Intervoice is committed to encouraging research into voice-hearing that people who hear voices, and their supporters, can truly benefit from. In this section, we will include the latest news from our International Research Committee, alongside a bibliography covering research into a wide range of aspects of the experience.
We will be developing this section in the coming months. If you know of any research that should be included here, please let us know. Additionally, if you would like to contact the Research Committee please email us or leave a comment of the Research Committee’s page.
Thank you
i would really appreciate being given some figure of just how common haring voices is for the people in the UK. thank you i found this website extremelly useful and powerful.
I was very enthused aswell as relieved to find an organisation which has your beliefs reguarding hearing voices and the outdated, retarded and disgusting practices and ideals of the psychiatic field i get treatment from in canada with their medication and complete ignorance and virtual non treatment of their practices. From what i read on wikipaedia you offer a more realistic and hollistic approach rather than stigmatising and mediacating the patient without actually ever inquiring about who,what .. the voices are and what they mean to you. I was hoping to contact someone by telephone aswell as inquiring about your organisation here in Canada, if you can contact me with some contact information i would be very pleaed. In conclusion i would like to thank you and congradulate you for what seems to be a better mre human and realistic and positive form of treatment.
I totally agree Massimo, the narrow, ignorant and archaic practices of the psychiatric establishment seem to do more harm than good.
I work in Mental Health in New Zealand, and have been disgusted to see numerous voice-hearers let down by services and “treatments” that are completely ineffective for this experience, and yet are justified via compulsory treatment laws.
It appears more and more common here to have people labelled “treatment resistant” or “medication resistant” which to me is only a cop-out, and really means that clinicians are out of their depth when dealing with this phenomena. Hearing voices is still left in the “schizophrenia” basket regardless of the overall experience the person has, and when medication is ineffective, which seems quite often, the “system” has no idea what to do.
I’m with you; self-education, holistic healing and devising coping strategies worked for me, as hearing voices had always been there anyway and had significance in my life. I didn’t actually want them medicated out of existence, merely to understand them and deal with the underlying issues to move on.
I hear constant chattering voices all the time. this started about 7 years ago just before my 50th birthday.
I find it very disturbing and night time is definately the worse time because they dont stop until I’m exhausted and fall asleep.
Hi people,
I am interested in the research of the urban environment and the impact it can have on hearing voices. Any suggestions for further reading??
GOOGLE SEARCH SYNTHETIC TELEAPATHY OR VOICE TO SKULL TECHNOLGY WHAT IS THE DIFFERANCE BETWEEN REAL SCHIZOPHREINA AND BEING TARGETED WITH A VOICE TO SKULL DEVICE THERE IS ALL KINDS OF PAGES THAT TELL YOU HOW THE VOICES GET IN BUT NO INFO HOW TO GET THEM OUT WHEN DONE WITH THIS KIND OF TECHNOLGY IN THIS CASE IS THERE AWAY TO BLOCK THE SOUND WAVES THEY USE TO GIVE YOU THE VOICES??
I am a target of SYNTHETIC TELEAPATHY OR VOICE TO SKULL TECHNOLGY are there any counter measures?
About 4% of the population according to demographic research – see research bibliography
Is there any hope that those involuntary movements will stop after quitting the drug – in this case haldol? What does the research say and/or where can I find it?
I can’t point to research; however my experience with involuntary movements from Haldol has been mixed. Once the drug was discontinued, the size and intensity of movements lessened, but I continue to have more fine and mild movements and what they call dystonia or a sort of stiffening.
I hope someone else can help from the research standpoint.
Sincerely,
Berta
I’m interested to know how the voices identify themselves when asked and the details they give when identity information is sought from them. I’m interested in knowing the general findings of the field in this respect.
If you can send me some references covering this topic it would be most appreciated.
Many thanks
The voices sound like people I know, or have met at some time. When I ask who they are, I get scarred, and there is just silence. Then I hear someone I have met say something terrible about me again. I imagine a shapeshifter. One person, like a old indian witch doctor, who is always hearing my thoughts and memories, recording the ones he likes to use when demeaning. Then the shapes he changes into are the people who would mostly be affected by what they said, if they actually said it. This is weird, because I am such a nice guy, they could say it to my face if they wanted to. I would not lash out at them in any way. a lot of it is just lowlife comments and threats.
exactly, this is exactly how I experienced it. Like he takes things I say and uses them to mock me just like how you described. And I know!!, , The whole time ( 2 years or so now) I just wanted him to come out and say it to my face or at least talk to me in person. At times it was felt tremendously awful, like an anti-communication – which to me was the worst thing to experience. I have always been introverted but extremely social.
They always tell me that they’re me… Or the only one I asked said that. He’s quite logical, and told me that he’s a coping mechanism for me and he protects me. But is still me.
This is a way they work with you. It is so that you may gain your own individual “emotional security”! That has been my personal experience with my voices. Best wishes and Peace Within, Kate!
We are a start-up Community Based Organization in Kenya known as NORMAL DIFFERENCE..The only organization in Kenya dealing with people hearing voices. We’d like to get more information about these people.So far we have managed to scout and recruit twenty four people with hearing voices. HOW CAN WE WORK TOGETHER.
PLEASE HELP US TO HELP HUMANITY.
its good to look at history and different cultures and how they explain life and how we experience life, muslums cultures call us listeners and is not frowned upon especially in the earlier civilisations, its an interesting fact that when we are in namaaz the pray, we lift our hands to our ears to signafy we are listening, interesting!
well i am a voice hearer from uganda and tremendously recovering we have a group called voice hearing kampala any way in case of any thing my email is (personal details removed as explained in Intervoice’s policy)
Dear Intervoice,
We are a research team at the University of Surrey in the UK with a passion for clinical work and research with people who hear voices. We are aware of the substantial support that organisations such as Intervoice provide to their members and the wider community. We had the pleasure of contact with Rachel Waddingham this Summer who kindly offered to support us to raise awareness of our research in the UK. We are hoping that the research can help with psychological therapies for people who hear voices in the future.
We have an online questionnaire which charities in the UK such as MIND, the Mental Health Foundation and the Hearing Voices Network have distributed to their members. It takes 20-25 minutes and participants can enter into a prize draw to win up to $75 US. Our aim is to have 140 English-speaking participants through the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand before the end of 2011. We are encouraging charties to send information about our study through email distribution lists, links on websites, newsletters, online forums, Facebook and Twitter. The research has ethical approval from the Faculty of Arts and Human Sciences at the University of Surrey. If you would like further information, please emaill us at [email protected] and we can send you further information and the link to our website.
Kind regards,
Esther Clarke
Trainee Clinical Psychologist
University of Surrey
Psychology Block AD
Guildford, Surrey
GU2 7XH
We have just published a book on the subject of psychic phenomenon such as hearing voices and seeing spirits; Divinely Touched: Transform Your Life;
that explains where these voices come from and what one can do about it (without drugs!).
Dr. Dave DiSano
Hello Dr. Dave DiSano.My daughter has been diagnosed with “schizophrenia”, she was told the voices are “medication resistant” because she still hears voices. She is taking high doses of clozapine and serquel plus an antidepresent. She has “lookups”, where her eyes turn up and you only see the whites of her eyes and the voices become very bad. She has this happening nearly every day. Her doctor has said its caused by anxiety not the medication. A doctor at our nearby hospital has suggested she try another medication, but which one? Hearing Voices groupis attending. How can I purchase your book “Divinely Touched: Transform Your Life”
All I know is dont play with Ouija boards.Thats how mine started back in 1999.Others have experienced the same problem.Hearing voices is also sometimes called “The art of discernment.”
I think suffers of schizophrenia have a strong claim to include a “duty to warn” patients and others that “immediate talking” voices are other people engaged in hostage taking (threatening), and “remote listening” audience is non other than people engaged in kidnapping, (stalking), for purposes that effect criminal control and unlawful death of legal authority and democratic power. I take it seriously, because so far to date, the measuring of communication has demonstrated that criminal intentions and motivations have out performed lawful intentions and non-criminal motivations, in the audience of sz. and in the world, and it has been impossible to gather any witness testimony beyond the schizophrenic person, that “voices” appear to be other people, living within Anne Frank like settings, much due to the protection of causation built into the channel as well as the intention to deceive, or criminally corrupt. However, if the police or the medical community were to gather or assemble evidence of sharing mind with other people, it could be used to improve the emotional and physical care of those suffering from the condition, particularly those victims who remain free of criminal power and suffer from nothing other than emotive techncial sound domination.
Sometimes getting rid of Spirit books and materials will help.. I mean if your reading books about wizards and demons or practicing such things.. what can you expect..? and Sometimes doing Drugs can allow for people to hear Voices and See Visions.. Hope this helps.
Dearest Earnest: Who were you hoping to help? What can anyone expect? How about a little more understanding? What about those who have never read spirit books or have taken drugs…or that the only reason they take legal drugs is to quiet the voices who are destructive? Just because it isn’t tangible doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist or that it Isn’t real or that it is a figment of imagination.
On Research
I first broke down and experienced “nightmares” I call them at the age of 19. I was alone and wasnt wanted back home but was helped out by family and put into a halfway home.
I watched an english documentary called “Madness” about 8 years ago. Apparantly the medication they first used to treat people with schzephrenia, was some hormone, if Im correct from people who suffer from epilepsy or at least some dirivative of the illness. Now this brings to mind to me about epilepsy as I had a sister who had epilepsy. And I wonder if the key to the antidote has to do with anger and aggression. My sister did have a bad temper when she was younger. Anger, how does that relate to a schzephrenic state. Interesting that someone mentioned a higher self, could be. Or is schzephrenia bought on by the lack of oxygen to the brain from overuse of drinking and drugs and/or lack of water. Or chronic abusive experiences of events bringing on trauma resulting in brain damage. Are the voices logic gone wrong or are they ghosts?
Hi
I find that because I am on the lowest dose that I do not have tremens
cela fait un an que j’entends des voix.parfois ce sont des relets de mes pensees,parfois tres agressives a me demander mon ame.quand j’essaie des m’opposer ou de repondre elles sont plus agressives.j”ai un traitement psychiatrique tres lourd et j’ai l’impression que cela ne fait pas grand chose.j’ai consulte egalement des soignants du domaine du paranormal mais sans resultats vraiment durables;je sais qu’il faut faire des efforts mais c’est difficile.si vous pouvez me donner des conseils ils seront les bien venus.merci d’avance.
nathalie
The voices I hear are choral. They sing nursery rhymes, christmas carols mostly, every day, around the clock. They are pleasant enough, but somewhat intrusive. I am 82 years old, and the singing started about 2 months ago. Is there anything special about singing compared to talking voices. Can I get info on singing voices somewhere? I haven’t seen a reference to singing voices anywhere.
I have heard voices all my life.(and see things too) My Mom always thought I was talking to imaginary people and so I guess I thought it was normal. As I got older I realized this was way not normal…well for the average person.
It has been scary some times but most times it was some really strange stuff that was said. AND many times I would laugh…still do and go on my way.
I think because I have always heard voices, I am able to accept it…its always been with me. My voices are not heard in my head..they are outside. I can hear them in the next room talking or hear them in the same room.
Some times they are discussing me and I can’t hear every thing they say….very annoying..! Its sounds like mumbling and whispering and I can only catch a few words….sort of like a room full of people talking and you can’t hear all the conversation.
Sometimes I can see them too…but only for a second or two and they are gone.
There is more going on in this Universe than scientist can explain, not everything can be labelled THIS or THAT although they think they can. To me, there is something very real happening…and I do not accept the explanation that everyone who hears voices are sick.
Ellie:
You are a refreshing perspective. I have been hearing voices for nearly three years. They have been less than friendly. I hear them both internally and externally. They are sometimes extremely clear and loud — from subtle muffled conversations to crisp and clear voices right into my ear. They can be single voices or in multiples. I have witnessed my surrounding environment take on an audible likeness to a train depot — voices, hustle & bustle, activity, etc. I have also seen with my eyes a number of entities (and seemingly another sense that I cannot describe — only to say that I see it with my eyes and mind together — I “sense” it but can describe it visually).
It is very obvious that these voices/entities are those of something the scientific community cannot explain. Therefore, it is passed over to the medical and psychological communities to diagnose and treat. However, this is clearly not a condition which requires treatment, but one requiring understanding, faith, and trust. Too often, people like us are labeled, dismissed, and scorned.
I am a very bright and level headed person who has been engaged by something (or someone) from another realm/dimension/frequency (I say frequency because nearly everything I have experienced has had a very broadcast quality to it — as if I am a receiver/amplifier). Any attempts I’ve made to share my experiences with friends, loved ones, doctors, etc. have all been met with disastrous results and referrals to psychiatric professionals.
I tried so very diligently to chalk this up to a divine experience, yet the encounters are consistently cruel and tormenting (torturous). They pillaged my mind, raided my thoughts and memories, and ridicule my actions, thoughts, and emotions.
It has been very difficult to stay positive about the state and condition of our existence as a species. I have adopted the recent belief that we have all been very controlled by a constant onslaught of subliminal influence of thought and actions throughout our entire lives — and that some of us witness this sad truth as our consciousness dips down and breaches up into the subliminal frequencies utilized to conduct these evils. They don’t like being heard. I can feel them pushing and pulling my mind on a daily basis. I know they control us all to a large degree. I’ve seen it and felt it. So much is becoming so clear to me since my first realization of this presence. It is unfortunate, to say the least.
We are never alone in our thoughts. Never.
Thanks again for your post.
Darick P.
Dear Ellie,
I’m working on an art project for which I’m researching on the spatial aspects of the voices heard.
If you’re interessted in sharing your experiences with me please contact me.
Thank you in advance,
Florine
To add…I have never been on any meds of any kind for this. Also ..I have never smoked or drank alcohol either…
We have a new site we’re building and have a survey examining positive expriences of hearing voices if anyone is interested.
Hi all,
The excerpt below on the nature of “so-called hallucinations” is from a book written by Franklin Merrell-Wolff, an American philosopher-mathematician-scientist who achieved mystical or spiritual Enlightenment (or Illumination, or Awareness, or Whatever) in 1937. I believe he offers here an astute, edifying and challenging perspective that reframes the entire discussion regarding pathology versus normality, particularly in relation to the field of medical psychiatry. I also believe his words below call attention to the need for more psychospiritual research, and that they have major ramifications for the notion of ‘treatment’ and therapeutic intervention. Make of it as you will and feel free to share with others.
Regards,
Brian Spittles
Merrell-Wolff, F. (1973) The Philosophy of Consciousness Without an Object: Reflections on the Nature of Transcendental Consciousness. New York: The Julian Press, Inc., pp.143-145.
Modern psychology distinguishes between objects that it calls real and objects that it calls hallucinations. From the standpoint of Consciousness-without-an-object there is no important difference between these two sets of objects. The so-called real objects are experienced by groups of men in common, while the hallucinations are generally private. This is merely a social criterion of reality and has no logical force. Essentially it is as meaningless as determining physical laws by popular vote (p.143)…[T]he fact that objects exist for a given individual privately is not sufficient either to credit them with reality or to discredit them by calling them unreal hallucinations. The problem of reality is not to be handled in any such simple offhand manner. In fact, such a method is sheer intellectual tyranny. It is entirely possible that society, and not the individual man, is the greater fool. I am inclined to think so.
Objects, whether of the common social type or the so-called hallucinations, exist for the powers of experience and thinking, and thus both are derivative. If by ‘Reality’ we mean the nonderivative, then both types of objects are unreal. In the narrower or pragmatic sense, the one type of object may be more real than the other, when taken in relation to a given purpose. It may well be that in the narrow sense of the purpose of western physical science, the social object is more real, but from the religious standpoint, in certain instances at any rate, the reverse valuation is far more likely to be true. But here we have no more than valuation with respect to specific purpose.
Some mystical states, probably the greater number, involve the experiencing of subtle objects of the type that the psychologist calls hallucination. Practically, this has the effect of classifying the mystic with the psychotic, apparently with the intent of common depreciation. Such a course involves both intellectual laziness and a failure in discrimination. Since a ‘hallucination’ merely means private experience as opposed to social experience, it constitutes no true judgement or value. There is often a world of difference between one and another so-called hallucination. The difference between the state of consciousness of a drunkard, enjoying delirium tremens, and that of a seer like Swedenborg, is as far apart as the poles. All too (p.144) often the psychologist calls both merely states of hallucination, and acts as though he thought that by giving a name he had solved the whole problem. As a matter of fact, the real problem here is one of valuation, just as it is with the social objects. The vital question in either case is: How far and on what level do the objects arouse the realization of Meaning? The objects that do this in higher degree and on a higher level may properly be regarded as possessing the greater relative reality. Thus, in a given case, the so-called hallucination may far outreach any social object in the relative reality. In any case, the type of the object, whether social or private, is not by itself, any measure of its value or reality. Neither type has nonderivative Reality or Meaning (p.145).
Hi, I have just found your website whilst looking for evidence of a theory that just came to me… It looks interesting and I am looking forward to exploring it further when I get home… I am a community support worker and I work with people with psychiatric disability, I was discussing voice hearing with a team mate and had a thought that hearing a voice auditory would require the use of a part of the brain that others don’t have… I am of the belief that any person with a “disability” (hate the term) actually has more areas of their brain functioning than us TABs (an affectionate term a teacher used for us Temporary Able Bods)… Just my thoughts !!!