tada
for thank you you’re so patient waiting
for so long I so appreciate you staying
I was expecting a mass exodus I do hope
I’m worth it
okay alright here we go sorry glasses
they’re quite cool though I yeah yeah
okay when I was about 12 I was
introduced to a group of people who were
enthralling and delightful
they were entertaining and amusing and I
was captivated by their engaging
conversations and their fascinating
ideas but just as easily
unfortunately they turn on me and their
words would become brutal humiliating
and very critical they crushed my spirit
with their savagery fortunately or
unfortunately they said they would stick
by me they said they would never desert
me and they began to protect and guide
me but also punish me if I didn’t do
what they thought I should be doing we
would spend hours in deep conversation
where I learned the world’s a dangerous
place they told me I was hated that
people were out there that wanted to get
rid of me they told me I was useless
that I was hopeless that I was fat that
I was ugly and I was stupid things I had
tried so desperately to hide from myself
and from others but they had uncovered
the truth I became terrified of going
out and suspicious of everyone they told
me I was a messenger from God and they
promised me Redemption if I
proved myself worthy they led me seven
down some very dark paths with promises
of enlightenment but all I ever
experienced was bitter disappointment I
became dependent on them my companions
were Authority but they were vibrant
vital and impossible to ignore they knew
so much about everything and I was
totally absorbed by them over time it
became hopeless to release myself from
their clutches and I excluded everyone
from my life including those people who
were the most important and those people
who had dared to love me I was now in a
slave master relationship it’s
impossible to flourish in life when you
were hidden from light I constantly
endeavoured to gain their approval the
appraised and an invitation of their in
a synched but that door remained closed
to me all of the stuff appointment just
reinforced my internal self-loathing
which dominated my every thought and I
became marooned from all its wondrous in
this world yet without them I felt so
desolate so alone because they filled a
huge void in my life you see I hear
voices I hear a variety of different
voices male female young old some of
them I even have these crazy accents and
they are completely obsessed with me
they observe and remark on my every
action my every thought
there’s no privacy there’s no place of
sanctity they can access my thinking of
will and I am never free of their
ceaseless commentary and criticism
this collection of internal narrators
medals in every aspect of my life so
what’s it like this voice hearing thing
I’m sure you’ve asked yourselves I’m a
pretty garden-variety voice hero all
that happens is I hear people when they
aren’t in the room and it’s as clear and
concise as if someone’s directly in
front of me okay
I tend to hear my voices from behind me
so I’ll look round
sometimes there’s someone there sometime
there isn’t but the experience is
exactly the same
like most voice heroes I live in a world
dominated by words I am easy prey to the
power of words words can defame they can
defile but they can also bring a heart
back to life I have come to view voices
as an extreme form of anxiety a coping
strategy to deal with my high levels of
anxiety and my propensity to worry about
everything try to think of it this way
when feelings become too intense the
mind decides you can’t create you can’t
cope so you cultivate a technique to
ensure you will survive the onslaught
and will not become overwhelmed by your
emotions there is a little question that
the primary objective of voices is to
isolate creating the ideal environment
for them to have exclusive access to you
it deprives you of any alternative view
and you are completely dictated by their
views then that isolation it becomes a
protection and it becomes a protection
against the anguish of living was such
an extremely fragile soul the specific
clinical term inaudible hallucination
so auditory is hearing if I’m sure you’d
know and yes I hear them yes that’s fine
hallucinations in terms of imagining
well know the factors I hear voices
other people don’t hear that’s my
reality but I acknowledge that is my
reality
and I acknowledge that not everyone is
attuned to these exchanges that doesn’t
mean they don’t exist there are a lot of
things that we experience as individuals
that we do not share
they are unique to ourselves that does
not mean they don’t happen our mental
health operates on a continuum a sliding
scale oscillating from low to extreme
stress okay depending on life events
living as a stressful businesses or not
and no person is immune to the trials
and tribulations of everyday life as
human beings we are brilliant just
brilliant at dealing with complex
difficult situations as well as the
external stressors we have internal
vulnerabilities which make us
susceptible to certain stresses okay
sensitivities that have accumulated over
our lifetime fear of failure fear of
rejection fear of conflict fear of being
out of control you share these fears I
have no doubt about that
and each vulnerability brings with it a
mental load which we carry like in a
backpack on our back okay most of the
time it’s light and we can easily carry
around that burden but when
circumstances add to that load such as
arguing with someone you care about
dropping your new phone and it’s always
your new phone down the toilet I know
you tell yourself don’t put it in your
pocket and then it goes plunk right your
favorite auntie dies it’s never that
which okay your cat gets in a fight and
you’re racing off to the vet as each
instance occurs the load accumulates and
in your backpack of stress is gettin
heavier right and the effect multiplies
exponentially your stress level has
moved along the continuum it’s gone from
medium to high to unbearable there is a
limit to how much stress any one person
can tolerate and when you add in our
quiet vulnerabilities the effect will
multiply and there will be a response it
has to be when we get stressed voice
hearing is a technique that we use to
divert our attention and keeps us from
the deeply wounding issues that
overpower us at times and make us song
credibly fearful the voice has become a
guide to help navigate a world that
throws so much adversity and animosity
towards us fear is an instinctive
response to a perceived threat and its
safeguards us against danger when your
fear is activated your anxiety and level
will increase and your brain will be
bombarded with instructions about how to
deal with this imminent threat with
voice heroes that fear response is
triggered and constantly and
consistently feeling unsafe you
constantly scan for danger and when you
look for it you will find it and this
will increase your anxiety info
ultimately extreme fearfulness becomes
the minds default position that will
make you hyper vigilant to any threat
real or not when that converts into
unrelenting extreme fear panic ensues
and that is incredibly debilitating when
I panic I seek refuge
I will frantically try to collect myself
and may even shut down completely trying
to maintain the facade of being calm and
in control when you’re internally
freaking out requires huge amounts of
energy when my internal and external
world collide so dramatically that is
when you are likely to see me openly
talking to my voices and when our calls
for help and acceptance are rejected
that makes that task so much more
difficult it’s not a crazy person you
see but rather a person dealing with
intolerable psychological and emotional
pain when you are overwhelmed overcome
by fear and desperate it’s perfectly
reasonable to hide yourself away and
lick your wounds to stay hidden it’s a
very typical human response it’s not
madness you’re observing it’s a person
trying to survive the concept of madness
is an interesting one arguably
constructed by society to dictate social
and cultural norms up until 1974
homosexuality and epilepsy were both
considered mental illnesses so times
have changed masturbation smoking and
Church these were symptoms of mental
illness or suspect there might be a few
of you who might even qualify or meet
the criteria
you may be surprised to hear that one in
25 people report hearing voices history
our history is littered with voice
Harris this Martin Luther King jr. Gandy
Joan of Arc Winston Churchill their
memories are not marred by being
identified as a voice hero rather they
are seen as heroic great auratus great
thinkers yet every one of them would be
considered mentally ill by today’s
standards as for me I’m only mad because
somebody else says I am if I say the
neighbor told me don’t drink from the
tap that’s contaminated I’m socially
connected and I can sustain
relationships if I say voice told me not
to drink from the tap because it’s
contaminated think clearly I’m crazy and
if I say I hear the voices of dead
people I would probably get my own TV
show
please I’m asking you please please
don’t be fooled by those negative images
portrayed about voice errors they come
from a place of arrogance and ignorance
this is not a lifelong affliction in
which people are condemned to
progressively decline any mental
well-being I can assure you there are
thousands of people who are getting on
with their lives and continuing to
thrive I found the key it’s it’s not
easy but it’s absolutely doable through
perseverance support and commitment to
be proactive
I discovered a way to liberate myself as
well as my voices I now live the life
Isis I craved and I dedicate my time to
working with people who hear distressing
voices I developed an approach based on
my own experiences to help others and
shackle themselves
from the tyranny of voices I call it the
modern approach and I work in a clinical
setting here in New Zealand we provide a
safe compassionate learning environment
to assist people whose lives have been
violated by negative voices who have
lost family friends and the material and
spiritual richness my fellow voice
theories share their experiences and are
so generous with their expertise and
their wisdom and how to deal with them
we have amassed a treasury of
information in actions from the
unselfish desire to help themselves and
others who are negatively affected by
voices I want to applaud my voice
Pyrrhus who every day demonstrate true
courage when they face
there many challenges I wish to thank
those who sail these unchartered waters
with us those fabulous people who
believe we’re worth it it is that
cherished quality that will help us all
assure in a better world I want to thank
you for giving me this precious moment
so I can talk to you so I can be heard
for you have come with compassionate
hearts and inquisitive minds you support
me just by listening to me I am a
fearful person I’m quick-thinking I have
a desperate need to be liked I have low
self-esteem
I worry excessively a laugh too loud I
talk too much but I’m kind and I’m
generous and I am quite cheerful
I am the possessor of a mutinous mind
but I’m not mad
[Applause]
for thank you you’re so patient waiting
for so long I so appreciate you staying
I was expecting a mass exodus I do hope
I’m worth it
okay alright here we go sorry glasses
they’re quite cool though I yeah yeah
okay when I was about 12 I was
introduced to a group of people who were
enthralling and delightful
they were entertaining and amusing and I
was captivated by their engaging
conversations and their fascinating
ideas but just as easily
unfortunately they turn on me and their
words would become brutal humiliating
and very critical they crushed my spirit
with their savagery fortunately or
unfortunately they said they would stick
by me they said they would never desert
me and they began to protect and guide
me but also punish me if I didn’t do
what they thought I should be doing we
would spend hours in deep conversation
where I learned the world’s a dangerous
place they told me I was hated that
people were out there that wanted to get
rid of me they told me I was useless
that I was hopeless that I was fat that
I was ugly and I was stupid things I had
tried so desperately to hide from myself
and from others but they had uncovered
the truth I became terrified of going
out and suspicious of everyone they told
me I was a messenger from God and they
promised me Redemption if I
proved myself worthy they led me seven
down some very dark paths with promises
of enlightenment but all I ever
experienced was bitter disappointment I
became dependent on them my companions
were Authority but they were vibrant
vital and impossible to ignore they knew
so much about everything and I was
totally absorbed by them over time it
became hopeless to release myself from
their clutches and I excluded everyone
from my life including those people who
were the most important and those people
who had dared to love me I was now in a
slave master relationship it’s
impossible to flourish in life when you
were hidden from light I constantly
endeavoured to gain their approval the
appraised and an invitation of their in
a synched but that door remained closed
to me all of the stuff appointment just
reinforced my internal self-loathing
which dominated my every thought and I
became marooned from all its wondrous in
this world yet without them I felt so
desolate so alone because they filled a
huge void in my life you see I hear
voices I hear a variety of different
voices male female young old some of
them I even have these crazy accents and
they are completely obsessed with me
they observe and remark on my every
action my every thought
there’s no privacy there’s no place of
sanctity they can access my thinking of
will and I am never free of their
ceaseless commentary and criticism
this collection of internal narrators
medals in every aspect of my life so
what’s it like this voice hearing thing
I’m sure you’ve asked yourselves I’m a
pretty garden-variety voice hero all
that happens is I hear people when they
aren’t in the room and it’s as clear and
concise as if someone’s directly in
front of me okay
I tend to hear my voices from behind me
so I’ll look round
sometimes there’s someone there sometime
there isn’t but the experience is
exactly the same
like most voice heroes I live in a world
dominated by words I am easy prey to the
power of words words can defame they can
defile but they can also bring a heart
back to life I have come to view voices
as an extreme form of anxiety a coping
strategy to deal with my high levels of
anxiety and my propensity to worry about
everything try to think of it this way
when feelings become too intense the
mind decides you can’t create you can’t
cope so you cultivate a technique to
ensure you will survive the onslaught
and will not become overwhelmed by your
emotions there is a little question that
the primary objective of voices is to
isolate creating the ideal environment
for them to have exclusive access to you
it deprives you of any alternative view
and you are completely dictated by their
views then that isolation it becomes a
protection and it becomes a protection
against the anguish of living was such
an extremely fragile soul the specific
clinical term inaudible hallucination
so auditory is hearing if I’m sure you’d
know and yes I hear them yes that’s fine
hallucinations in terms of imagining
well know the factors I hear voices
other people don’t hear that’s my
reality but I acknowledge that is my
reality
and I acknowledge that not everyone is
attuned to these exchanges that doesn’t
mean they don’t exist there are a lot of
things that we experience as individuals
that we do not share
they are unique to ourselves that does
not mean they don’t happen our mental
health operates on a continuum a sliding
scale oscillating from low to extreme
stress okay depending on life events
living as a stressful businesses or not
and no person is immune to the trials
and tribulations of everyday life as
human beings we are brilliant just
brilliant at dealing with complex
difficult situations as well as the
external stressors we have internal
vulnerabilities which make us
susceptible to certain stresses okay
sensitivities that have accumulated over
our lifetime fear of failure fear of
rejection fear of conflict fear of being
out of control you share these fears I
have no doubt about that
and each vulnerability brings with it a
mental load which we carry like in a
backpack on our back okay most of the
time it’s light and we can easily carry
around that burden but when
circumstances add to that load such as
arguing with someone you care about
dropping your new phone and it’s always
your new phone down the toilet I know
you tell yourself don’t put it in your
pocket and then it goes plunk right your
favorite auntie dies it’s never that
which okay your cat gets in a fight and
you’re racing off to the vet as each
instance occurs the load accumulates and
in your backpack of stress is gettin
heavier right and the effect multiplies
exponentially your stress level has
moved along the continuum it’s gone from
medium to high to unbearable there is a
limit to how much stress any one person
can tolerate and when you add in our
quiet vulnerabilities the effect will
multiply and there will be a response it
has to be when we get stressed voice
hearing is a technique that we use to
divert our attention and keeps us from
the deeply wounding issues that
overpower us at times and make us song
credibly fearful the voice has become a
guide to help navigate a world that
throws so much adversity and animosity
towards us fear is an instinctive
response to a perceived threat and its
safeguards us against danger when your
fear is activated your anxiety and level
will increase and your brain will be
bombarded with instructions about how to
deal with this imminent threat with
voice heroes that fear response is
triggered and constantly and
consistently feeling unsafe you
constantly scan for danger and when you
look for it you will find it and this
will increase your anxiety info
ultimately extreme fearfulness becomes
the minds default position that will
make you hyper vigilant to any threat
real or not when that converts into
unrelenting extreme fear panic ensues
and that is incredibly debilitating when
I panic I seek refuge
I will frantically try to collect myself
and may even shut down completely trying
to maintain the facade of being calm and
in control when you’re internally
freaking out requires huge amounts of
energy when my internal and external
world collide so dramatically that is
when you are likely to see me openly
talking to my voices and when our calls
for help and acceptance are rejected
that makes that task so much more
difficult it’s not a crazy person you
see but rather a person dealing with
intolerable psychological and emotional
pain when you are overwhelmed overcome
by fear and desperate it’s perfectly
reasonable to hide yourself away and
lick your wounds to stay hidden it’s a
very typical human response it’s not
madness you’re observing it’s a person
trying to survive the concept of madness
is an interesting one arguably
constructed by society to dictate social
and cultural norms up until 1974
homosexuality and epilepsy were both
considered mental illnesses so times
have changed masturbation smoking and
Church these were symptoms of mental
illness or suspect there might be a few
of you who might even qualify or meet
the criteria
you may be surprised to hear that one in
25 people report hearing voices history
our history is littered with voice
Harris this Martin Luther King jr. Gandy
Joan of Arc Winston Churchill their
memories are not marred by being
identified as a voice hero rather they
are seen as heroic great auratus great
thinkers yet every one of them would be
considered mentally ill by today’s
standards as for me I’m only mad because
somebody else says I am if I say the
neighbor told me don’t drink from the
tap that’s contaminated I’m socially
connected and I can sustain
relationships if I say voice told me not
to drink from the tap because it’s
contaminated think clearly I’m crazy and
if I say I hear the voices of dead
people I would probably get my own TV
show
please I’m asking you please please
don’t be fooled by those negative images
portrayed about voice errors they come
from a place of arrogance and ignorance
this is not a lifelong affliction in
which people are condemned to
progressively decline any mental
well-being I can assure you there are
thousands of people who are getting on
with their lives and continuing to
thrive I found the key it’s it’s not
easy but it’s absolutely doable through
perseverance support and commitment to
be proactive
I discovered a way to liberate myself as
well as my voices I now live the life
Isis I craved and I dedicate my time to
working with people who hear distressing
voices I developed an approach based on
my own experiences to help others and
shackle themselves
from the tyranny of voices I call it the
modern approach and I work in a clinical
setting here in New Zealand we provide a
safe compassionate learning environment
to assist people whose lives have been
violated by negative voices who have
lost family friends and the material and
spiritual richness my fellow voice
theories share their experiences and are
so generous with their expertise and
their wisdom and how to deal with them
we have amassed a treasury of
information in actions from the
unselfish desire to help themselves and
others who are negatively affected by
voices I want to applaud my voice
Pyrrhus who every day demonstrate true
courage when they face
there many challenges I wish to thank
those who sail these unchartered waters
with us those fabulous people who
believe we’re worth it it is that
cherished quality that will help us all
assure in a better world I want to thank
you for giving me this precious moment
so I can talk to you so I can be heard
for you have come with compassionate
hearts and inquisitive minds you support
me just by listening to me I am a
fearful person I’m quick-thinking I have
a desperate need to be liked I have low
self-esteem
I worry excessively a laugh too loud I
talk too much but I’m kind and I’m
generous and I am quite cheerful
I am the possessor of a mutinous mind
but I’m not mad
[Applause]
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