Lived Experience Forum

[lillyanne]

Hi everyone, i am new here and was wondering if anyone one out there hears external voices, and if so how they live their life? I have internal voices also but the medication gets rid of them. I find i have a very small social life as i am scared what i might hear if i go out around people. I am now taking more medication but as yet it hasn't helped and other medication has not helped either. Thanks

[NikNik]

Hi @lillyanne

Thanks for putting yourself out there and sharing your experiences with the community.

You are definitely not the only one here who has experienced voices. There's an interesting discussion here called 'What's the difference between voices and voices'. This discussion was started by @JT and has some interesting insights from @Uggbootdiva, @kato , @Rick among others....

Maybe you would find the discussion helpful.

@Gothgirl has also spoken about auditory and visual hallucination here

What has your psychiatrist said about the external voices? Does he/she think the medication will help this?

Welcome to the Forums by the way 🙂

[JellyBean]

Hi @lillyanne,

Just wondering if you've had a moment to read through some of those links @NikNik suggested and if so what you thought of them? @Jacques, @Former-Member and @Cherpieus have also had some experiences with medication challenges and might be able to help you out and offer some support.

[Appleblossom]

I really like the clarity and respect in your post.  Perhaps there are forms of psychotherapy that can help you integrate any dissociated parts of yourself.  Many view mediction as an adjunct therapy.

Sincerely Apple

[Pooh_bear]

I'm also new here and also am one who experiences voices. I'm intrigued to hear more about the differences between the external and internal voices you experience. Mine are definitely external.

I have a very sheltered life and find that helps, to a point. It is also debilitating at the same time. I have just recently started venturing back into town and getting about again, after much help with a psychologist who worked on Mindfullness techniques with me for a few months.

I take med's for the voices and also for my other experiences. It took years to find the right mix for me, I hope that your journey is quicker in that regard. The med's have reduced, but not eliminated the voices I experience.

Personally, I don't believe that med's alone are the cure, but are part of the journey to wellness and living a full life again.

Regarding my voices, I acknowledge them, but they are not the boss of me and I let them know that! It seems to work for me, they are still there, but it takes the edge off of them for me. I talk to them out loud when I am alone, but not when out in public. Then, I talk to them internally, with my mind, I suppose.

I don't know if any of that has been of assistance to you, I hope so. It seems that I have rambled a bit there... 

[Appleblossom]

Thanks @Pooh_bear

I find the humility and reluctance to ramble on the forum quite heartening.

Big topics require substantial posts sometimes.

[lillyanne]

Thanks poo bear, i am lucky the internal voices don't bother me much anymore, only if i get really stressed, and that doesn't happen as long as i take my meds. I was going to a hearing voices group and they helped a bit, but it seems there are more internal voice hearers and there wasn't much info or books about the external voices. At the group they incourage people to  have conversations with their voices, this is hard for me as if i say to someone you just said ...., they say they didn't say what i heard, and there is nothing else to say..

Thanks everyone elso for your words of care.

[AMATERUS]

Hello everyone,I myself am new hear so ,I  started taking medicines in 2005,I never heard voices until 2010,I have external voices,this can be confusing at times especially when you think that a friend has called out to you(ie:housemates)I am much better with my medecine and thank god for it,but this does not stop the external voices which is why I am seeking an awnser.I am not going to let this get in the way of my life,I find that reading self help books,listening to music with headphones helps to cut out the distractions,I also build plastic model kits to keep my mind healthy,do crosswords and such.The posts here are very helpful and I am grateful for them.I am happy to hear that there is others that I can talk to here.

I have started to venture out again after a breif period of ilness and find that life can be great, despite voices sometimes you just have to keep on keeping on.Can anybody recommend some good books to read?

Thankyou everybody! 

[Mazarita]

Hi @AMATERUS, welcome to the forum. I've not had the experience of external voices but know that would be a big challenge to live with. It's great to hear you sounding so positive in facing that unusual aspect of your life. You sound so very resourceful in your approach and that is inspiring. Hope to see more of you around the forum! 

[Appleblossom]

Welcome @AMATERUS

You seem to have managed your circumstances well. 

What kind of books do you like?

There are some threads in the other forum sections ... on wellbeing ... where people list allsorts of things that are helpful ... there are a lot of fantasy fans on the forum.

I have just finished reading The Strays by Emily Bitto.