'Voices in the dark': Mosaic's first audio feature

Featuring first-hand stories from voice hearers Adam, Dolly and John, this 50-minute documentary by Chris Chapman looks at what it's really like to have voices in your head, and investigates the difference between auditory hallucinations and the internal dialogue of 'normal' human experience.

Through these stories, 'Voices in the dark' explores the history of voice hearing and what is being done now to further understanding of the phenomenon, from medieval tales of demonic and holy visions to childhood language cognition, a Dutch psychiatrist who helps voice hearers find meaning in their voices, and a pioneering 'avatar' therapy using computer technology.

Mark Henderson, Head of Communications at the Wellcome Trust and Editorial Director of Mosaic, said: "We are delighted to present Mosaic's first audio feature, on the fascinating topic of voice hearing. Chris Chapman's piece takes an ambitious and exciting new approach to scientific story telling, and we are proud to make it freely available to share and republish under the open-source model that Mosaic has pioneered. We hope that other publications will take up the opportunity to run it themselves, so that this important story reaches the widest possible audience."

Like all Mosaic features, 'Voices in the dark' is free to listen to and reproduce anywhere - including on paid-for websites and in magazines and publications that are funded by advertising, as well as on independent blogs - provided that the source is acknowledged. This publishing model runs alongside the Wellcome Trust's commitment to open access, enabling Mosaic articles and the issues they engage with to reach as wide an audience as possible.

Developed, produced and narrated by Chris Chapman, 'Voices in the dark' is available via Mosaic and SoundCloud from 9 December 2014.