Many people who hear challenging voices have found that a turning point in coping with the experience is finding different ways of talking with and understanding them. Exploring the voice’s motives and discovering different ways of relating to them can help change the relationship between the voice-hearer and their voices.

Why is Speaking With Voices Helpful?

1. This method does not focus on voices as a symptom of “illness”: nor does it concentrate on discovering what is “wrong” with the person.
2. It offers a neutral but strong attitude to work with voices - acceptance is the core of the technique.
3. It offers a positive model for the existence of voices.
4. It helps develop increased awareness, objectivity and a more productive relationship between voices and voice-hearer.
5. By definition, voice-hearing is very lonely experience. Allowing others to “hear” the voices is empowering, liberating and a source of considerable support. In turn, it also affords professionals, friends and family some valuable insight into the reality of a person’s voice-hearing experience.

Basic Principles

The most essential principle is that we are not necessarily trying to change the voices, nor banish them from the person’s life. What we are trying to do is explore their relationship with the voice-hearer. Doing this work will help the individual gain a different perspective on what the voices are trying to say: and if the person can develop a stronger attitude then the voices are able to change. Our aim is not to get rid of the voices, but to make their relationship with the voice-hearer more equal through helping the person take back control.

If you would like to find out more about this method, you can read the full article on Voice Dialoguing by Rufus, Eleanor and Dirk here