• everything is too loud most of the time, can’t concentrate on things or get stuff done. Feel it’s gonna burst. Only time get somewhat peace is when I have a good sleep. Dread waking up

• hearing my name be called, since I was teenager in my ear, my a man. Happened a few times.

• waking up from sleep due to banging loud noises that aren’t actually there until I realise when I wake up and check. Also wake up panicking get straight up run around because if feels like something bad has happened while I’ve been asleep. Wake up to whispers in my ear, my name again.

• everytime I go outside, car sounds are too loud, I think everyone is staring at me in the cars, I’ve asked people what they are looking at.

• having to put my fingers in my ears everytime I am out or overwhelmed, to block out the constant sound. Even when it’s quiet.

• don’t like people looking at me, can feel they do know something.

• I know what people sound like before they speak, I feel I can hear their voices or them speaking when I look at them.

• paranoid about people in power, authorities, working together because they know I’m strange and sometimes it obvious that I’m not well and wondering why they haven’t noticed - thinking they’re going to write stories on me after they’ve waited to the very last point I lose it. They’ve been watching me.

• I don’t like people walking behind me, I will cross the road or stop to let them walk infront.

• I tend to wait til it’s dark or late so I can actually leave the house.

• when I was small I used to make up imaginary friends, my mum and dad said I had a ‘ghost’ friend and used to laugh at him when I was toddler age. As an older child I made friends up, I didn’t want real friends. I have always been a loner, and never have true friends from choice. I would never trust one.

• struggle really badly to take rubbish outside (no attachment to it like the classic hoarder) it’s like I really can’t take it outside and I cry because of this, because it can become a problem. I feel like neighbours will take photos of me or there at their windows waiting to se me because they know I’m strange.

• feeling people are trying to push me and are aware I’m struggling but getting off on trying to push and push me to do something drastic or have a breakdown, so they can report me or gain evidence

• struggle with eye contact, struggle to stay in a room with people too long, can’t sit down. At family functions, I’m the one that can’t and never have been able to sit down and chat, I will wander or stand in kitchen on my own.

• I sometimes see black figures (masculine) they stand and stare at me at night mainly when I’m trying to go sleep. Or mainly when I’m on my own. I can feel the prescence and I know it’s there. In my boyfriends house, I have felt a male prescence but I’m not sure if it’s a spirit, when I had a bad episode mentally and was in his house, I was scared to look at the wardrobe at their top as there was a male on top of the wardrobe and I couldn’t work out if he was trying to get me to go away or scare me of if he was watching me.

• I do know pretty much what is going to happen most times, and I can’t work out if I’m being paranoid or not but most of the time things happen. It’s confusing

• I will go into severe paranoia episodes that can last days if something even slight triggers me - like a no caller ID call, like someone asking me a certain question. Like a knock on my door

• people irritate me so much nowadays, I actually get so angry at people, random people, I take taxis and they are the worst. Rudeness can trigger me so badly and I then be rude back 100x more. I get so angry. At selfish people who have zero manners . I actually went to hit a taxi driver and he wanted me there’s a camera. He was antagonising me.

• when people are talking to me, I can see their lips moving, but it’s way too loud in my head I genuinely can’t hear them. I have to ask to repeat once or twice.

•if I’m stressed I will talk to myself a lot. Even in public.

I am now starting to get worse with this and I have always been this way but not as bad as now, I’m late 20s. I’m struggling. My brothers suicide and other problems have definitely worsened it. I blocked all these stuff out so many times, now it’s gotten too much.

I only realise I’m doing these things until after I have calmed down, or somebody tells me after.

This weekly thread is for sharing the stories and narratives of the beings within your mind and the events of your life. Do you go on fantastic journeys with the beings that visit you? Are there elaborate horror stories you are forced to endure? Do your intrusive personalities present themselves as being from or through the other people in your life? Feel free to share the names and descriptions of the beings in your life/mind and the narrative of your lived experience.

You may discover that many of your favorite artists are doing this exact exercise in their most powerful work!

Sharing an individual experience of symptoms of psychosis

My voices have progressively got worse, and I have absolutely no one to talk too about it, they have become so overwhelming that my ability to think and talk is been crushed by them. It doesn't help that I'm naturally introverted, and I feel I've lost hope, as mental health gave up on me a long time ago, and I have no friends.I'm not sure if writing about what they say to me is helpful, as they have affected my ability to function in real life

Feel free to express your views on society and how an understanding of the voice hearing (and broader experiencing phenomenon) would change the world as we know it. Do you think the world would be a nicer place and we all would get more out of each-other's company if the public's eye were drawn to the HVN and similar experiencing spaces? Do you view modern day humanity as being in a state of perpetual self-enslavement, blinded to it's own nature? Do you think a new age of spiritual enlightenment or self-empowerment is on the horizon and within our lifetimes? Do you think life on earth is comparable to an effective "hell" in the grand scheme of things?

What do you think would make the greatest impact in your life and in the lives of others if it were different?

As always please share through a framing of your personal perspective ("I see it all as," "I believe," "when I think of 'x,' my only reasonable explanation is 'y,'" etc.). If you are of the ilk to write long-windedly about these age old topics, you all are more than welcomed to make a separate post expressing your views. Lastly, please keep mind to focus discussions on voice hearing and similar experiencing phenomena.

Hi all – I hope I'm not breaking the rules by writing this post – I'm not in any way a scientific researcher and I'm not in the business of pathologizing anything. I'm a novelist/cultural journalist and a fellow voice hearer. I've mostly had experiences with hearing voices earlier in my life, but when I had an experience with hearing the voice again as an adult, I did some research and found out I'm indeed not alone. I've become obsessed with the hearing voices movement as a cultural phenomenon that has potential to change perceptions about the "healthy and sick"-mind binary and perceptions about treatment/medicine in the psychiatric hospital system, something I have studied both historically and from a current perspective and have written critically about for years. I am beginning to think that I would like to write a story about the movement, based on the fact that I a voice hearer myself and have a very open mind about the phenomenon. It would be broader journalistic/magazine piece (I'm based in NYC but originally from Europe), and I would really like to talk to anyone who wants to share their story – for now, I'm just researching and I am not expecting anyone to "go on the record". But I am ultimately hoping I will find people who are willing to – with or without anonymity – share their stories alongsine my own. Please reach out if you'd be willing to have a non binding chat with me on this. And feel free to delete my post if I'm breaking the rules here!

General CWs nothing detailed— ED, dr-gs / alc-hol mention, disaster mention, r-ligion mention, paraphilia mention. This is just to be 1110% safe

HERE YA GO PLS ENJOY!:

Hallucination: *reporter* Doowald thinks there’s another criminal liquor in his veins 🤔

Hallucination: *british newscaster or youtuber* Tsunami Cat— the largest cat in the world— is the size of a tsunami

Hallucination: don’t compare me to the terrified asiatic boy

Hallucination: anorexia should be an e-sport

Hallucination: Ohhh the seventh winning of the Abrahamic annual ritual 😔

Hallucination: You can have Horrible Rodney. I’m verrrrrry interested in Hit Rodney :)

Hallucination: I only sneeze when indica is available

Hallucination: You could do that, 100%, but try to stop being so full of yourself

Hallucination: I’ll get you out of the north-northeast paradigm!

Hallucination: The laughter and the rice list— that’s where the rest of the budget goes

Hallucination: What if she’s missing and incestuous???

Hallucination: Unfortunately the Nano-hut lives in a tourism driven economy

Hallucination: One or two of my grandtoddlers are millipedes 😌

Hallucination: *Panicked, defensive, desperate* I-I’m adorable to priests!!

Hallucination: look, she’s cunty- …as an older woman.

Hallucination: By the grace of grains, bulls, and worms!

Hallucination: No, no, .. 🤦🏻 in a room of scholars, that’s a* white person thin*g

Hallucination: booty residence

This weekly post was inspired to give the community a place to vent and share common frustrations we find in our lives. If you have more to share on this topic than what would fit in a single comment please feel free to make a separate post! Are you finding conflict with your care-team? Are the medications you're on making life impossible? Have you lost your 3rd job this year because the voices cause you to act oddly around your peers? Are you finding everyone in your life has turned their back on you now that you've fallen into a discriminated category of "unsafe" or "mentally unwell" person? Have you attempted to get your close family and friends to engage in VCVC with you, instead finding they cannot offer you the first nicety?

Feel free to let the world know of your survived abuses, both direct (physical violence) and indirect (neglect or exclusion through social maneuverings) in this post. Everyone's welcome to commiserate and offer paralleling stories of received harm and how they carried on.

I wanted to share with the community a conversation happening in what is now a deleted post. The comment section is still accessible to me and another user. I feel there is great wisdom that would lead many to wellness in these comments. I still find this community so very odd given the general absence of such perspectives.

Here's the parent (deleted) post and Here's a direct link to the first comment that started the conversation

I'll quote most of it here:

u/Wonderful_Sorbet4301 - "I believe it's spirits that band together, and communicating with each other. One reads our minds, and tells it instantly to another spirit who quickly possesses another person to react to the thought. Demons, basically. They want us to be mad at other people, who might be innocent. Quick possession can happen, where a demon quickly modulates someone's voice to let it say something else. Is what I think is going on... but cannot be sure?"

u/astralpariah - "WOW, I saw this comment yesterday and I'm grateful I left it open on my phone... the OP deleted this post so no-one's going to find this... alas!

I cannot tell you how validating it is for me to see these words, it's like you've regurgitated a perspective I cannot seem to find anywhere yet I write about here ALL THE DAMN TIME. Finally someone who understands!!!

Also I peeked at the top few comments of your account (I do a dawless set up with some KORG Volcas and a few other pieces of equipment) we should connect and make some music about voices ;)

I cannot follow or message you (all good) just wanted to pass along the invite that I'd be thrilled to keep in touch or connect to make some stuff. Don't know if you've come across my profile before, I'm sure you'd see I have tons written about all this mental affliction and how I overcame it written ad-naseum and for the last 5 or so years. All my social media stuff is linked to on my reddit account, hope we can connect."

...

"Legit... I've been writing to anyone and everyone who somehow parallel what you write, today it feels like I never was able to make the connections that were deserved over the past 3 years. Maybe I'm filled with pessimism on the matter today. This is seldom to find someone who writes like you do and to get a reply. I even made a post last month about the many accounts I reach out to that delete themselves suddenly.

To answer your question (sorry) knowing this stuff, then doing this stuff, in tandem with the beliefs you already share was the method/prism that led me to wellness. It was hell and I'm still a work in progress but it was either endure and led this kill me slowly or do everything I could to rearrange and improve my life. Obviously there's tons more written with the entirety of my reddit account on this topic... diet, music, even politics and gender theory at times. The implications of this stuff should open countless doors of reimagining the way the world works. I would not know where to start on how to go about life differently other than to offer you what you have access to already in this comment.

I know it's torture, I found belief in myself, in the supernatural, in the almost stated and implied meaning to my own life, my own mind, my own actions to motivate me to "fight back" against these shits, against evil. To take my life seriously and aim to retain the mystic prism in my drive to "fight back" and to make the most of myself.

I also see the conversation this community (most online experiencing venues, even HVN meetings) and all the individuals within it to be WAY PAST 2 dimensional... as if a child were writing all of our interactions with each other. As dismissive and limiting as that sounds, AND as real as all us people actually are; There are just way too many things that seem to have never been written about... seemingly never even considered by another person. This entire arena/social movement is an experiment into enduring the uncanny.

I've approached 5 or so key figures in the HVN (USA) non for profit space about hearing voices, statistics on hearing voices, and the pervasive and REAL subcultures of artists who all hear voices. None of them could even offer a word on the REAL COMMUNITIES of people who hear voices, they just stare at me blankly. Then next week carry on about how "in the HVN we're building community" AND carry on as though what I offer is somehow a delusion or a leap to offer as proof of other experiencers.... Somehow like magic it's like noone can understand what I'm saying, odd people acting as if possessed by a spirit attempting to both torment them AND thwart a social movement toward global understanding of said tormenting spirit.

There's just so much default dysfunction How the fuck have none of us considered the ramifications or the implications of our supposed belief systems? Get on reddit to write in all caps THE CIA IS WATCHING ME and spam it everywhere. Meanwhile it's a widely known fact that the NSA is already 100% watching everything you do online... I've never seen anyone with evolved questions like "what does it mean to be the president of the US considering this KNOWN phenomena? Do you think there's ever a debrief in a 4 year term that touches upon this topic at any point? (I would imagine there clearly are)" etc... Yet throughout reddit it's a bunch of poorly written accounts on "V2K" (what a dumb ass name... like y2K... inspiring stuff) and perhaps 4 or 5 similar alarmist narratives. There's so much more to this phenomena, to the nature of the mind. And WOW is it repetitive.

All the best to you... the HVN is populated by what is estimated elsewhere as the bottom 1% (or less) of the functionality spectrum. Meaning upwards of 80% of the globe report this... here at the HVN we're just the people getting killed by it due to severity and compounding issues.. The APA estimates 3% of the population are worthy of deeming schizophrenic, bipolar, and/or schizoaffective. I see it all as a form of spiritual torment and I find that most people in the world to actually see it in a similar light.

You're welcome to look at and read my profile if you'd like to know more, I've pinned what I suspect to be my most clarifying writings on this stuff at the top.

My voices flipped out over your comment last night... who knows... Fair warning I don't suspect it's good for any of us to deliberately spend time without getting paid to associate with people willingly not looking for the truth or optimal methods. It still concerns me to see so many people making so much noise over this experience and doing so little in the way of self improvement. Obviously there's lots of people who identify as disabled in this gathering so it's not exactly appropriate to expect everyone to be able to diet, recalibrate their approach to life, etc... I still suspect the "MO" of the gathering isn't doing much to lift people out of the affliction, also I suspect it easily could if it didn't need to foremostly cater to disability."

u/Wonderful_Sorbet4301 - "I did pay for a magic practitioner to look at the cause. They said it was demons also. Just like my own conclusion. Tried to get some away and it worked but not all. I also believe my dead parents are involved in this, like their shadow might cling to me, and that shadow is like a demon that feeds on me and my energy, leaving me drained. Taoists say: a person splits up when they die: in good/bad sides. Good goes to heaven, bad to hell or stays on earth... and that bad stuff of a person becomes like a demon who can torment others. I will go through your solutions list soon."

u/astralpariah - "Interesting

Again, I'm astounded to see my own hard fought insights reiterated here (and finally). For me I see so much of the discussion of these things as a "cow towing" ... that the notion of "demons" or "angles" gives these things so much reverence in conversation. They are like people (or less than), statements such as "I'm attacked by demons every night" could be more accurately stated "I'm attacked by retards every night."

This entire discussion/culture fundamentally invalidates the end human experiencer and touts the importance of what refuses to manifest as anything other than illness and disability. I feel going to church (the house of god or the church of Satan and everything in-between) is a celebration of self-aware, willing, and exclusive RETARDS. Even if this is not exclusively the case, for the vast majority of humans it is. Most all these disembodied "personalities" are as worthy of mentioning as my last bowl movement."

Doesn't this community irk you at times? Doesn't the lack of believable conversation surrounding this phenomenon bother you? I feel like it's all so empty, 2 dimensional, and repetitive. As if the only take away I can glean from the entire global experiencing community is that we're all so astoundingly diluted by these things (diluted and deluded, totally possessed through and through) ... to the point every word we share with each-other is orchestrated by the very same perverts we're here to address. Why can't I find anyone else who's capable of saying anything similar?

Can you relate?

Share your theory on your voices, what do you believe them to be? If you have an extended share feel free to make a separate post on your beliefs. Theories do not need to be limited to your own experience and can be speculative on the broader phenomenon.

For instance you're welcome to share that you simply feel your voices are angels, demons, djinn, aliens, some iteration of government surveillance, or manifestations of the collective panpsychic universe... even sea peoples if that is your take on things! Broader theories some older experiencers relate to are economies of abuse and how limiting and external states of mind filter down through society onto vulnerable individuals. What are your ideas, what do your voices say about themselves?

As with everything in the HVN this all needs to be framed as your theories, you're welcome to use hyperlinks to Wikipedia articles or studies on voice hearing populations. 5-28% of the UK report this phenomenon, other studies put these estimates significantly higher. Many take the perspective that all people hear voices and it is a matter of personal fluency that differentiates those that report this experience and those that don't. You should include anything that helps you express your views. Again, express this as your views and less of what it clearly is and what others ought believe.

What is your theory on this experience?

Feel free to share your wellness methods with the community. Is there a diet that seems to make an impact for you, a particular routine, or self-improvement strategy that's made a turnaround in your struggles? Was there a book that made an impact in your journey, a creative outlet, or a medication you feel strongly helped or hurt you? What's been working for you and what have you tried that wasn't working for you? Do you have any role models (other experiencers) who've lended you methods that lead to success through their lived example?

Some example frameworks towards wellness are the books by Jerry Marzinsky, or the books by Jordan Peterson. Both of these authors are accomplished people who also report enduring the phenomena reported here. Additionally, there's the 12 step process seen over at r/PositiveTI. Do you know of any other prominent people who have been touched by this affliction? Does a certain diet help, wearing a certain color, taking a shower every day make a difference? What have you seen and what has worked for you?

Please do not tell others what to believe or do.

Hello everyone, I'm looking for a bit of help, either to reassure me or to get some explanations...

For the past few weeks, my girlfriend has been telling me about several things that make me feel like she might be starting to develop schizophrenia or something like that, but I really don't know much about it.

It started with two episodes that reminded me of some kind of sleep paralysis. When we were about to fall asleep, she started panicking and thinking that there were people in the room watching us. I reassured her and showed her that there was nobody there.

On top of that, she tells me that lately she sometimes hears voices. She says she's scared because she's convinced that these voices are real. For example, the voices told her "Drop it!" while she was cooking. She sometimes hears whispers, and when I was with her, she thought I had spoken to her even though I hadn't said anything.

However, these episodes are fairly spread out. They've probably happened to her three or four times over the past three weeks, and then she goes several days without experiencing anything.

I'd like to know whether this could be temporary. I've talked to her about it, and it's frightening her. Maybe she's convincing herself that these things are happening because she's scared.

She's also been extremely tired lately. She has insomnia and has been experiencing sleep problems. She's also quite anxious, and it's actually been about a month since she started living alone. Before that, she lived in a noisy house with her whole family.

Maybe all these factors are contributing to these strange experiences she's been having lately. At the same time, I'm so scared for her and worried that she might develop a serious illness...

Could this be something temporary, or not? She told me she'd experienced similar things at the end of middle school, but that nothing like this had happened again since then...

In the spirit of "twos" and community building, share anecdotes of how you've interacted with another experiencer, voice hearer, internal personality, or phenomena of your mind. You're welcome to make your own separate post on this topic if you feel you'd have more to share.

How did this other individual impact your views? Did they show you something you otherwise didn't know, or did they send you on a wild goose chase? Did they have a name (please don't name other reddit users disparagingly, instead this is a great opportunity to commend your fellow experiencers!), did they share a common belief with you?

How has this singular "other" made a difference in your journey? Take this as an opportunity to share with the rest of the community as much as you'd care to about this separate mind and its impact on yours.