Tomorrow is World Hearing Voices Day, created to increase awareness about people who experience auditory hallucinations, specifically hearing voices in their heads. (Link to previous post about "hearing voices.") A recent Dutch study suggests that about 4% of the population might experience this. And for those who do, it's not necessarily a bad thing. Now, University of Manchester researchers are launching a study to investigate why some people who hear voices find it positive while others' experiences are more traumatic. From a press release:
"Many of those affected describe their voices as being a positive influence in their lives, comforting or inspiring them as they go about their daily business," (says researcher Aylish Campbell.)…
The team believes that external factors such as a person's life experiences and beliefs may be the key to these differences: for example, the presence of childhood trauma or negative beliefs about themselves could have an affect.
"If a person is struggling to overcome a trauma or views themselves as worthless or vulnerable, or other people as aggressive, they may be more likely to interpret their voices as harmful, hostile or powerful," said Aylish.
"Conversely, a person who has had more positive life experiences and formed more healthy beliefs about themselves and other people might develop a more positive view of their voices.
