Internal Sounds and Voices

I know that a lot of you will say that you do not really hear voices/have audio hallucinations ala schizophrenia. Audio hallucinations would be sounds that mimic perception (seem like theyre coming from some direction). I do not have audio hallucinations per se, but I do hear things from inside my head.

I'm not talking about "hearing" thoughts or "getting" thoughts the same as you'd remember a song in your head or recite some thoughts in your head and "hear" them that way. This is the only category of "internal sounds" that I had for a long time, but I have had to come up with a new category since becoming more aware of the presence of alters.

Anyway, I have heard distinct voices in which it is clear to me their general age and gender, and sometimes mood. I also have heard singing. Additionally, I have heard non-voice sounds, such as utensils clanking or a knocking on a door, etc. Its always pretty clear that to me when this happens that it's like I'm getting some kind of communication attempt.

but I wonder if any of you have had these experiences? If you do as well, what's the quality of it like? Is it just voices, or do you hear other things as well? How have they changed over time? Do your alters have a consistent tone of voice each time you hear them? And alters, if you do not consider the physical voice to be yours, do you know the sound of your own voice/the sounds of others' voices in your system?

Collingwood wrote:but I wonder if any of you have had these experiences? If you do as well, what's the quality of it like? Is it just voices, or do you hear other things as well? How have they changed over time?

I hear music that's totally unrelated to what I'm listening or doing. I also hear toys, like the little kid toys. And doors opening and closing.

Collingwood wrote: Do your alters have a consistent tone of voice each time you hear them?

This, for me anyway, depends on the situation. But they all have a consistent voice, so I instantly know who it is.

Collingwood wrote:And alters, if you do not consider the physical voice to be yours, do you know the sound of your own voice/the sounds of others' voices in your system?

When someone other than Kris is out, we can hear differences in the physical voice. Like, when Terra's out the body's voice gets more of an accent. But, when we're inside we all have our own voices. I think Jasper and Rein are the hardest to tell apart, though. They sound very similar nomatter what.

-Edward

Cadence Risa wrote:
I hear music that's totally unrelated to what I'm listening or doing. I also hear toys, like the little kid toys. And doors opening and closing.

This, for me anyway, depends on the situation. But they all have a consistent voice, so I instantly know who it is.

When someone other than Kris is out, we can hear differences in the physical voice. Like, when Terra's out the body's voice gets more of an accent. But, when we're inside we all have our own voices. I think Jasper and Rein are the hardest to tell apart, though. They sound very similar nomatter what.

-Edward

About the toys' sounds: do they sound like toys you have around or have seen? Is it musical or mechanical sounding? That's interesting, glad to know I'm not the only one who has heard objects. I wonder what makes that possible or what's going on? Have you asked for explanations when you heard sounds like that?

And about the voices' consistency - Are they like voices you've heard before, that belong to someone else in the physical world? I know also that when sound waves travel through the air, they are affected by other sounds and the shape of the space, etc. But if you "hear" each others' voices in a space where there is no medium/not the same medium (inside your head vs outside), the sound won't be affected by those things. Do you hear any difference therefore?

I can't usually hear too much difference because when I do hear the voice, its more like a memory or it's just not enough. But I had a very vivid dream in which the voice of an alter spoke very clearly in my head. It had a very clear and 'unimpeded' sort of tonality - really pleasant and nice to listen to actually, but I never heard it quite like that ever again. Have you heard each others' voices in your dreams ever?

Does J kicking an inside door, when she's mad at me, count? I definitely hear that

Collingwood wrote:I also have heard singing.

I've heard C singing, internally

Collingwood wrote:Do your alters have a consistent tone of voice each time you hear them?

It varies a little, depending on their mood at the time, but it's consistent enough for me to know who's talking.

Collingwood wrote:but I wonder if any of you have had these experiences? If you do as well, what's the quality of it like? Is it just voices, or do you hear other things as well? How have they changed over time? Do your alters have a consistent tone of voice each time you hear them? And alters, if you do not consider the physical voice to be yours, do you know the sound of your own voice/the sounds of others' voices in your system?

Yep, this is all the norm for me. I hear their voices (which are distinct and change in inflection depending on topic of conversation or their moods) as well as objects being used. Sometimes I can hear the wind in our inner-landscape. The only thing that has changed is clarity of the sounds.

None of us sound, inside, as the body's voice sounds out here. We hear one another as we sound inside.

-Mikaela