Sometimes people can hear voices that no one else can hear; this is often called an auditory hallucination. There can be some fear and stigma about hearing voices, however it is quite a common experience and around one in ten people will hear voices at some point in their live.
There are many different ways that people can experience voices. For example:
- There can be one voice or many.
- They can be people you know or complete strangers.
- They can male or female.
- They can speak to each other or to you.
- They can seem like they are coming from inside your head or outside your head.
- They can be very intense and loud, or very quiet.
Hearing voices can be distressing, however for some people the voices can be comforting or entertaining. While they can be scary, they are not dangerous.
There are many reasons why people hear voices. While it can be related to mental health, this is not always the case. Some reasons for hearing voices include:
- Physical health problems.
- Not getting enough sleep.
- Using drugs or alcohol.
- Side effects of medications.
- Going through a stressful experience, such as a bereavement or bullying.
- Living with the effects of past trauma.
- Mental health difficulties.
Here are a few tips if you are struggling with hearing voices:
Try to make sure you eat well, get enough sleep, and exercise regularly. Speak to a Health Professional, if you notice any problems with your physical health, make sure that you are taking any medication that they prescribe.
More tips on how to feel good can be found on Sorted Supported pages here.
Having some coping strategies can be helpful in managing your voices. Different techniques work for different people, so it’s important to find out which one helps you best. Some ideas include:
- Finding a distraction, such as painting, watching your favourite movie, or exercising.
- Listening to music or audiobooks can sometimes help to block out the noise.
- Using mindfulness; check out our mindfulness page for more information here.
- Challenging the voices if they being unpleasant or demanding.
Understanding Voices have developed a “Coping Strategies Toolkit” has lots of different tips on how to manage voices, which can be found here. A lot of these tips revolve around improving well.
Sometimes when people hear voices that can make them wanting withdraw from friends, family and relationship, but becoming isolated can make the voices worse.
- Try to stay involved with your usual relationships, routines and activities.
- If there is someone that you trust, consider speaking to them about the experiences that you are having.
- Look at the local support groups below where you might find other people that you can speak about your experiences with.
If you are worried about hearing voices or it is causing you distress you can access help from professionals. You can speak to someone by contacting your GP or calling 111 and press option 2. The support you receive may involve medication or talking therapies.
