Living in a World of Voices: An Interdisciplinary Investigation of Non-Clinical Voice-Hearers in Context

Although "hearing voices," is often seen as a sign of severe psychological illness, there are many individual who hear voices without them being associated with any kind of disorder. Hearing voices generally causes such people little to no distress and may even be an enjoyable, meaningful aspect of their lives. These individuals are of increasing interest to the psychological community and many hope that learning more about "healthy voice hearers," could lead to new forms of treatment for those for whom voice-hearing is associated with illness and causes distress. This research is important, but it often overlooks contextual factors, particularly the fact that many non-clinical voice hearers are part of spiritual communities which accept and encourage these experiences. My research seeks to understand how hearing voices fits in with other aspects of these individuals' lives, such as their spiritual beliefs and their relationships with their communities.