carers, mental health workers, doctors, etc.

below is the final article to my experiment done on me under medical supervision as a gift of information - I am sorry I could not give my paper at your international conference as invited but I could not afford the finances - you would have just got the same thing below so you have not lost much sorry An Alternative Support Model to the Medical Model of Medication for Long Term Schizophrenia by Shuresh Patel. University of Bolton.UK The purpose of this article is to illustrate and promote a working example of long term therapies which support the medical model and could be used to extend the current British National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines (NICE) – in order to incorporate a long term therapy concept regarding schizophrenia and other conditions and diseases. INTRODUCTION The theory is that alternative support, like long term clinical hypnotherapy and long term CBT plus psychotherapy and counselling, is effective in helping some schizophrenics to reduce their medications in order to improve their quality of life. The main biographical source is a book by Rosalind Hewitt, published by Karnac, in January 2007 and entitled: “Moving On: A handbook of good health and recovery for people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia”. The other inspiration is an article in The Psychologist, September 2005, p535 called “The NHS has got it wrong”. The analysis criterion is the medical evidence of my lifetime recovery in terms of quality of life with my long standing schizophrenia of over 28 years. I have discovered these alternative therapies personally and I now report a permanent improvement in my condition. The conclusion is that the alternative therapy experience is effective in reducing my medication for schizophrenia to the international minimum recommended dosage level by the Medical Model; for me this was an effective support mechanism to the Medical Model. The key phrase in this theory is LONG TERM; long term clinical hypnotherapy, long term CBT, long term counselling and long term psychotherapy. This was a first international clinical trial of its kind. A BRIEF HISTORY OF SCHIZOPHRENIA: The concept of “dementia praecox” which is the early term for schizophrenia and first established as late as 1898 was initially formulated by German and Swiss psychiatrists, namely Kraepelin and Bleuler. “Dementia” means a progressive intellectual deterioration and “praecox” means an early onset. The “dementia” however is not that associated with the ageing process but rather a term which Kraepelin saw as mental enfeeblement. The original major symptoms of schizophrenia according to Kraepelin are “hallucinations, delusions, negativism, attentional difficulties, stereotyped behaviour and emotional dysfunction.” Bleuler broke ranks with Kraepelin on two major points. He did not neccessarily believe that schizophrenia had an early onset and that it did not necessarily head towards dementia. Thus in 1908, Bleuler coined the new name of SCHIZOPHRENIA from the Greek roots of “schizen” meaning to split and “phren” meanng mind. In his opinion, this summed up the essential nature of the condition and it is still called this today (Bootzin, Acocella, Alloy p365). Schizophrenic symptoms for most people in Britain today are controlled with the use of psychotropic medication. For the last 28 years I have been under this regime. My experience is long term therapy in order to reduce long term schizophrenic medication. In October 2002 – under medical supervision – I started to reduce my 50mg weekly injection of depixol medication for schizophrenia. I had been having this 50mg weekly injection for 15 years. At the same time, my medication reduction experiment started, I began weekly sessions of CBT and clinical hypnotherapy – plus psychotherapy and counselling. In 2009, I finalised my medication reduction and reached a 60% reduction of depixol. This tremendous reduction of depixol was only been possible through persevering with the weekly therapy sessions which were funded, experimentally, by my local education authority as part of my disabled student package. Later I changed to the newer risperidone 6mg daily medication. It must be stressed at this point, that my weekly therapy sessions enabled me to cope with substantial withdrawal symptoms; these included chronic irrationality, an increase in hearing voices, paranoia, delusional ideas and severe and terrifying hallucinations. Long term, this alternative therapy more than adequately supported me through these symptoms. I have to stress that in order to successfully achieve this 60% reduction in depixol medication, which I did, the above mentioned therapy will require at least 7 years of commitment by the patient. For me it was my unconscious and not just my conscious mind which needed addressing. I needed clinical hypnotherapy to get deep inside my mind, so that the other therapies could penetrate those hidden recesses. The 12 weeks CBT offer from the NHS is not enough for a single (i.e. 5mgs) medication reduction. Even the pharmaceutical industry recommends at least 16 weeks for a single medication reduction. So, in my opinion and experience – the NHS has got it wrong. Because I am a severe case of schizophrenia I was only able to reduce my weekly depixol injection medication by 60% - milder cases might well be fully cured under a similar therapy and counselling regime. Also, the above mentioned therapy and counselling regime could well prove to be effective with cases of depression, bipolar, anxiety, alcoholism and drug abuse etc... Incidentally, my schizophrenic mother, whose first language is Gujarati, was refused my therapy and counselling treatment because her English was not good enough. These therapies and the counselling therefore need to be made available for non English speakers. References Bootzin, Acocella & Alloy (1993,)Abnormal Psychology Current Perspectives, 6th edition, McGraw-Hill,INC. Comer R.J. (2004) Abnormal Psychology 5th edition, Worth Publishers, New York, USA. Gelder, M, Mayou, R., Cowen, P. (2001) Shorter Oxford Textbook of Psychiatry Oxford University Press, Britain. Hewitt, R. (2007), Moving On: A handbook of good health and recovery. For people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia.Karnac Publishers. The Psychologist, September 2005 p535 “NHS has got it wrong” by Patel S. UK Europe’s Journal of Psychology, May 2007 Archives Section, “An Alternative Support Model to the Medical Model of Medication for Long Term Schizophrenia” Patel S., University of Bolton, UK.

PAUL! I would like to talk about my experience but I don't know how to start. It is really very difficult to talk about it. Sometimes it's seems to me I can manage without any help because it's only my problem. I really want to know what it means. Why me? I have been living in the South England for 3 years. 'My voice' belongs to a real man, he talks in English. My mother's tongue is another one. Thank you! If you can, write on my e-mail,please.

I just found this (amazing) site through a search for Phillip Garrido (kidnapper of Jaycee Dugard) by googling all of his email accounts I could find throughout the various material he posted online. He was actually posing as Phillip Knight. He posted here under that alias on May 29, 2007 @ 09:00 PM. I am interested to know if any of you have actually made contact with Phillip before he was arrested for his crimes. If so, could you describe your contact with this man? Was he merely exploiting this state of mind with his "black box" and pretending (to plead insanity), or was he truly on the cusp of something greater? You can post here or e-mail me, if you want. It doesn't matter. I am not here to mock anyone at all. I believe there are forces at work we just do NOT understand yet, and they (the psychotherapists, doctors) do indeed shrug it off as utter nonsense and tell you that you're "crazy" and try to put you on meds or try to console you as if they knew what is actually going on. I do not believe anyone on here is crazy. If anything, I am utterly fascinated by this site and the amount of posts it has regarding hearing voices and seeing people/entities. I am going to become a member of the forum on this site and delve deep into every.single.post. I want to learn more about this. I have experienced things that I would be called crazy for admitting (and have been). The things I have experienced, and the things that I am witnessing being said on this website, only reaffirm my suspicions that forces outside (or possibly inside) of us are at work that we just do not truly understand yet. Eventually we will get there. We'll figure this all out. Until then, good luck to everybody. -qwertopuss

Those who can see all of reality are in touch with reality. Those who still have questions and are thus still dependent upon beliefs and disbeliefs, are also those whom are not seeing all of reality, thus they are half connected to reality and half connected to fantasy. ___ From their limited point of view, they perceive those who are in touch with reality as those who are only in touch with part reality and part fantasy, and do so since the truth sits beyond them. ___ Despite their significant detachment from reality, psychologists, and psychiatrist, etc., achieve certainty while still being detached from the completeness of reality. This flaw can not be seen by them due to their limitations. ___ On the religious side of things, they are keeping the doors open for deceit to be practiced by higher negative powers.

I am very pleased to see the wonderful work InterVoice is doing to help support those who have the experience of hearing voices and to take away the stigma and the desire to suppress. I would be pleased to support your efforts in any way I can. I am sharing an article I wrote in collaboration with three individuals who had been undergoing extreme states of mind- JOURNEY THROUGH 'MADNESS' What is termed ‘madness’ or ‘mental illness’ is for some the only means for expression of their being lost and confused in a world which has caused them deep hurt and pain. Such is not disease but behavior with metaphorical meaning. There has been received through life mixed messages and placement into situations where regardless of the option they choose they felt damned. They seek to break out from the reality which has only caused them distress. The development of hallucinations and delusions are all metaphors for the very real demons they have encountered in disordered society. The inner mind, the voice within us, becomes amplified, and becomes ‘possessed’ with the demons coming forward from the trauma and distress which has been encountered. Rebellion against the system of things becomes self-destructive as the person seeks to send a message to the world of their distress, but it remains unheard. Each coping mechanism that has been employed has often led to failure and not brought them out of the unlivable situation that is their life. However, the catharsis of this pain and grief can go in two directions- it can be misery and existential death, or it can be transformative. Through the pain and struggle, through the breaking out of the ‘typical reality’ one can journey through various modes of altered consciousness. Many deemed ‘mad’ speak of the supernatural. They have sought every attempt to reach out and create meaning. If they can be helped by a loving, supportive network to navigate through this state of confusion and the various realms of altered consciousness towards rebuilding and reconstructing a life of meaning, then they can come forward to a recovery that gives them valuable insight about human nature and who they really are and the reality of the impermanence of this life and the world around us. They will find that suffering is an inevitable, and it that suffering is the state of the world which is mired in greed and attachment. The one deemed ‘mad’ for once has accomplished a rare task- they have completely detached. But this detachment is only from the typical standards of the world. They remain haunted by the visions of their previous life. They cannot escape it, and thus they become anxious and paranoid that something or someone will pull them back to that painful existence. At times, rage comes forward as the reaction to challenges, but who would not be outraged if their voice was suppressed and they became the scapegoat for the problems of their families or those around them? Those deemed ‘mad’, feeling always alone, depart to a world where they remain alone from people, yet may create for themselves beings who give them comfort and solace. This is really the end of their search, to simply be accepted and loved. But here too lies a problem, for when their lives have been devoid of love and they receive unconditional love, it becomes like an overwhelming fire that consumes them. They have never been loved, so how can they respond to an outpouring of love? When all they knew was that oppression and coercion was said to be because ‘we love you’, when ‘love’ really was only about control, how can the person then understand genuine love? Once again, the confusion sets in. To reach the person who has been deemed ‘mad’, we cannot overwhelm. Our sincerity will not be enough, for there trust has been shattered time and time again. It is only through entering their world for what it is, by joining in, and learning to speak the language, can we ourselves begin to understand the experience of these individuals. It is only by this joining in that the person may have the chance for their journey known as ‘madness’ to reach a transformative ending towards recovery.

Hearing voices is not boring. They order me. But I know what this is: Romme's vehicle bring voiceworker's thinking to my brain. My knowledge is still small about Medicine Science. Anyway I read it more. Do you know how many have been made from my cells. Those who know claim that amount my children are 2,4 miljard, which is quite much. Many women still want child from me, because I am most intelligent person on earth. My beard is large, but I am conservative. And totally sober. I recommend everybody not drink any kind alcohol at all. Finland is cold. We high intelligent people need cool. Sad that some places on earth ball are badly hot. If somebody hear voices, honour such people. Voice hearers are intelligent popula. Let's have discuss, WRITE ME. I have been newspaper editor. Now I cure sicknesses away, I can do it. My strong will changed a few blind persons such that they began see very well. If you have tattoo, let me disappear it away. By Romme's vehicle heard voices are technique, not sick. In mind thinking is same type electricity as Romme's vehicle electricity. Finland is closed. I closed.

have beenhearing voices for past three mounths they say they are neighbours he calls himself jason then says this is telapthy and this just a game to him he says he can kill me and get away with it if i say anything to anybody they wont believe me the pain he puts across can be unbearable he says he taught himself to do this he likes to practice and i am his guinie pig he is a very gruel boy and laughs at the thought of killing somebody and getting away with it can anybody out their help

Hi, I attended the training last week and was told that there is a Maastricht Structured Interview Scale that can be downloaded as a pdf on the site. I'm not able to find it and was wondering if you could please help me/or send me a copy? Many thanks,

I was a voice hearer for three years untill i encountered Our Lord Through jesus Christ. I am now free from the curse. The Lord is waiting for you to come to him. there is no medication that can cure voices, because they are evil spirits obsessed with your life ways of thinking and belief systems. What you need is to join a church where the Holy Spirit is present. This has to be a Christian , evangelical church. in this environment, you will encounter the Spirit, The Lord's Spirit. Donot Smoke because God hates Smoke, use nicotine patches instead,1, or 2 at a time. Then read the curse breaking prayers constantly, instead of listerning to the demons. Get the evangelists to pray for you. yoy pray your self. stop talking to the voices. they are evil but listern to them quietly. read the curse breaking prayers instead of meditating, over and over again. stay close to tongues speaking christians and churches, now you are ready to be set free.

I have heard voices on and off since I was 18, I am now 21. The first time they were very scary demonic voices and they told me I was cursed and chosen by Satan. I believed them and that lead to a lot of hospitals and bad things. Now, I'm 21, I have been off my meds and doing great except for the past 4 months when I developed anorexia, then I stopped sleeping and my moods were very erratic but I didnt mind it really untill now...I see horrrific and terrifing visions every time I close my eyes and now even when I dont and I am hearing vivid vocies of all kinds, not just the regular demons...it can be little girls playing/sings...very very scary...I cant sleep. I was just in the hospital because I hadnt sleept in days. Now, my first night home, I had horrible nightmares but the voices and visions are were even worse. How can I ever sleep or cope with this? Please help me, I'm suffering. I must sleep.

I started taking recreational drugs in 1972, then I started hearing voices in 1975. They are both visual and auditory.At first I thought that everyone was telepathic and I just had never been told about it. I couldn't discuss it with anyone for about 4 years and after much mental torture. I stopped the LSD in 1979 and the cannabis in 1983. I saw God 3 times and turned to the Bible. I had been hospitalised several times.The staff told me that it was my brain and that I had 'persecutory voices'. They gave me antipsychotic drugs which didn't stop the voices. Ithen got into the Bahá'í Faith, which is the world's newest major religion. It teaches that all of the great world religions come from the one same God. ie Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, Buddhists, Jains, Confucianists,Taoists,Shintoists, Rastafarians, Bahá'ís etc All races are equal, ie Black, White, Red, Yellow and Brown. In the future there will be a utopian, world super society, with a world government. Science and Religion must go hand in hand. There will be no more war, starvation, poverty, disease or environmental problems. It must come about gradually. It teaches that the voices are not real, and if we are sick, we must see a good Doctor, that includes Psychiatrists. I still hear the voices after nearly 35 years.I have read various psychiatry books and have learned a lot about it. Its good to know that its all been studied and documented.

Hi, its me again. I hear voices coming from the whole human race and all of the animals and birds. I think I've heard fish as well. Maybe its the human spirit and the animal spirit talking to me. I am a member of the Bahai Faith. We believe in everybodies religion, within reason, espescially The Holy Bible, The Holy Qur'an and the Bahai scriptures. There is a vast corpus of Bahai scripture. My e-mail address is Rndjm8@aol.com The Bahai Faith recommends medical science. Science and Religion must go hand in hand. We believe in Universal Compulsory Education as well. I think that we have to consider the brain, the spirit and psychic phenomena.

My stepdad, along with the rest of my family, would NEVER go along with the whole ghost and spirit thing. I on the other hand, feel like I have experienced this sort of thing before. About two weeks ago, my stepdad came to me. He said that he was at home by himself and heard a girl's voice. He said he thought he heard it coming from our basement. The voice was so distinct that he thought I had gotten home from school and he just didn't hear me come in. We live in a basically 3 story home consisting of a basement, the main level, where my parent's room is, and an upstairs. He was in his closet when he heard the voice. He actually went downstairs to find me (of course I wasn't home yet.) He didn't find anything, so he went back to his closet (not sure what he was doing.) He heard the voice again and proceded to search the whole house, finding nothing. When he told me about this, he was dead serious and had the most afraid/interested look in his eyes. He said that the voice sounded like a little girl's. He made me swear not to tell anyone. He isn't even going to metion it to my mother! I am EXTREMELY interested in what he experienced and would love to be able to give him some professional feedback. I am from a small town, so any sort paranormal professionals do not exist. Anyone have any ideas on the matter? Thank you! Rachel

Is there an Intervoice organization in the Boston area of the U.S.?

My experience has to do with telepaths that call themselves CSIS (Canada's spy agency) and you can read my story at www.brndl.blogspot.com.

While in my mid-twenties, I heard a voice that told me I would become pregnant with twins, and I did. At that time I already had two children and did not want anymore children. Then the second voice showed up and that's when my problems began to escalate. I would talk about more of my experience but I have done this by telling my story in my book "Spirit Led Conscience Guided" by Evelyn M. Bellamy. I invite everyone to read it and hopefully gain some insight to what could be happening to you. My book is being sold on Amazon. com.

Hi, I have been hearing voices now for just over 3 years, and wanted to know if there are any groups in the thanet Kent area, I can join. I have been through hell, and back with this, but have started to be assertive with them, doesn't always work, but can handle them when they are nice to me, but will not play there evil games, that they seem to take pleasure in. I would love to talk to others who are going through this. any kind regards Nicola

right for many years as i tried to sleep i heard faint voices and sounds in the back of my mind like afew nights a week. I researched into it and seen it was a common thing that happens to alot of people because your brain is shuting down, etc. However recently its changed, and got alot more intense, now it starts when i turn out the lights and lay down, the room feels like it widens signifigantly and there are people have coversations allround the room surrounding me. This was still ok as i wrote it off as my mind having more to proccess than useual. But now it's every time i go to bed and other things have happend, eg. when i lay on my right side so my left ear is pointing up one of the voices surrounding me will very quickly leave its conversation and shouts a word or name as it passes through my left ear and out my right. this does un-nerve me quite alot, and the most recent insident (were all the voices were just saying my name) has now stopped me sleeping for days on end. There is no record of mental illness in my family what so ever so i dont think it could be skitzophrenia or anything like that but it is starting to affect my life as im sleep deprived constantly and a little bit scared of my bed haha. any help or advice would be fantastic. Thank you Simon.