voices/thoughts

Hi @STORMGRL101,

This is a great question. My understanding is that hearing voices actually feels like you are hearing a sound from someone that is external to your mind - just like if someone was talking to you. Your thoughts on the other hand occur inside and tend belong to you, rather than someone talking at you.

There's a similar thread that you might find useful called 'Racing thoughts or hearing voices'. In this thread, @Queenie shares her experience with hearing voices. I wonder if she can offer some insight into the difference between thoughts and voices.

You might also want to check out @Zam's thread. It's over in the Carers Forums, but they have lived experience of hearing voices, and is super helpful with providing information about their experiences,

Hope this helps a bit!

Hi @STORMGRL101,

I am someone with lived experience of hearing voices of two different kinds. When I get unwell, I sometimes suffer episodes of psychosis which results in hallucations both auditory & visual; and I also have Dissociative Identity Disorder, and hear those voices as well.

I've heard that some people can experience voices as internal OR external, but for me, my thoughts are internal, and the other voice is external. There's a difference I can't quite put into words between the DID voices and the pyschosis sounds, too. That's not a good indicator, though, as many people experience auditory hallucations as being internal experiences.

For myself, the "sound" is a good differentiator (I hear my thoughts in my own voice, for example; whereas the voice of pyschosis is a man of around 35 -- which seemed so old when I was 15, not so much these days!); and also how closely what is being said aligns to my view of the world.

Sorry that's not really very clear! There are so many reasons one might experience auditory hallucinations -- most of which aren't at all a concern. I hope you're able to speak to a professional though, if you're concerned, and get some more solid answers, and reassurance.

Thinking of you.

Hi @STORMGRL101

The way i could tell the difference betwenn my own thoughts and voices was when they were my own thoughts, it was always my own voice and it was everything i was thinking or feeling.

Hearing voices on the other hand, were not and are not my own voice. They were never what i was feeling and at times would get so incredibly loud that it would feel like my ear drums were ready to burst.

At times though the voices became so constant that they blocked out all my own thoughts and that got really confusing becuase its a really odd thing when you acn not hear your own thoughts..

This is a good question, hard to fully explain the difference but when you experience both it can be pretty easy to tell the difference.. in my experience anyway. i dont know what it is like for others though. i can only hear in my own head

for me i can feel them the voices sound like they are outside me like someone is sneaking up on me and talking into my ears. my thoughts are different and i can feel them inside my head like a kind of pressure.

Apologies @STORMGRL101, I've only logged in now and saw this thread.

For me, my voices are external to my head, in that I perceive that I 'hear' them with my ears. I hear a number of random voices, which although because I've heard them for about half my life, are not familiar to me. There are normally four voices, two of which are male and two female. They comment and chat between each other, providing a running commentary of what I am doing. They also command me to harm others and myself. They usually never have anything positive to say.

I also have my own negative thoughts or negative self talk, which is like an internal monologue and can be differentiated from hallucinations.

Having shared my own experience, there are hallucinations that may not be heard externally. Some people may report hearing a voice/s inside their own head. They may also report that they feel their thoughts are being 'interfered' with (be that thought insertion or thought broadcasting).

Hope this helps!

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Thankyou everyone for your helpful replies. much appreciated.
Will talk to my psychiatrist about these racing thoughts.

It's been a little while, so I wanted to just check in and see how you got on?