TY - JOUR
T1 - When soft voices die
T2 - Auditory verbal hallucinations and a four letter word (love)
AU - McCarthy-Jones, Simon
AU - Davidson, Larry
PY - 2013/4
Y1 - 2013/4
N2 - Understandings of auditory verbal hallucinations (also referred to as "hearing voices"), and help for people distressed by them, are dominated by a biomedical framework. Yet, many people who have sought help for the distress and/or impairment caused by hearing voices express dissatisfaction with treatment solely within this framework, highlighting the need for a more rounded, biopsychosocial-spiritual approach. This paper examines the neglected role of a fundamental part of human experience, love, in the experience of hearing voices. First, we argue a lack of love is likely to play a causal role in voice-hearing experiences. Second, we demonstrate that a lack of love is central to the distress and dysfunction often caused by hearing voices. Finally, we show that love plays a core role in recovery. Given this centrality of love, we argue that an interdisciplinary approach to hearing voices involving the mind sciences and theology/religion may be fruitful. The relevance of this for psychotherapeutic interventions for people who hear voices is discussed.
AB - Understandings of auditory verbal hallucinations (also referred to as "hearing voices"), and help for people distressed by them, are dominated by a biomedical framework. Yet, many people who have sought help for the distress and/or impairment caused by hearing voices express dissatisfaction with treatment solely within this framework, highlighting the need for a more rounded, biopsychosocial-spiritual approach. This paper examines the neglected role of a fundamental part of human experience, love, in the experience of hearing voices. First, we argue a lack of love is likely to play a causal role in voice-hearing experiences. Second, we demonstrate that a lack of love is central to the distress and dysfunction often caused by hearing voices. Finally, we show that love plays a core role in recovery. Given this centrality of love, we argue that an interdisciplinary approach to hearing voices involving the mind sciences and theology/religion may be fruitful. The relevance of this for psychotherapeutic interventions for people who hear voices is discussed.
KW - hearing voices
KW - psychosis
KW - schizophrenia
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84875239917&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/13674676.2012.674498
DO - 10.1080/13674676.2012.674498
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84875239917
SN - 1367-4676
VL - 16
SP - 367
EP - 383
JO - Mental Health, Religion and Culture
JF - Mental Health, Religion and Culture
IS - 4
ER -