Your Mind Matters

Hearing voices

What are voices?

‘Hearing voices’ means hearing a voice (or many different voices) when no one is present with you, or voices that other people with you can’t hear.

People have many different experiences of hearing voices. You might not mind your voices, or even find them comforting and helpful. You might find them irritating or distracting. Or they might feel frightening and intrusive.

Your feelings about your voices may be different at different times. This could depend on how you’re feeling, what’s going on in your life or what types of voices you hear.

It’s common to think that if you hear voices, you must have a mental health problem. But research shows that many people hear voices and don’t have a mental health problem. It’s quite a common human experience.

Why do I hear voices?

There are lots of reasons why you might hear voices. Here are some of them:

  • Voices as you fall asleep or wake up – these might happen when you’re half-asleep, because your brain is still partly in a dreaming state. The voice might call your name or say something brief. You might also see strange things. These experiences usually stop when you’re fully awake.
  • Poor sleep – sleep problems may cause you to hear voices.
  • Hunger – you may hear voices if you’re extremely hungry.
  • Physical illness – if you have a very high temperature you may hear voices or see things that other people can’t. Hearing voices can sometimes be a sign of other illnesses. If you’re concerned about this, it’s important to speak to your doctor.
  • Drugs – you may hear or see things after taking recreational drugs or as a side effect of some prescribed drugs. You might also have these experiences when you’re coming off drugs.
  • Stress or worry – you may hear voices while feeling very stressed, anxious or worried.
  • Bereavement – if you’ve recently lost someone very close, you may hear them talking to you or feel that they are with you. This experience is very common and some people find it comforting.
  • Abuse or bullying – you may start hearing voices after being abused or bullied. This may include hearing the voice of someone who abused you. You may hear them being unkind or threatening, or telling you to harm yourself.
  • Other traumatic experiences – you may hear voices as a result of other traumas, which can be associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and with dissociative disorders.
  • Spiritual experiences – some people hear a voice as part of a spiritual experience. This may be a very special experience that you feel helps you make sense of your life. Or you may feel as though you are hearing the voice of an evil spirit.
  • Mental health problems – you may hear voices as a symptom of some mental health problems, including psychosis, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder or severe depression.
  • What kinds of voices do people hear?
  • We may hear voices in lots of different ways and they may change over time. These are just some of the ways that different people might experience hearing voices.
  • Where might they come from? 
  • You might: 
  • Experience the voices as coming from inside your head
  • Feel that voices are coming from outside and heard through your ears like other sounds
  • Hear the voices as if they’re right next to your ear
  • Hear the voices coming from an object or animal
  • Feel as if you are hearing other people’s thoughts, or as if other people can hear your thoughtsWhen might I hear them?
  • You might:
  • Hear your name called when there’s no one with you
  • Hear or see things as you’re falling asleep
  • Hear voices when you feel stressed or upset
  • What might they say?
  • You might: 
  • Experience nasty or threatening voices that tell you to do dangerous things, or try to control you
  • Hear a voice that feels friendly but encourages you to do things that might not be good for you
  • Hear a kind supportive voice or a voice that helps you
  • Hear many voices talking about you or arguing with each other
  • Hear a voice describing what you’re doing as you’re doing it
  • Hear voices talking about scary or upsetting things, like telling you something bad will happen to you or someone you love
  • Hear voices that make fun of you or criticise you
  • Hear voices with different speeds or volumes
  • Hear voices of people you know, like friends, family members or famous people
  • Hear voices of strangersYour relationship with your voices
  • You may have different feelings about your voices at different times in your life – or even at different times of the day or week. You might:
  • Find your voices comforting, helpful or funny
  • Find your voices frightening, distracting or upsetting
  • Want your voices to stop
  • Find you hear some voices that you like and other voices that cause you problems
  • Worry that you are the only one who hears voices, or that no-one else hears the sorts of voices that you hear
  • Often voices are a problem because of your relationship with them, rather than just because you hear them. Thinking about your relationship with your voices can help you work out what (if anything) you want to do about them.
  • See our pages on coping with hearing voices voices and treatments for more information about the support available.
  • What if I like my voices?
  • Some people can find hearing voices a positive experience. Your voices might be friendly and supportive. You may welcome them or miss them if they stopped. They might make you feel better or encourage you during difficult times. 
  • Can I trust my voices?
  • It might be hard to work out if your voices want the best for you or not. They might feel friendly but tell you to do things that make it hard for you to look after yourself. Or stop you doing what you want to do. If your voice feels comforting, it can be hard to recognise that it’s saying manipulative or harmful things.

You may also:

  • Hear other sounds, such as animal noises or music
  • See, hear or smell things that others can’t while you’re hearing voices. These are sometimes called sensory hallucinations
  • Feel heat, pain, pressure or sensations in your head or other parts of your body while hearing voices
  • Experience voices by seeing hands signing words or by seeing lip movements. You may be more likely to experience voices in this way if you’re deaf.