Can hearing voices in your head be a good thing?

Psychologists have launched a study to find out why some people who hear voices in their head consider it a positive experience while others find it distressing.

The University of Manchester investigation – announced on World Hearing Voices Day (Thursday, 14th September) – comes after Dutch researchers found that many healthy members of the population there regularly hear voices.

Although hearing voices has traditionally been viewed as ‘abnormal’ and a symptom of mental illness, the Dutch findings suggest it is more widespread than previously thought, estimating that about 4% of the population could be affected.

Researcher Aylish Campbell said: “We know that many members of the general population hear voices but have never felt the need to access mental health services; some experts even claim that more people hear voices and don’t seek psychiatric help than those who do.

“In fact, many of those affected describe their voices as being a positive influence in their lives, comforting or inspiring them as they go about their daily business. We’re now keen to investigate why some people respond in this way while others are distressed and seek outside help.”

Although the voices heard by psychiatric patients and members of the general population seem to be of the same volume and frequency, the former group tend to interpret the voices as more distressing and negative.

The team believes that external factors such as a person’s life experiences and beliefs may be the key to these differences: for example, the presence of childhood trauma or negative beliefs about themselves could have an affect.

“If a person is struggling to overcome a trauma or views themselves as worthless or vulnerable, or other people as aggressive, they may be more likely to interpret their voices as harmful, hostile or powerful,” said Aylish.

“Conversely, a person who has had more positive life experiences and formed more healthy beliefs about themselves and other people might develop a more positive view of their voices.

“People being treated for hearing voices are usually given medication in an attempt to eliminate the problem. By investigating the factors influencing how voices are experienced we hope to contribute to the development of psychological therapies to help people better understand and cope with their voices.”


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1,195 thoughts on “Can hearing voices in your head be a good thing?”

  1. i just found out the wee bastards really can do all what i said and thought, and its amazing i knew they wer real from the start an evry1 lied de me an made me out de be nutts, aha buh am not. havnt yet figured out what they want me de do buh a will sooner or later. think they wanted me de kill mesel they probably stil do buh i know thats NEVER gony happen, ye c too strong fer that shit really. not only that buh who in the right mind would want de die after catchin on de something so amazing…………only a FOOL would do that. im a bad person at the minute but i will change. still got me whole life ahead o me after all, would love to hear ppls views on this subject it is after all the most interesting thing iv ever come across in my life, anyone that still thinks ther in ther head dont bother writing de me wouldnt be bothered wi more stupid ppl that cant figure it out. i want de know the truth from the horses mouth

  2. theyre probably peers that have a connection with you somehow similar to internet p2p and theyre using a common channel like praying to you just like when you pray to god and if you are aware of the com channel they might talk to you.. just pray to god that the channel is properly moderated so malevolent people dont send you nuisance thoughts or listen in on everything cuz private mindspace is something people should have too

    • people who smoke marijuana alot seem to have these kinds of higher or psychic com abilities too maybe because the thc crystals tune people into a common frequency.. its kinda invasive and a nuisance though sometimes i think cuz people might take certain thoughts out of context.. you might be reading or thinking something and people interpret it inaccurately.. probably better to stay normal and practise learning to blocking such communications too.. it might be fun and entertaining but learning to turn off or turn down the volume of the built in mic in your head is important too so you dont go crazy and freak out or go paranoid thinking all these people can read your mind

      • if people pick on you in your head, you can report them to god, just like you could report a stalker to the police or the courts and they can put a restraining order so they dont torment you

        • some com channel code sets

          #autoregulate
          #automatic call block
          #automatic call forward to god
          #automatic cc reporting to police, god, whomever
          #privacymode
          #volumecontrol
          #spamfilter

  3. I started hearing voices iin my early twenties. My family put me in the hospital and I go to treatment at gateway treament center for hearing voices. If you hear voices let a doctor and family members know. Listen to music or find some one to talk to about the voices. Try the medication until you find the right one. If you have side effects medications let the Doctor know.

  4. I”ve hear voices too. they come from anything electrical or moving, such as cars passing by or the ocean. even my cell phone, They play tricks on me such as saying
    “your left arm hurts” then my left arm actually really does hurt. I haven’t figured out a way to stop them. they hacked my pandora account to play contempory christian music, they want me to think its god. They can also make my penis bigger or smaller, and can give me orgasms. Anyone else experience this?

  5. i think use are all wierdos for trusting and believing other people when they tell you that they are in your head, your hearing them for a reason, find out what that reason is and you will get stronger towards them, beliee me it wont be as wierd or out of the ordinary then. coming from experience iv heard them myself, aye it freaked me out at the start but eventually realised why i was hearing them. am not going into it here like but it wasnt for something good. i know people who havnt done anythingbad can here them too an plus they probably more than likely are one of them, i recognise most of the annoying heads now like and it just does my head in at this stage that a cant get no peace thats all. well anyway your probably wonderin how i know they are not in your head and that reason is that i was hearing them for a good 3 months before any medication worked, then jus out of the blue they go…..not possible. i havnt been on any medication as past 6 months or so but it probably longer cause i want takin it right anyway, dont need it ye c, but anyway the voices still stayed away so it obviously wasnt down de the medication they probably just got bored tryin de do my head in so moved on de some other wee soul…….until i was watchin t.v the other night no drink no drugs an ther they wer again fukn torchers or wah, jus coz ther bored they hav de come fuk my night up. just laugh bk at them when they laugh at u a dont think thay like that oh an another thing dont call them THE voices it makes them feel too special ye dont want them heads getn bigger nw de ye!!!!!!!!!!!

  6. If you believe that you actually do have voices in your head its really not a BIG DEAL just ignore the negative “words” coming out, after all they’re just words also and here’s a fun fact, its possible you got a voodoo curse on you and its possible ppl put an surprising amount of time to make you believe what they tell you so basicly don’t LISTEN ok or you actually do got voices but same thing there are things in this world that we ppl don’t understand but its truly possible, like cheat codes past reality and what we think we know but I couldn’t believe this if i saw it myself. another word of advice be humble you don’t wanna go pissing anyone off when in the long run you find some unusual shit happening to you so take it from me, it prob VOODOO don’t pay attention, you know what you are and what your not stay in your truth and don’t let no one tell you otherwise it will haunt YOU!!!, stay focused ppl its all we got.

  7. it started when i was 17 i useto talk to myself and then i realized
    that i was talking to voices and they would call me names and
    tell me to kill my parents and kill myself so i go to gateway counseling
    center in the bronx its a program and we have groups and i learn how
    to live with my illness and hearing voices the groups help alot and
    i feel better everyday if anyone wants to go to gateway the number
    is 1-718-325-5021 this program helps me alot and i never want to leave until the voices are gone completely but what i would want people to know is that the voices are fake and we are real all we
    have to do is ignore them and try to live our lives because there
    not that powerful there just voices.

  8. i hear voices but i know that its just me that hears them
    no one can hear what i hear there is alot of people that
    hear voices but no one else can hear what they hear
    everyone has there own voices and there not really there
    the voices are just are mind not working right there fake
    and no one can tell us that there real because we know
    its fake so we need to live our lives however we want to
    and ignore the fake voices and wake up and realize we are in the real world.

  9. i hear them, i never did before but when i started meditating they started to talk, i think its spirits or im nuts im continuing the meditations to see what happens

  10. Last night I had fallen asleep while I was watching a documentary about the hubble space telescope. I had only dozed off for about 30 mins when I half-woke up and noticed the documentary was finished playing and the computer screen was blank. I felt like I had to pee then I heard this deep and gentle right above my bed say, “get up”. and suddenly I woke up fully and went to the bathroom. It was really odd to hear such a realistic voice and to feel a presence. Makes me wonder if there are spirits or inter-dimensional beings in our universe sometimes.. lol

    • well things like this happens at night you know, they try to say something like a message because when its close to midnight they have a bit of free will to send something to somebody. there might be some kind of pressure on your arm or hand like sombody holding you, and you finnaly realize you have to do something but what??? its a thing that some people have to deal with and figure out the problem and solve it. and im only 16 and I know this kind stuff…….

  11. Well…I’ve been hearing voices for a long time…Most just say my name, Most different voices. But I also have dreams…I’ll dream about…Say a new house my family will move into and..Voila! It happens, Certain scenes, And people I invision.

    I find myself quite odd for stating and having said dreams and visions, And the voices in my head…

    E-mail me, If you have similar issues…?

    [email protected]

    • i hear voices n the tell me stuff like i need to die,or its my time nobody willl notice im gone,or they tell me there her to kill me n they hold my body down on my bed n i cant move n sometimes it feels they stoping me from breathing,i worry tht im going crazy becuz wen im in my brother room for the night they tell me to get out of his room or i will suffer and im afraid to go to the bathroom at night becuz everymove i make i feel im being watchd yet noone can hear them but me

  12. I have had visions for as long as I can remember. They give me massive headaches. The recent ones…are really bad. If someone…anyone…has shared these experiances, please email me. Please! I believe that when the apocalypse comes, we, the gifted will survive. We all need to stick together! We have to survive. Please, anyone else that feels the same way email me at [email protected]

  13. Ahh I read most of these stories along here. the only one I have is that I can hear my mum going ”JAAAAAMES” when I have my headphones in. well annoying because I keep taking them out everytime! but that nothing compared to you lot, I dont hear voices…
    The only this that made me think I’m schizophrenic is that I do get paranoid sometimes, expecially when walking on my own. Pretty much every time I walk down any road, I feel like I’m not walking propperly or my arms are moving strange or legs are too robotic…. that has pissed me off for years but knowone has ever commented on my walk, I’m most likely just normal, only worrying…
    But once my mate said I run like a horse, as in galloping haha. that might have triggered it.
    Hope you all get better anyway! (;

  14. for all my life I’ve been hearing voices in my head, some good, some bad. But for the last year or so they have been really strong and always blurting things they know i hate and they feel less like me then they used to and I’m always paranoid that someone is reading my mind and most of the good voices are gone most of the time and now the bad voices even have faces and names and I’m not just weird like creative anymore now my mind is just plain creepy. and my thoughts are really creepy and disturb and annoy me.

    • I have been hearing everyone in my life calling me a whore; my husband, roomate, even my own mothers vioce. So you’re not alone. I really think that it’s just me saying those bad things to myself and manafesting it into thier voices, but it’s hard to wrap around that. That I am making these things happen in my head. I’m doing it to myself?

    • Chiara mine is mostly like urs its been happening for so long sometimes I feel like every one can read my thoughts when I’mout or by myself. I hate it plz let me know if yoi have found anything that helps!

  15. I have a voice in my head that keeps calling my name, all day long it’s happened before but not like this, it’s getting crazy now. I know I am stressed out but I don’t know if hearing voices happens when your stressed. It’s so bad that I’m starting yell harshly at my three year old and I know that is not normal. A few months ago I felt something pull my hair and whisper “Got You” this is scaring me, I don’t know what to do because I don’t have health insurance to see a doctor.

    • In reply to winter solstice-
      I am not sure, of course, but I believe that spirits have to strengthen their abilities to communicate with us, just like we do to communicate with them. I think that the person grabbing your hair was not trying to scare you, but trying to strengthen their abilities. And when they got ahold of your hair and said “Got you” they did not expect for you to hear them. This was her own practice. Also- instead of getting frustrated with your 3 year old (which can happen anyways- I know) try asking your child if they hear or see anyone else around besides you? We all have spirit guides and maybe this is yours trying to get your attention- or maybe a past relative- look at it as a positive and try to help them communicate with you.

    • Yet, i feel them on my head, with the voice saying “im dancing on your head” and then laughing. they also give me orgasms.

  16. I’ve been hearing voices for years, but only recently have they become sentient, fully independent from my own thoughts. It’s really creepy. One of the voices is always telling me to kill, kill, kill, kill everyone I know, everyone I meet. Another is sick of existing and just wants me to die so she can too. There are nicer voices, too, who argue with them, but it’s really been getting to me. My friend, the only one I’ve told about this, says to see a psychiatrist, but I’m scared. What should I do?

    • It’s okay. I have experianced the same symptoms. Tell me, do you think that your crazy?

      • Im looking for people on the same day as you. I’m pretty sure people who hear voices are sort of gifted. you see hearing voice is sort of like tapping into your higher self. the was society programs you, your sub conscious and even mind are sort of affected. With certain rules people with voices can overcome the disillusion, however if one cannot master or control the voices, they slip out into your evil polarity. I’ve trained this sort of feeling to the point where all of the voices are pushed out in a sort of mind-space, staying separate from my being. People who hear voices hear voices because of something linked to their soul and brain chemistry shows something going on. add or email me [email protected]

    • Ive had this problem as well in the past. I heard voices that called me gay and a faggot all the time. I got on the right medications, and they have stopped for the most part (85% of the time I hear nothing now). Id reccomend seeing a doctor and telling them EXACTLY what you hear and whats goin on inside your head, even if it means admitting your somewhat crazy. On the right meds it will just make them go away.

    • Dude, theres not much you can to. I hear the same thing, Its a war. try blasting music in your ear. that always pisses them off. its a radio frequency. and can be heard over the phone too. they were complety gone for 2 months then came back. Now they say they are trying to help me.

    • Hey kevin, i am in first year university and started hearing voices in my head about 2 and a half months ago. At first i thought it was my floormates playing a joke on me or something I actually didnt know what to think of it. I actually full out yelled out my window one night thinking somone was watching me. They say negative things to me, they call me things like gay, nerdy, fag. It is really getting on my nerve even when im out walking around i can hear them loud and clear like theya re sitting beside me. I havnt told anyone about this because i still think it was a joke but ive been really stressed out lately because of finals and these voices have kept me up for the last 4 nights in a row ive only had about 10 hours of sleep and its really affecting the way i act and even the way i eat. I havnt tried any councelling, but im starting to think i should tlak to someone about this. Sometimes ive tried to talk to them and they would say shit like `hes cool Hes, so cool`over and over again. These voices can read my mind if i think something they will comment on it and lots of time thye try to make fun of me and put me down idk why but i alwasy defend myself i always say shit back to them but it aggrovates them it makes them say more shit idk i can`t help myself cuz what if it is someone playing a joke on me… IU honestly don`t know what to do…. Idk shit, i just wanted to talk about this shit get this shit written down. You know….

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