I’m really sorry for what you’ve experienced, Joseph. My ex-girlfriend heard voices and I saw (and felt) the struggle. So, I have some inkling of how difficult, frustrating, frightening and lonely it can be. But often, I stood by helplessly while she fought against these negative voices. Although I’m pretty sure “her voices” were related to OCD, they facilitated some extreme behaviors. My presence and physical illness only made things worse for her. Sometimes those voices were paralyzing. Despite being an empath and her partner, I couldn’t truly understand what she was going through. You’re right, people who don’t hear voices, don’t understand. The struggle is real!
However, we always believed that her struggle was also spiritual, so I suggest a two-pronged approach. This two-pronged approach includes simply treating both the psychological and spiritual aspects of hearing voices.
Anyway, I’m sorry that your experiences and illness are often stigmatized. Understanding and a strong support system are vital to everyone’s mental health. I hope you can find that!
When I was studying psychology, I was introduced to Elyn Saks. She’s a lawyer, a psychologist and a schizophrenic (I’d rather not say it like that, but it works in this context). She’s truly inspirational and shows that with the right support system and environment, people with schizophrenia can be successful socially, professionally, etc. Barriers and stigmas aren’t necessary. I think her book on her struggles could be helpful to you:
The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness by Elyn Saks. Here’s one of her TED Talks too:
https://www.ted.com/talks/elyn_saks_...ge=en#t-257982
The Hearing Voices Network may also be able to help. They mostly operate in England, but they have worldwide connections to other networks and support groups dedicated to helping people who hear voices. Here’s their website:
http://www.hearing-voices.org/ They’re very busy, so it might take them awhile to get back to you, but I can contact them on your behalf to (hopefully) expedite the process. They have a wealth of resources! I hope you’ll be able to connect with people who’ve had similar experiences, who can provide support and who can offer you the space to share your experiences (and be heard).
Btw, it’s awesome that you’re doing better and that you’ve found a healthy way to deal with these voices. I hope your success continues. I also hope that the resources I provided can help. If you need more, just PM me.
Good luck to you!
