Why Hearing 'Voices' May Not Necessarily Be a Bad Thing

Why Hearing 'Voices' May Not Necessarily Be a Bad Thing

When people say they hear voices no one else can, it can be an indication of mental illness, such as schizophrenia, or it could be some sort of auditory hallucination—and per Joseph Frankel's examination in the Atlantic, some scientists think such a sensory glitch might not always be bad.

One receptive listener says she considers her voices, which she thinks arose from trauma, to be "a source of insight into solvable emotional problems."

Do you hear voices? I have at times - not often - I just find it interesting and would like to hear if there are any on here that do.

I sometimes hear what I think are voices, or music, within white noise - like a fan. But they've never said anything useful, or even really that discernible. I figured it's just audio pareidolia - my brain trying to find patterns in the white noise.

a reply to: silo13

I was looking for a link to the doctor who started talking back to the troublesome voices his patients heard. The voices were scared off when they realised the doctor recognised them as real.

Instead I found this link which seems perhaps more interesting.

www.neatorama.com...

‘The voices told her to go in and ask to have a brain scan,’ says Dr Azuonye. ‘This was apparently for two reasons. She had a tumour in her brain and her brain stem was inflamed.

Because the voices had told her things in the past that had turned out to be true, she believed them when they said that she had a tumour. I requested a brain scan.’

It turned out the diagnosis made by the voices was correct. Interestingly, says Dr Azuonye, there were no clinical signs that would have alerted anyone — including the patient — to the tumour.

The surgeon suggested an immediate operation to remove the tumour, a decision the voices agreed with. ‘They said they would have preferred the operation to be done at the National Hospital, Queen Square, London, because they specialised in neurological diseases. But because she was already at the Royal Free Hospital, they told her to have the procedure done there because it was urgent,’ Dr Azuonye says.

After the operation, and when the woman had recovered consciousness, the voices returned one last time, to bid her farewell. ‘We are pleased to have helped you,’ they said, before bidding her goodbye.

Same story in the BMJ. www.bmj.com...

There must be plenty of doctors aware of this who can accept the voices are sometimes real, not hallucinated. When the voices are suggesting negative ideas it seems a good way to combat them is for a doctor or other carer to stand up to them.

a reply to: silo13

To answer your question, I heard a voice once, from a standing stone.

It said. "You can only believe what you experience."

a reply to: Kester

Very cool story - I wonder what/how the woman is doing now?

Thanks for the share.

I've had the still small voice talk to me a few times to tell me about events that were just about to occur. The voice was clear, in my head only and it was my voice, but not under my control like when you are thinking in words. It happened enough at the time it was making me angry and I often refused to listen to it, though it was right about what was soon to come. That was back in my early 20s, I haven't heard it in many many years since.

originally posted by: VegHead
I sometimes hear what I think are voices, or music, within white noise - like a fan. But they've never said anything useful, or even really that discernible. I figured it's just audio pareidolia - my brain trying to find patterns in the white noise.

Ditto.

a reply to: MichiganSwampBuck What were a few things that the voice said to you what were the consequences off not listening? Why not explore an internal voice and its thoughts and mechanisms? Why do schizophrenics always hear nasty suggestions and not pleasant ones? When I'm on ATS the voices stop.

I take into consideration what the voices have to say, but I learned a looong time ago not to blindly trust them. They will steer you to trouble, and I think they quite enjoy causing suffering.

originally posted by: PsychicCroMag
a reply to: MichiganSwampBuck What were a few things that the voice said to you what were the consequences off not listening? Why not explore an internal voice and its thoughts and mechanisms? Why do schizophrenics always hear nasty suggestions and not pleasant ones? When I'm on ATS the voices stop.

One good one was when I was driving a vehicle that my mother owned just before I did. When I went to visit a friend a couple of miles from home, I was going the route I normally would that took me over the highway on an overpass nearest to my destination. I started getting a ringing in my left ear and I thought to myself, "If ringing in the ear means that someone is talking about you, what does ringing in the left ear mean?" Then my own voice popped into my head and told me that a cop would pull me over and give me a ticket.

Immediately I got pissed and told myself that there was no reason a cop would give me a ticket and blew off the warning. Well, when I got to the over pass there was a cop parked on it and I thought about going a little further to the next overpass to avoid the cop, but my attitude kicked in and I went past the cop anyway. Well, he started following me, put on the lights and pulled me over. Apparently the plates expired on my mother's birthday and I didn't know that and had driven a couple months that way. The cop gave me a ticket for expired plates, fortunately he didn't have time to check my expired insurance and ticket me for that too.

I had another one that was a bit more dramatic with another human life on the line, I didn't listen to that one either and it was a really close call to be sure. Once again, I got pissed at the voice and denied it. Many strange paranormal things were going on in my life then and I was getting pissed most of the time and ignoring it at great risk. I could have prevented a rape/murder had I put together the obvious signs, but my second sight had me angry and I fought against it.

I don't want to know any more and have effectively been able to ignore it and stop it entirely by not practicing the occult and worshiping pagan gods and spirits, something I was heavy into back then and believe me it is for real. In fact the people who didn't believe in it were the easiest to use it on. So keep an open mind when you get a voice giving you a warning and don't blow off the paranormal as crazy superstition or a mental issue, it may not be that at all.

originally posted by: silo13
Why Hearing 'Voices' May Not Necessarily Be a Bad Thing

When people say they hear voices no one else can, it can be an indication of mental illness, such as schizophrenia, or it could be some sort of auditory hallucination—and per Joseph Frankel's examination in the Atlantic, some scientists think such a sensory glitch might not always be bad.

One receptive listener says she considers her voices, which she thinks arose from trauma, to be "a source of insight into solvable emotional problems."

Do you hear voices? I have at times - not often - I just find it interesting and would like to hear if there are any on here that do.

I have only had one experience with what i thought at the time was an external voice. i was not familiar with the voice a clear feminine voice. Three years ago I was at my younger brothers house with a few family members on the back deck getting ready to grill With my brother and mother only sitting there I heard a fem voice say " Your mother will out live one of her sons" I looked to right then towards my brother who didn't seem to have heard anything! What does that mean I thought. My mother was 92 then and my brother there was 61 (older bro was 66). I kept the incident to myself but I kept thinking about it on and off and that winter i told my daughter the story and how much of an impression it had made on me. The next summer 2015 Almost a year to the day from the voice my younger brother passed away from brain cancer.A riddle which i could not solve came true.

Singer notes how many proposed “solutions” to the global warming “crisis” (like “carbon” taxes) would have severe consequences for economically disadvantaged groups and nations.

I've heard voices my entire life.

When I was younger they were kind, considerate, caring and helpful.
I thought of them as angels and family.

Around my nineteenth year, they began to suggest things, like donating everything I owned and living out of a backpack, traveling cross country on what I was led to believe was a mission of mercy and compassion. A spiritual quest so to speak.

Everything was fine for several years, when out of the blue my kind and supportive voices disappeared and were replaced with what I can only describe as repetitive mechanical looped recordings of vile insults and cruel directions.

I would hear "stupid bitch" on a loop every fifteen seconds for months, and the other voices would tell me to go here or there and do this or that. If I did not comply I would experience painful shocks and prolonged painful frequencies in my head that would lay me out flat on the floor trying to dissociate from the overload of pain.

It's been twenty some odd years since things went sour.

I've done a lot of reading and research into both my "diagnosis" and other speculations into what what was happening to me. I no longer blindly listen to the voices, suggestive or commands. I have learned to adapt to pain and my headaches are pretty much constant these days.

I "talk" silently in my head and refute the more aggressive ones.

Sometimes they are friendly, but I still don't trust a good majority of them.

It's overwhelming, and prevents me from having anything remotely similar to a normal life.

I do the best I can, but an onslaught of mental conversation coupled with involuntary trance states can make for a nasty cocktail if I'm put under too much duress for too long.

Everyone has their breaking point.

I'm just grateful it's been nine years since I have been involuntarily committed because of overload.

In some cultures, hearing voices is considered a blessing.

Maybe because I'm here in America the brutality and collective schadenfreude took over and left me helpless in the face of an onslaught of hostile negativity and casual cynicism.

Anyway, that's my take on it.
Coming directly from the metal battlefield.

Thank gods it's a good day and I'm not hearing much of anything.

a reply to: GENERAL EYES

What a fascinating story. I’m sorry it’s gone south for you.
Have you spoken to any doctors about it or do you live with it?
Praying would help I know that (been there).
How does it effect your relationships with other? You don’t have to say, I’m just curious.

a reply to: silo13

It's ok, I don't mind.

Twenty some odd years living with the debilitation aspects.

Seen more doctors and therapists than I can count, on stable medications now, they help a bit with the other symptoms but the voices and wild trains of thought can still get the better of me sometimes. Therapy doesn't really offer any insight or solutions as to how to stop the voices, we can only emphasize proper nutrition, exercise, drug and alcohol free lifestyle and daily symptom management.

I frequent a bookstore cafe where everyone knows me so they're there if I need help or a ride home in case of extreme circumstances. Rarely do though, it's not nearly as bad as it was in the past. I'm better at holding the worst of it in these days so if you didn't know me, odds are you'd never know I dealt with anything that could be so overwhelming.

Day to day is day to day.
One day at a time.
One step at a time.

a reply to: GENERAL EYES

Wow, your accounts are quite disturbing and nothing at all like the voice I've heard. I'm no doctor, but it sounds like a mental condition like schizophrenia combined with being bipolar. I had a friend who was diagnosed with schizophrenia due to a brain infection he had as a kid, but his case was nothing like yours.

Being conspiracy minded, your accounts sound like mind control technology, that was my first impression. Another thought was that there is some spiritual battle within you. I almost don't want to put any of that out there because I don't want to add to any potential delusions you may be having. I mean all of this in the most respectful manner and don't intend to imply you are "crazy", however, they may be some physical problem with your thought processes going on.

It is terrible that the medical help you have been seeking hasn't cured your condition. I hope you find something that silences the voices and frees you from your torture.

a reply to: MichiganSwampBuck

Thanks for the well wishes.


Schizophrenia and Bipolar = Schizoaffective.

I looked into the MK theories and symptoms when certain things began happening....I try to stay away from them these days because they can cause a nasty and dangerous "loop" in my psyche and conscious mind, even if I read them with a shield of scientific skepticism.

I've learned enough that I real wish to help others, but I'm still very much a student in this field.

I know without a doubt my psyche shattered somewhere, and I'll probably never repair it like it was before, but in a way, despite the hardships and trials, I've come out better for it. I'm helping as an unofficial mentor at our local behavioral health clinic and everyone up there (staff and clients) are really wonderful people.

So it's kind of a mixed blessing.

(On a side note...)

I remember reading a paper that stated hearing voices is completely normal, that they are sometimes aspects of one's psyche and inner dialogue. I'm not completely ruling out latent telepathy as part of an emphatic human communication we had before the development of verbal and written language....kind of like a collective human co-consciousness.

a reply to: GENERAL EYES

You certainly seem clear headed to me. Once again I hope you are as healthy as you can be to spite your condition and wish you the best in your search for answers.

a reply to: GENERAL EYES

I remember reading a paper that stated hearing voices is completely normal, that they are sometimes aspects of one's psyche and inner dialogue.

Ok if the voice(s) are under your control, problematic if not.

Possibly not related, but I have firm belief that left and right hemisphere of brain are in fact two separate minds, the left specialised in body control and responsible for logic and rational thinking, your conscious mind is there. The right part is more artistic and impulsive, this is where sometimes truly genious idea come from. The right mind have no direct control of the body, to act it must suggest the left mind to do something. Normally, they communicate with each other to form a single apparent and coherent mind. It may be possible that sometimes, the communication between them is defective or abnormal and the right side use verbal, conscious to the left, channel to communicate, thus hearing voice not under conscious control. Possibly the right side may have become a personality too divergent from the left and is frustrated and just want to wreak havoc.

This is just speculation from me, but all very good idea and solution to very complex problems alway come to me as some sort of intuition. When I want to solve a problem, I take conscience of all the aspects of the problem, basically getting all the info I can, then forget it and start something else, this is like I informed the "other" side and gathered for it all the info for "it". Then, somes time later, an idea come from nowhere on the possible solution. This is the right side that is submiting the solution. Then under conscious thinking I will adapt the concept to the real world using calculation, logic, ... But for me the left does not use verbal channel or visual. Just semantic hints.

Also, and probably many will laugh at this, but I alway try to take seriously what I think are suggestions from the right part, thinking that if I ignore them, the right "mind" may grow frustrated at being ignored and may eventually take revenge.

Related concept: Bicameralism (psychology)