This article by Ashley Bobak has been published by Mad in America. It begins:
“New research supports a new, dialogic, non-medicalized approach to helping people who hear upsetting voices. The “Talking with Voices” (TwV) approach, which frames voice hearing relationally and understands it as often a product of trauma, was investigated by researchers via qualitative interviews.
The researchers found that TwV allowed individuals to understand the meaning and purpose behind their voices, which enabled them to work toward healing past trauma.
The authors, led by Kerry Middleton of Canterbury Christ Church University, describe the history of the development of alternative understandings of voice hearing:
‘Romme and Escher’s seminal work in the late 1980s and the subsequent work of the Hearing Voices Movement have been fundamental in reconceptualizing voice-hearing in ways which center the narratives of voice-hearers themselves and use ordinary rather than medicalized language (e.g., ‘voices’ rather than’ hallucinations’).‘
‘Romme and Escher’s explanatory model suggests that voices often ‘arrive’ in people’s lives as part of a meaningful reaction to unresolved traumatic life events. Engagement with voices is therefore actively encouraged to explore content, develop meaning from the experience and understand voice motives. Drawing upon the knowledges and experiences of voice-hearers, voices are often viewed as people, beings, or parts of the self with whom the hearer has a relationship.‘ …”
You can read more from here.
