[Monkey1111]

I used to have this experience regularly, just at random times. At its peak, it was like 20 times a day though..... but just like a few statements/words not like talking and talking and interrupting my life at all. Not in the slightesr. They never said anything scary. In fact, if I never heard anybody say anything about the experience being abnormal it probably wouldn't have occurred to me.

It was more just like stuff a friend would say. And I used to hang out with them in avway like they were friends in a sense. Once I was leaving a bar extremely drunk and started to walk into the crosswalk...... and I hear, "(re life name) Look out for that bus." And I step back and if I didn't I'd have been run over by it. Granted, I wasn't in a good mental state at the time...... yet they never directly interfered with my life. If anything, they made the difficult time in my life easier. In fact, they were never menacing or scary like people say. They had names and all that I won't say on here.

And I don't hear them anymore. They're like archetypes of sorts. If I wanted to, I'd be able to talk to them yet I haven't. I still hear them on very rare occasion. But it's really rare.

I also don't have delusions or anything. Never really have, aside from a one off thing while very drunk. To be honest, I feel totally sane and rational. During the time I heard them more often, I had some issues and even struggled a bit with self harm. Yet the voices I heard really spread positivity to me with all this stuff rather than dragging me down.

I also always recognized it was "part of me", though perhaps they were benevolent spirits helping me out. Perhaps, they're my spirit guides. Yet I know especially with this to simply shut the **** up about it. Since the idea of communicating with spirits gets deemed as "delusional" and could get me sent to the "happy home where life is beautiful all the time" so to speak. Kind of joking yet also serious that some people woud assume I'm completely out of my mind. Yet I'm not.

I have a job and don't even have these experiences anymore aside from rare occasions just while falling asleep. Not even while wide awake anymore. Just in my head maybe at times but not "hearing" anything like before.

[ruthful]

I have schizophrenia, and the disorder is chronic and severe, and it affects how a person thinks, feels and behaves.

My layman's opinion is that you don't have schizophrenia, and as long as these voices don't interfere with your activities of daily living it's not a problem.

I hope this helps.

[Sometimes psychotic]

No there was even a show of some sort that had a panel of psychiatrists and a guy had a very similar question about helpful voices and they said that no he wasn't psychotic---it was just something on the spectrum of normal....

[Rincad]

Hearing voices has a matitude of reasons. Bullying, social isolation, trauma, brain tumors, coping mechanisms, and may other things. It's not just a symptom of psychosis and schizophrenia. Also for a diagnosis for that you need other symptoms and must interfere with your life. Depression and bipolar can include voices, but those are condisdered psychosis, due to lo cu ( please ignore rhyming and nonsense sentences) the fact that they are mental illnesses and it effects their life negatively ly lee fee key me. The glass fan door pack dream swim. I hope that helps you.

[Shazerac]

I've heard voice or rather a voice a few times in my life. Never been suggested that I is was schizophrenic. The few times I've heard them was in a situation where it saved my life. One time I was sitting at a bar talking to my friend the bartender and a heard a loud stern voice in my ear that said "go home..NOW!" I went home. I found out the next day that a guy came in trying to rob the bar and shot and killed the person who was sitting on the stool I was sitting on. Really spooky.

Another time I was sitting in my living room in a total mope. I thought I heard a woman screaming and sobbing in anguish. I actually got up and went outside looking around to see what was going on. Then I realized it was in my head. That was the kick in the pants I needed to stop drinking and go see a psychiatrist. They wanted to hospitalize me for severe depression. I didn't go inpatient but did get on meds and frequent visits to the Pdoc.

No, not everyone who hears voices has psychosis (and not everyone who has psychosis has schizophrenia). It can be perfectly normal, especially if it causes no distress and they are helpful. I'd probably keep it to myself though because hearing voices is a stereotypical symptom of 'being crazy' and most people wouldn't understand and could recommend unnecessary psychiatry/medication.

All the best

*Willow*