Forum

The following message is posted on behalf of Marius Romme, Sandra Escher and Paul Baker about an initiative they are developing to engage with people who hear voices and live well with them. Please share amongst your networks:

You may know that the general population surveys have shown that in our society about 4% of hearing voices on a more or less regular basis. Most of these people hear voices that are supportive and inspiring and who function well in society. There are around 250 million people across the world who have this experience and many are not able to talk openly about it. This is because in our society there is not an open minded attitude towards people having this human experience, indeed the view is mostly negative. We think it is time to change this and would ask you for your help.

The reason we think we need to change the attitudes in society is that our research and those of others has led us to conclude that hearing voices is a common human variation. However this is mostly and unknown reality which has led to a lack of acceptance and reduced freedom of expression. We think this is the time for people like yourself, who live well with their voices, to speak out. This is because only people who have personal experience of hearing voices can change the attitudes of society.

To realise this we need to begin a process that creates safe spaces for you to share your experiences with others. Therefore we are looking for people who would be willing to participate in a private and moderated online forum, where members can adopt an avatar to protect their identity if they so wish.

We think that amongst the benefits of the forum for participants would be the opportunity:

• to share stories and experiences
• to get a better understanding of the voice hearing experience
• to help change social attitudes and promote the freedom of minds

If you would like to find out more about our proposal please contact Marius Romme or Sandra Escher at [email protected]

If you would like to become a member, please contact Paul Baker at [email protected]

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Best wishes

Marius Romme