Martin F. Davies, Murray Griffin and Sue Vice
Goldsmiths College, University of London, UK

Objectives. Building on recent work on the similarities and differences in delusional ideation between psychotic and religious populations (Peters, Day, McKenna, & Orbach, 1999), the experiences of auditory hallucinations in psychotic, evangelical and control groups were examined in this study.

Method. The incidence and subjective experiences of hearing voices were assessed using questionnaire methods in psychotic out-patients, evangelical Christians and controls (non-psychotic, non-evangelical).

Results. Incidence of auditory hallucinations differed significantly across the three groups with psychotics showing the highest levels and controls the lowest levels. The experiences of the evangelical group were significantly more positive than those of the control group, which in turn were significantly more positive than those of the psychotic group. The most recent experience of hearing voices was rated more positively than the first experience by the psychotic and religious groups but not by the control group. These findings were much stronger for affective reactions to the experiences than for perceptions of the voices.

Conclusion. These results provide only partial support for the findings of Peters et al. (1999) on differences in delusional ideation and possible reasons for this are discussed. The findings for religious and psychotic individuals are discussed further in terms of interpretational and coping mechanisms.

The experience for a "psychotic" is an overwhelming one. It's like being thrown into a turbulent river of change and not being able to swim or being in an alien world without a guidebook and unable to read the signposts. I suggest that we need to learn to swim or that we are taught the language and know a little about this world before we get there. Obviously the confusion and fear associated with an unexpected arrival would result in distress and often a disfunctioning. This is added to by the social/cultural response to the individual’s apparent loss of control.

I would like to make the proposition that the so called psychotic state is an involuntary and unexpected immersion into the world of the subconscious. I use the term subconscious warily but find it a useful means of labelling a part of human consciousness that allows for experience that has been described by so many different people in so many different ways i.e. the psychotic, the shaman, the mystic, the visionary and so on.

The view that the psychotic is accessing the subconscious and experiencing phenomena shared by these other groups is not readily accepted, however neither is the view that these other groups are also experiencing the same thing. To put it crudely it is a case of 'my' God versus 'your' God.

I hope one day those who may experience a so-called psychosis in the future and mostly to those that already do so will be able to find this kind of support. I would hope that this would empower individuals by putting their experience on a more positive footing and by putting the experience into a framework and context that can be easily related to. In addition I would hope that once so empowered the individual might be enabled to seek out or take up an established practice and transform an otherwise negative experience into a positive one.

Alan Baker

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