Autonomous voice communication: Difference between revisions

'''Autonomous voice communication''' (also known as '''auditory verbal hallucinations''' '''(AVHs)''')<ref name="TohCastle2016">{{cite journal|last1=Toh|first1=Wei Lin|last2=Castle|first2=David J.|last3=Thomas|first3=Neil|last4=Badcock|first4=Johanna C.|last5=Rossell|first5=Susan L.|title=Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) and related psychotic phenomena in mood disorders: analysis of the 2010 Survey of High Impact Psychosis (SHIP) data|journal=Psychiatry Research|volume=243|year=2016|pages=238–245|issn=01651781|doi=10.1016/j.psychres.2016.06.035}}</ref> is defined as the experience of being able to hear and converse with a disembodied and audible voice of unknown origin which seemingly resides within one's own head.<ref name="MoseleyFernyhough2013">{{cite journal|last1=Moseley|first1=Peter|last2=Fernyhough|first2=Charles|last3=Ellison|first3=Amanda|title=Auditory verbal hallucinations as atypical inner speech monitoring, and the potential of neurostimulation as a treatment option|journal=Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews|volume=37|issue=10|year=2013|pages=2794–2805|issn=01497634|doi=10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.10.001}}</ref><ref name="WoodsJones2015">{{cite journal|last1=Woods|first1=Angela|last2=Jones|first2=Nev|last3=Alderson-Day|first3=Ben|last4=Callard|first4=Felicity|last5=Fernyhough|first5=Charles|title=Experiences of hearing voices: analysis of a novel phenomenological survey|journal=The Lancet Psychiatry|volume=2|issue=4|year=2015|pages=323–331|issn=22150366|doi=10.1016/S2215-0366(15)00006-1}}</ref><ref name="RommeHonig2018">{{cite journal|last1=Romme|first1=M. A. J.|last2=Honig|first2=A.|last3=Noorthoorn|first3=E. O.|last4=Escher|first4=A. D. M. A. C.|title=Coping with Hearing Voices: An Emancipatory Approach|journal=British Journal of Psychiatry|volume=161|issue=01|year=2018|pages=99–103|issn=0007-1250|doi=10.1192/bjp.161.1.99}}</ref><ref name="CorstensLongden2014">{{cite journal|last1=Corstens|first1=Dirk|last2=Longden|first2=Eleanor|last3=McCarthy-Jones|first3=Simon|last4=Waddingham|first4=Rachel|last5=Thomas|first5=Neil|title=Emerging Perspectives From the Hearing Voices Movement: Implications for Research and Practice|journal=Schizophrenia Bulletin|volume=40|issue=Suppl_4|year=2014|pages=S285–S294|issn=1745-1701|doi=10.1093/schbul/sbu007}}</ref> This voice is often capable of high levels of complex and detailed speech which are typically on par with the intelligence and vocabulary of ones own conversational abilities.  

As a whole, the effect itself can be broken down into 5 distinct levels of progressive intensity, each of which are described below:

#'''Mutually generated internal responses''' - Internally felt conversational responses to one's own thoughts and feelings which feel as if they are partially generated by one's own thought stream and in equal measure by that of a separate thought stream.<ref name="LooijestijnDiederen2013">{{cite journal|last1=Looijestijn|first1=Jasper|last2=Diederen|first2=Kelly M.J.|last3=Goekoop|first3=Rutger|last4=Sommer|first4=Iris E.C.|last5=Daalman|first5=Kirstin|last6=Kahn|first6=René S.|last7=Hoek|first7=Hans W.|last8=Blom|first8=Jan Dirk|title=The auditory dorsal stream plays a crucial role in projecting hallucinated voices into external space|journal=Schizophrenia Research|volume=146|issue=1-3|year=2013|pages=314–319|issn=09209964|doi=10.1016/j.schres.2013.02.004}}</ref>

#'''Separately generated internal responses''' - Internally felt conversational responses to one's own thoughts and feelings which feel as if they are generated by an entirely distinct and separate thought stream that resides within one's head.<ref name="TohCastle2016" /><ref name="WoodsJones2015" /><ref name="LooijestijnDiederen2013" />

#'''Separately generated audible internal responses''' - Internally heard conversational responses to one's own thoughts and feelings which are perceived as a clearly defined and audible voice within one's head. These can take on a variety of voices, accents, and dialects, but usually sound identical to one's own spoken voice.<ref name="MoseleyFernyhough2013" /><ref name="LooijestijnDiederen2013" />

#'''Separately generated audible external responses''' - Externally heard conversational responses to one's own thoughts and feelings which are perceived as a clearly defined and audible voice which sounds as if it is coming from outside one's own head. These can take on a variety of voices, accents, and dialects, but usually sound identical to the person's own spoken voice.<ref name="MoseleyFernyhough2013" /><ref name="WoodsJones2015" /><ref name="LooijestijnDiederen2013" />

The speaker behind this voice is commonly interpreted by those who experience it to be the voice of their own subconscious, the [[psychoactive substance]] itself, a specific [[autonomous entity]], or even supernatural concepts such as god, spirits, souls, and ancestors.

At higher levels, the conversational style of that which is discussed between both the voice and its host can be described as essentially identical in terms of its coherency and linguistic intelligibility as that of any other everyday interaction between the self and another human being of any age with which one might engage in conversation with. Higher levels may also manifest itself in multiple voices or even an ambiguous collection of voices such as a crowd.<ref name="WoodsJones2015" />

However, there are some subtle but identifiable differences between this experience and that of normal everyday conversations. These stem from the fact that one's specific set of knowledge, memories and experiences are identical to that of the voice which is being communicated with.<ref name="WoodsJones2015" /><ref name="CorstensLongden2014" /> This results in conversations in which both participants often share an identical vocabulary down to the very use of their colloquial slang and subtle mannerisms. As a result of this, no matter how in-depth and detailed the discussion becomes, no entirely new information is ever exchanged between the two communicators. Instead, the discussion focuses primarily on building upon old ideas and discussing new opinions or perspectives regarding the previously established content of one's life.  

Autonomous voice communication is often accompanied by other coinciding effects such as [[Delusion|delusions]], [[autonomous entities]], [[auditory hallucinations]], and [[psychosis]] in a manner which can sometimes lead the person into believing the voices' statements unquestionably in a delusional manner. It is most commonly induced under the influence of [[dosage#heavy|heavy]] [[dosage|dosages]] of [[hallucinogen|hallucinogenic]] compounds such as [[psychedelic|psychedelics]], [[dissociative|dissociatives]], and [[deliriant|deliriants]]. However, it may also occur during the offset of prolonged [[stimulant]] binges and less consistently under the influence of heavy dosages of [[cannabinoid|cannabinoids]].</onlyinclude>

The experience of communicating with hallucinated voices has been well established with and without the use of [[hallucinogenic]] drugs through scientific study. For example, one study successfully demonstrated that anybody can encounter a dialogue between themselves and a voice of unknown origin under the influence of [[Psilocin#Psilocybin_Mushrooms|psilocybin mushrooms]]. This study interviewed 128 participants with an approximate total of 3,427 psilocybin mushroom experiences between them and revealed that 35.9% (46) of the participants reported voices whilst 64% (82) did not.<ref>Beach, H. J. (1997). Listening for the logos: A study of reports of audible voices at high doses of psilocybin. http://www.maps.org/news-letters/v07n1/07112bea.html</ref>  

Even outside of these drug-induced experiences, hearing voices within one's head is a well documented psychological phenomena and can in and of itself, generally be considered as a relatively harmless state of mind to find oneself in.<ref name="RobertsonToh2017">{{cite journal|last1=Robertson|first1=Michelle|last2=Toh|first2=Wei Lin|title=M109. Phenomenology of Auditory Verbal Hallucinations (AVHs) in a Nonclinical Adult Population and Their Relationship With Mood|journal=Schizophrenia Bulletin|volume=43|issue=suppl_1|year=2017|pages=S250–S250|issn=0586-7614|doi=10.1093/schbul/sbx022.104}}</ref><ref name="LuhrmannPadmavati2018">{{cite journal|last1=Luhrmann|first1=T. M.|last2=Padmavati|first2=R.|last3=Tharoor|first3=H.|last4=Osei|first4=A.|title=Differences in voice-hearing experiences of people with psychosis in the USA, India and Ghana: Interview-based study|journal=British Journal of Psychiatry|volume=206|issue=01|year=2018|pages=41–44|issn=0007-1250|doi=10.1192/bjp.bp.113.139048}}</ref>

Compounds within our [[psychoactive substance index]] which may cause this effect include:

{{#ask:[[Category:Psychoactive substance]][[Effect::Autonomous voice communication]]|format=ul|Columns=2}}

Anecdotal reports which describe this effect within our [[experience index]] include:

{{#ask:[[Category:Experience]][[Effect::Autonomous voice communication]]|format=ul|Columns=2}}

===See also===

 

===References===

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