Understanding & Managing Hearing Voices

Understanding & Managing Hearing Voices

Hearing a voice when no-one is present with you, or which other people with you cannot hear, is considered to be a hallucination. This does not make it abnormal it’s just a word for a perception you may have that is not shared by those around you. You may also see things that others cant see.

You may experience touch, smell or taste sensations which you cannot account for in usual everyday ways. Some people may not realise that many other people do not have such experiences.

This course aims to look at the range of sensory perceptions people may have and attempts to normalise these by looking at the range of factors that may contribute to people experiencing them. It will also consider ways to support people to live with these sensory perceptions by considering the range of options and support available to them.

By the end of the course, you will:

• Consider the range of experiences people may have and directly experience what it might feel like to hear voices or see visions

• Understand how common these experiences can be by exploring the range of factors that can contribute to people experiencing sensory perceptions

• Consider the range of explanations different people may have for experiencing sensory perceptions

• Consider the range of interventions available and explore the background to the Hearing Voices movement

• Learn coping strategies and different ways to support people

• Be able to signpost people to local support services.