Hearing voices is one of the most shocking mental experiences that a person can have because it immediately raises the question: Am I mad? Beyond this, voices are highly abusive, and attack the person’s self-worth. As such they are totally and instantly disruptive in the person’s life.
In my whole career as a clinical psychologist, I have never come across any other group of people who are so consistently battered by their mental experiences. However, following closely are those nearest to the person who is experiencing voices and who ultimately become their carers. Shock, confusion, anger and ultimately grief and hopelessness assail the carer.
Hearing voices will need specialist attention and here we discover the third group of people who are often floored by voice-hearing; the clinicians and other workers who get involved. There were many occasions that training was requested for clinicians in this area so that they could be equipped with some tools to assist their clients.
On the Frontline with voices speaks to all three groups and it is constructed to do so from within each group’s frame of reference.
One further objective of my book is to fit with early intervention, as the longer voices are present, the more they become embedded and the more they disrupt the person’s life. It is also true that within the context in which they commonly occur, it all becomes a family breaker and may in fact cause stress related mental health problems in carers as well.For me it has always been a privilege to work with people troubled by voices as the experience is no less than someone trying to survive an abusive relationship. This then is my point of departure; strategies to deal with an abusive relationship so that the person can once again take up their rightful place in society.
Keith Butler
Speechmark author of On the Frontline with Voices - A Grassroots Handbook for Voice-hearers, Carers and Clinicians
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