Hearing voices
The resources on this page will help you understand what it means to hear voices (auditory verbal hallucinations) and cope with them.
They have been adapted from Understanding Voices (UV), a website that provides information about different approaches to voice-hearing and ways of supporting those who are struggling with the voices they hear. The website was produced by Hearing the Voice (Durham University) in close collaboration with voice-hearers, their families and allies, and mental health professionals.
Exploring Voices
These resources (information sheets and quick reads) focus on a range of different ways of understanding or making sense of voice-hearing, including psychological, neuroscientific, and spiritual approaches to the topic.
Quick reads:
- What is hearing voices? (quick read)
- A spectrum of experience (quick read)
- Why do people hear voices? (quick read)
Longer reads:
- What is hearing voices?
- Why do people hear voices?
- Voices and spirituality
- Voices in children and young people
- Voices in older adults
Living with Voices
These resources (information sheets and quick reads) focus on comprehensive practical information and coping strategies based on people’s everyday experience of living with hearing voices:
Quick reads:
- Coping with voices (quick read)
- Suggestions for voice-hearers (quick read)
- Talking about hearing voices – tips for supporters (quick read)
Longer reads:
- Coping with voices
- In crisis
- Talking about Voices
- Hearing Voices at Work or while Studying
- For Friends and Family
Working with Voices
These resources (information sheets and quick read) focus on different therapeutic options for dealing with distressing voices, including psychopharmacology and ‘talking therapies’.
Translated resources
Download fact sheets about hearing voices that have been translated into other languages:
- Hearing voices - Arabic
- Hearing voices - Bengali
- Hearing voices - French
- Hearing voices - Gujarati
- Hearing voices - Polish
- Hearing voices - Portuguese
- Hearing voices - Portuguese (Brazilian)
- Hearing voices - Punjabi
- Hearing voices - Simple Chinese
- Hearing voices - Urdu