Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Hearing voices in your head

Some people claim to hearing voices in their head. Here is an explantion of what this could be, and why it happens.

Some people claim to hear voices inside their heads. Many others deem that such individuals are crazy, as it isn’t considered normal in most cultures to hear such voices. However, it can happen more often than some realize, and in many different ways. For example, the voices aren’t always inside one’s head; they may be in the background.


Some theories for these voices lie with ghosts of other spirits. It is thought that dead family members or friends may come back to guide the living through tough situations or other endeavors. This theory is a more “normal” explanation. It is paranormal, but it’s discussed more freely in general society, as many have had such experiences once or twice. Also, many do believe in ghosts.

Another theory is spirit guides. This is often associated with religion and is somewhat accepted by culture. This is different from random spirits as the individuals will go into a trance state and call on these voices for counseling, rather than it happening unasked for. Any and all questions can be asked to these spirits regarding everyday life, the “other side,” the future, etc. Ouija boards are also sometimes used for this purpose. A few people were reportedly possessed after such activities, and a few books have been written about people’s experiences.


The most common theory (which most people think of when they hear the words “hears voices”) is insanity. In general, other than the above explanations, it isn’t considered normal to hear voices in our culture. This is especially true when the individual claims that the voices weren’t asked and aren’t familiar; they’re simply there, all the time. Most of our connotations regarding hearing voices have resulted from sufferers of schizophrenia, who are, by medical terms, insane, and who do hear voices. It is also thought, now, that many highly creative people and geniuses hear voices, and that these voices are the source of their creativity. Many inventors and geniuses of the past are now thought to have heard voices.


Many people wonder exactly where these voices come from, what they say, and what they sound like. Where they come from is highly debatable, and few actually know. Spirits from the “other side” is a prominent theory. There is no scientific way to say where they came from, since most people don’t even believe they exist.


What do they say? Many times the voices simply comment on what the individual is doing at the time. If the individual is speaking with a supervisor, a voice may comment on what the supervisor is saying, or even be quite nasty about him/her. Sometimes the voices will actually give instructions to the individual, but they usually aren’t psychotic as portrayed in movies and books. Sometimes they will “take care” of the individual, instructing him or her to take a shower or eat a meal. It can be any number of things.


What do these voices sound like? Well, there are many different ways for them to appear. Sometimes they will sound like an echo in the back of the mind. Many people experience them as thoughts that are sudden and unexpected, which are out of context and not something they would normally think. Most times people wouldn’t even recognize this as a voice if they didn’t believe in it. Sometimes voices will come from outside the head, and then they will usually be unintelligible. On occasion, they will appear as block print inside the head. However they appear to one individual, they will usually appear the same way all the time.


Some of these individuals are capable of having a conversation with these voices. Some voices may even have names if they speak to the person often. On occasion they may even have personalities. However, people who claim most of this are labeled as insane, as getting into voices this deeply is not part of most cultures. It is a much disputed fact over whether these voices actually exist. The argument could go back and forth forever. However, it usually ends with simple insanity as the explanation.