Hearing Voices Network

What is the Hearing Voices Network?

• An international grassroots initiative

  • Created with the intention of fostering a shift in perspective on the experience of what is known clinically as psychosis.

• Patsy Hague (who hears voices) and her psychiatrist, Dr. Marius Romme, discussed meaning and significance of hearing voices.

• Prompted realization of the utility of incorporating first-hand accounts of hearing voices in identifying their origin and corresponding coping strategies.

• This is an empowering alternative to reading a definition in a medical textbook.

  • Romme referred to this as an “emancipatory” approach to psychosis (Higgs, 2020).

• Intentional in the verbiage that is used to describe psychotic experiences

• Uses the phrases “hearing voices” and “seeing visions” instead of psychosis

• Redefines psychosis as a diverse experience rather than a diagnostic construct (Higgs, 2020).

• These experiences are personally, culturally, and relationally meaningful to the individual who is experiencing them.

• Takes into account culture, life history, relationships, and socioeconomic status

• This movement operates on the belief that the insight of the individual receiving services is just as, if not more valuable than, any mental health professional.

• This approach also highlights the empirical value of qualitative narratives derived from personal experiences (Higgs, 2020).

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Sources:​

Higgs R. N. (2020). Reconceptualizing Psychosis: The Hearing Voices Movement and Social Approaches to Health. Health and Human Rights, 22(1), 133–144.