You are not what you hear; Hearing Voices

​By Zephyr

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TW:SELF-HARM, LIFE THREATENING ACTIVITIES, INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS

Have you ever heard a voice and turned around, mindlessly searching for the owner, but no one is there? 

I have felt like this for a long time now. I hear a voice and mindlessly look around for the owner, only to realize the voice is in my head and no one can hear it. Voices I hear are distinct from one another; their tone, use of words, sentences, just everything is different. Just by hearing them, I can imagine what the owner might be like. 

The voices I hear are beyond just murmuring, ringing and whispering. I have heard them telling me to hurt my loved ones with a knife, hurt myself with a scissor and do other threatening activities. I have heard them screaming and yelling so intensely that I couldn’t sleep. I have found out that music and watching Run BTS helps. 

Hearing voices can be extremely upsetting and disturbing. It can harm your concentration and sleep and prevent you from doing your regular activities as small as brushing your teeth! Here are few ways you can manage these voices:

• Ignorance 

Ignoring these voices helps a lot. Do what you love! I have recently started crocheting, and that has helped me ignore them for some time. I binge watch RUN BTS and listen to their songs!

• Vent it out

My psychiatrist advised me to vent out what I hear and how I feel. Venting out has helped me understand what I go through!

• CBT

CBT helps manage voices. It has taught me that these voices are a part of me. I have learned to sit down and challenge them. 

• Medication

Medication helps ease these voices. My psychiatrist prescribed me Fludep 20 mg and I am hoping my voice will ease. 

• Family intervention

Family Intervention where you and your family come together and talk to mental health professionals to help manage your relationship. It helps your family understand you better and help you. 

I hope these strategies help you! Engaging yourself in things you love helps a lot! Consult professional help if your voices get worse or you act on them. 

You can use these strategies when you know you hear voices. But what if you are not sure if you are really hearing them? 

I have to admit: at the very beginning I thought my mind was playing games on me. I couldn’t separate where I was really hearing voices, or I was just imagining. So, here is what hearing voices can feel like:

•  Voices that are familiar or unfamiliar to you
• Whisper or shout
• Child or adult 
• Speaking an unfamiliar language 
• Different accent
• Female or male 

If you hear voices, allow yourself to figure out the content, and how long you hear them. I was taught to prepare a chart that includes how many times I heard them in a day, what voice did I hear the most, how many minutes did the voice last and the content? You can make a chart too! Visit a professional as soon as possible. 

Therapy has helped me cope with these voices a lot better. Healing isn’t linear and I am still learning to cope with these voices better. Remember that these voices are permanent. These voices are a part of you. They have no power over you and can cause you no harm. My psychiatrist told me, and I quote, “you are not what you hear and you need to let them know you are the boss and they need to shut up”. Pretty ruthless, but it definitely knocked some sense into me. 

You can always vent to us on our social media platforms!

You are NOT what you hear, and you are IN control. 

Extra Resources:

• https://www.rethink.org/advice-and-information/about-mental-illness/learn-more-about-symptoms/hearing-voices/ 
• https://www.7cups.com/ 
• https://www.talkspace.com/online-therapy/ 
• https://www.healthline.com/health/our-top-10-online-therapy-picks 
• https://www.facebook.com/TeenagersWithExperience ​