The Voice Inside: An Introduction to the hearing voices approach

The Voice Inside: A one day introductory workshop about people who hear voices and the hearing voices movement

“What this work shows is that we must accept that the voices exist. We must also accept that we cannot change the voices. They are not curable, just as you cannot cure left-handedness – human variations are not open to cure – only to coping. Therefore to assist people to cope we should not give them therapy that does not work. We should let people decide for themselves what helps or not. It takes time for people to accept that hearing voices is something that belongs to them.” Marius Romme

This workshop provides an introduction to a different way of thinking about the meaning of “hearing voices”, it is based on twenty years of work by voice hearers and mental health workers and researchers from around the world, including the pioneering work of the psychiatrist Professor Marius Romme and Dr Sandra Escher.

Today, in twenty-one countries across the world voice hearers, nurses, psychiatrists and psychologists are developing techniques to assist voice hearers focus on their experience and get to know their voices better and learn to cope with them. The workshop will provide an overview of this important work and provide you with the opportunity to consider how to introduce the principles and methods of the Hearing Voices Movement into your life, your workplace and society as a whole.

Topics:

  • An overview of the philosophy, research and practice of the hearing voices movement
  • What is the significance of the hearing voices movement for voice hearers?
  • Voices hearing throughout the ages
  • What does it feel like to hear voices?
  • Why do people hear voices
  • Voices and their relationship with the voice hearer
  • Voices heard by normal people and positive experiences
  • Making sense of voices
  • Helping people who hear voices that cause problems
  • Talking to voices
  • Hearing Voices and what it means for schizophrenia
  • Towards Recovery

 

Facilitated by Paul Baker

Paul Baker is the coordinator of INTERVOICE, the influential coordinating body for the international hearing voices movement, working closely with Professor Marius Romme. Paul was one of the founding members of the Hearing Voices Network in England and helped to set up the first hearing voices group in Manchester in 1989. He is a community development and group worker, specialising in working with people with mental health problems. He has a special interest in working with groups of people to find ways of help themselves overcome difficulties and problems.

For more information about the workshop, costs and scheduling contact Karen Taylor