Schizophrenia
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A voice in my head. Is it something worth mentioning?
Ambivalence1001 posted:
For the past 2-3 months, I have had a voice in my head (occasionally another as well, this one being male) that sounds like me, for lack of a better description, telling me that I'm worthless, that God shouldn't have created me, that cutting/hurting myself is perfectly acceptable and that I'd be better off dead. I didn't think anything of it at first, because the voice sounds like me (only way more mean), but after talking with my brother today and mentioning it to him, I'm wondering if I should bring this up with either my counselor or my psychiatrist. I don't know if this is "normal", but I know that for the past few months this has become the "norm". Is this something that I should mention or should I just leave it alone, as this person or whoever has a voice that sounds like mine? I do see my counselor this week, so it's not like I have to wait a long time to see her. I just don't want to spend 15 minutes talking about something that may not be a big deal or worth mentioning.
4 Replies |Watch This Discussion | Report This| Share this:A voice in my head. Is it something worth mentioning?For the past 2-3 months, I have had a voice in my head (occasionally another as well, this one being male) that sounds like me, for lack of a better description, telling me that I'm worthless, that God shouldn't have created me, that cutting/hurting myself is perfectly acceptable and that I'd be better off dead. I didn't think anything of it at first, because the voice sounds like me (only way more mean), but after talking with my brother today and mentioning it to him, I'm wondering if I should bring this up with either my counselor or my psychiatrist. I don't know if this is "normal", but I know that for the past few months this has become the "norm". Is this something that I should mention or should I just leave it alone, as this person or whoever has a voice that sounds like mine? I do see my counselor this week, so it's not like I have to wait a long time to see her. I just don't want to spend 15 minutes talking about something that may not be a big deal or worth mentioning.
zuzzozz responded:
hey whats up. I read your post and i wanted to respond. I have been living with schizophrenia for ten plus years. It is an awful disease and i hope you are able to come to terms with it so you may live a life worth living. My advice on how to deal with voices is to talk back to them. not out load but in your head. You should be able to hear the sound of your voice sort of like thinking out load but in your head. I am one of the few cases in which the patient is still able to function in society. I was able to talk to my voices mentally and come to an understanding with them like in any relationship. Some of them are even pleasant. So yeah if the voice is mocking you, mock it back. If it is telling you to kill yourself, tell the voice to kill itself. Hopefully you will be able to make an imaginary friend/friends for yourself. I know it sounds completely loco but give it a try. Sometimes i can even benefit from my voices. I hope you will to someday.
Report This| Share this:A voice in my head. Is it something worth mentioning?hey whats up. I read your post and i wanted to respond. I have been living with schizophrenia for ten plus years. It is an awful disease and i hope you are able to come to terms with it so you may live a life worth living. My advice on how to deal with voices is to talk back to them. not out load but in your head. You should be able to hear the sound of your voice sort of like thinking out load but in your head. I am one of the few cases in which the patient is still able to function in society. I was able to talk to my voices mentally and come to an understanding with them like in any relationship. Some of them are even pleasant. So yeah if the voice is mocking you, mock it back. If it is telling you to kill yourself, tell the voice to kill itself. Hopefully you will be able to make an imaginary friend/friends for yourself. I know it sounds completely loco but give it a try. Sometimes i can even benefit from my voices. I hope you will to someday.
I just wanted to mention something, with all due respects to the suggestions zuzzozz gave to talk back to these voices, my personal advice, and that may just be my preferential point of view, DO NOT speak back to these voices, especially in your head. The reason for that is that I have experimented with this and the truth is it may make one psychotic and make one go into a delusional tantrum, especially if the voices keep at it.
Think about it, when someone meditates, that person is attempting to get into a tranquil state and find inner peace. Do something like scream back, inside your head, to these voices, and it will have the opposite effect that meditation should have.
So please, if anyone else reads this, DO NOT attempt to speak back to these voices inside your head, instead try meditating, but please no one assume a real voice is speaking, the voices that I hear are too mechanical and repetitive like a mantra, they are not real, trust me, it's something else.
Think about it, when someone meditates, that person is attempting to get into a tranquil state and find inner peace. Do something like scream back, inside your head, to these voices, and it will have the opposite effect that meditation should have.
So please, if anyone else reads this, DO NOT attempt to speak back to these voices inside your head, instead try meditating, but please no one assume a real voice is speaking, the voices that I hear are too mechanical and repetitive like a mantra, they are not real, trust me, it's something else.
Report This| Share this:A voice in my head. Is it something worth mentioning?I just wanted to mention something, with all due respects to the suggestions zuzzozz gave to talk back to these voices, my personal advice, and that may just be my preferential point of view, DO NOT speak back to these voices, especially in your head. The reason for that is that I have experimented with this and the truth is it may make one psychotic and make one go into a delusional tantrum, especially if the voices keep at it.<br /><br />Think about it, when someone meditates, that person is attempting to get into a tranquil state and find inner peace. Do something like scream back, inside your head, to these voices, and it will have the opposite effect that meditation should have.<br /><br />So please, if anyone else reads this, DO NOT attempt to speak back to these voices inside your head, instead try meditating, but please no one assume a real voice is speaking, the voices that I hear are too mechanical and repetitive like a mantra, they are not real, trust me, it's something else.
Ambivalence1001 replied to zuzzozz's response:
Thank you, zuzzozz! I tried what you mentioned, and telling the mean one to be quiet actually worked for me. She doesn't do it for more than a few hours, but I have noticed when I do tell her to shut her gob, she jerks back and is quiet for a time (she mostly goes to sleep). I have tried being quiet and "meditating" for a time, but during this, Shelby (I named her) uses it to be more of a distraction. Also, the voices in my head have personalities, they are not mechanical and like a mantra that is being repeated. I think your suggestion works drastically better for me in this situation, so again, I thank you for telling me how to respond. If I didn't respond, Shelby would be even louder than she already is.
Report This| Share this:A voice in my head. Is it something worth mentioning?Thank you, zuzzozz! I tried what you mentioned, and telling the mean one to be quiet actually worked for me. She doesn't do it for more than a few hours, but I have noticed when I do tell her to shut her gob, she jerks back and is quiet for a time (she mostly goes to sleep). I have tried being quiet and "meditating" for a time, but during this, Shelby (I named her) uses it to be more of a distraction. Also, the voices in my head have personalities, they are not mechanical and like a mantra that is being repeated. I think your suggestion works drastically better for me in this situation, so again, I thank you for telling me how to respond. If I didn't respond, Shelby would be even louder than she already is.
TheGirlWithTheRoseTattoo replied to Ambivalence1001's response:
Yes, establishing that you are the living being in the equation is essential in dealing with your imaginary beings. I've found that it is not very helpful to try to have full conversations with them ( as it is true it can easily spin off into madness, obviously). I know its a cliche but truly the best possible medicine in dealing with these semi-beings is humor. Remember that they're a part of you, so If you can make yourself laugh somewhere they're laughing with you, even if you can see it.
I frequently imagine myself blowing huge fake farts (ladies aren't suppose to make fart jokes, but we do) at them, or sarcastically telling them to f**k off. It took a long time, but for the most part they've learned that they cant really get to me, and are now in on it. Where they used to pop up and torture me now they just make wisecracks. Yes, I call them fairies.
Strange advice, for a strange world we live in.
I frequently imagine myself blowing huge fake farts (ladies aren't suppose to make fart jokes, but we do) at them, or sarcastically telling them to f**k off. It took a long time, but for the most part they've learned that they cant really get to me, and are now in on it. Where they used to pop up and torture me now they just make wisecracks. Yes, I call them fairies.
Strange advice, for a strange world we live in.
Report This| Share this:A voice in my head. Is it something worth mentioning?Yes, establishing that you are the living being in the equation is essential in dealing with your imaginary beings. I've found that it is not very helpful to try to have full conversations with them ( as it is true it can easily spin off into madness, obviously). I know its a cliche but truly the best possible medicine in dealing with these semi-beings is humor. Remember that they're a part of you, so If you can make yourself laugh somewhere they're laughing with you, even if you can see it. <br />I frequently imagine myself blowing huge fake farts (ladies aren't suppose to make fart jokes, but we do) at them, or sarcastically telling them to f**k off. It took a long time, but for the most part they've learned that they cant really get to me, and are now in on it. Where they used to pop up and torture me now they just make wisecracks. Yes, I call them fairies. <br /><br />Strange advice, for a strange world we live in.
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