[cashart10]

When my pdoc asked me if I experienced auditory hallucinations I said yes and I described what happened but never said they were internal. I was asked the same question in the hospital. This was followed by "are these external or internal?" I said internal because the voices have been in my head. When I have experienced this type of "hallucination," they have been internal but they have been voices other than my own. When I have expenienced them, I have been hyper religious and delusional and believed the voices were the voice of God and angels. My question is are "voices in your head" a hallucination or are they part of a delusion?

[Moose72]

Only once have voices been in my head. The rest of the time they are outside.

[cashart10]

I was just researching this topic and pulled up my very own post from a year ago that didn't get much feedback ( but I appreciate the feedback that I did get!). Does anyone have any insight on this? I never think to just ask my pdoc.

[Standup2me]

I don't hear voices but I do hear music.
At first it was confusing, but now it is sort of like having
an old friend along with me

[Victoria'smom]

I have internal and external I view all of them as hallucinations

I have command voices, but there is more than just me because we have actual communication and question answer times.

Every now and then I tend to thnk its a psychotic delusion, but they make sense and fit my personality at the moment.

[Sinking Feeling]

Anyone who has had both understands they are indeed hallucinations. External sounds normal like some one talking to you or in another room near you, but from the outside like normal hearing. IMHO internal can be more disturbing because it sounds like a radio or television in your head playing at various volumes, from a whisper to very loud!

[Lady Lindsey]

For me they are my coping mechanism. I know they are some part of me. It has always been a coping skill I have. More then I wwould consider mine hallucinations. I have finally come to accept the voices as my form of self talk. Just very creative. They allow me to rest for a time or escape the inescapable when I was young. They are me I just dont remember what happens when I rest and they stay to protect me. Dont know if that makes a lot od sense. But after years of over analyzing them I have learned that they are a creative part of myself that I am finally accepting and trying to stay present instead of resting

[cashart10]

Thank you all. That helps.

[Ruftin]

What if the voices you hear are in your own voice , in your own head, but are constant, annoying, mean, criticizing, full of rage, are against you, and against others and are completely out of character for you and come and go as they please. Anyone experience this? Does it have to be a voice or voices other than your own?

Originally Posted by Ruftin

What if the voices you hear are in your own voice , in your own head, but are constant, annoying, mean, criticizing, full of rage, are against you, and against others and are completely out of character for you and come and go as they please. Anyone experience this? Does it have to be a voice or voices other than your own?

Are you taking an antipsychotic? It helps to quiet the hallucinating voices that are jumbled and rapid

[Ruftin]

AlwaysChanging2... I have been thinking I need an antipsychotic. Will be seeing the Dr. soon and I will bring it up. Glad to hear meds are effective in quieting all this noise. I appreciate your response!!!

[Lady Lindsey]

Never stopped mine, but like I said, mine are myself.... just a creative form of self talk

[Ruftin]

Originally Posted by Lady Lindsey

Never stopped mine, but like I said, mine are myself.... just a creative form of self talk

Thanks Lady Lindsey...My voices are in my voice but they are very negative and mean. I don't like them. I'm glad yours are creative.

[chasms]

I've experienced the voices-in-my-head thing. I've had sparse external audio hallucinations too. regarding the internal voices , some people have considered those intrusive thoughts. I guess it depends on your exact experience. For me it is sometimes like someone else is thinking in my head.

[Ruftin]

I actually went to bed for awhile this afternoon and heard the voices and tried to focus on what they were saying. Very odd. Repetitive words like, stay there, stay there. Step back, step back. So grateful that some of you have been able to tell me the name for this condition. I'm not possessed. What a relief.

[lilypup]

I had good luck with perphenazine.

My thoughts can be very loud. My T refers to them as voices but NOT hallucinations. Sometimes thoughts can be awfully loud, demanding and hurtful, but they are not hallucinations. I get many many intrusive thoughts and images, again not hallucinations, just loud thoughts.

I feel for those with hallucinations. While I have seen and heard things at times my docs say it is nothing to worry about and normal for those even without mental illness.

[cashart10]

Originally Posted by Supanova

My thoughts can be very loud. My T refers to them as voices but NOT hallucinations. Sometimes thoughts can be awfully loud, demanding and hurtful, but they are not hallucinations. I get many many intrusive thoughts and images, again not hallucinations, just loud thoughts.

I feel for those with hallucinations. While I have seen and heard things at times my docs say it is nothing to worry about and normal for those even without mental illness.

So then believing that God is telling you to do things would just be part of the delusion? I thought God was telling me to do not only somewhat normal things like praying out loud for random people but also telling me to cast out demons, calling out my name, and getting into the ocean--fully clothed, dangerously high tide and in the evening. And I listened to these things and, at the time would have probably listened if I had been told to fly. I thought they were hallucinations until the doctor in the hospital asked that question. What you said makes sense. Maybe I will just ask my pdoc. I am back to seeing the same pdoc I told I heard voices. I also would see Jesus coming to me but it wasn't like Jesus in the form of an actual man, it was an artistic Jesus, like he was descending from the clouds. That I saw with my eyes but I have often wondered if that too was part of my delusions. And, sometimes I still wonder if it were real.

[Ruftin]

Originally Posted by Supanova

My thoughts can be very loud. My T refers to them as voices but NOT hallucinations. Sometimes thoughts can be awfully loud, demanding and hurtful, but they are not hallucinations. I get many many intrusive thoughts and images, again not hallucinations, just loud thoughts. I feel for those with hallucinations. While I have seen and heard things at times my docs say it is nothing to worry about and normal for those even without mental illness.

Oh my...Now I'm confused as to what the difference is between intrusive thoughts and internal auditory hallucinations.

If they are external vs in your head they are more consistent with auditory hallucinations and in your head they are usually not hallucinations. They can be our imagination, our conscious. I'd go in for an evaluation. There are other things needing evaluation.

[4infinity]

I believe the voices are hallucinations whether they are internal or external, music too. At least for me. Thank you so much Stinkin Thinkin for your comments. I have heard music or talking and would swear i left t.v. Or radio on! Only to investigate and discover it was just me. Its very disturbing and after the initial shock wears off i just sit and cry. I ask out loud to no one there how can i be so f---ed up?

[4infinity]

Originally Posted by Sinking Feeling

Anyone who has had both understands they are indeed hallucinations. External sounds normal like some one talking to you or in another room near you, but from the outside like normal hearing. IMHO internal can be more disturbing because it sounds like a radio or television in your head playing at various volumes, from a whisper to very loud!

I am very glad to have read your post! Sometimes it felt likye i was the only one who heard music, t.v., dj sounding voices external. I was always checking to see if something had been left on, and there wasn't and id freak out. Now i am a little more used.to it happening but ot still freaks me out. Thanks again for sharing!