Support groups for those who support a loved one who hears voices.

We are actively developing resources and supports to assist family members and friends of voice hearers.  At this time, we run a family support group in Albany, and recently held our first family member training in the East Bay, which (75 people attended).  We a’re in the process of putting together additional materials and resources.

What helps and what doesn’t is always specific to the particular individual, and it’s not possible to generalize.  However, an array of different techniques, approaches, and tools outside of the medical model are available to family members, clinicians, and voices hearers.  These include alternative approaches to distress such as participation in peer support groups and trainings, clinical approaches such as compassion-focused therapy for psychosis, mindfulness-based approaches, and art-based therapies.  A variety of complementary and alternative therapies may also be helpful.  Many voice hearers report that community involvement, structured activities such as college classes, involvement in activist/advocacy projects, and exercise, sports or time in nature have been central to their recovery. To learn more, please browse our website, keep an eye out for trainings, join a family support group meeting, and contact us with any questions.

While research on the effects of hearing voices groups or approaches has been limited to date, we know that engaging with symptoms and experiences and integrating them into one’s identity is, on average, more helpful than ignoring or suppressing symptoms.  More broadly, receiving a diagnosis of psychosis or another psychiatric label can lead to depression and demoralization, as well as societal discrimination and marginalization.  Communities and families that unconditionally accept voice hearers, and help create spaces where they can share and explore their experiences without judgment, are much more likely to promote healing.

Absolutely not.   All over the world, people who hear voices have done, and continue to do, amazing things. The Hearing Voices Network Cymru (Wales) has put together a list of notable people who hear voices including Contemporary Voice Hearers, Philosophers & Thinkers, Leaders, & Artists/Performers. Many HVM leaders have themselves experienced significant distress for years or even decades, including lengths of time in institutions or hospitals.  There is always hope.