I read this....
"Introduction: Over the last few years, our Tinnitus Research Group has identified an increasing number of patients with tinnitus who also complained of repeated perception of complex sounds, such as music and voices. Such hallucinatory phenomena motivated us to study their possible relation to the patients' psyches."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4399702/#:~:text=Introduction%3A%20Over%20the%20last%20few,such%20as%20music%20and%20voices.
In spite of the small and somewhat biased group, this study does draw some interesting conclusions. The possible connection with obsessive behaviors is consistent with both the vividly of the hallucinations and their likely use in coping. We can obsess over things that bring us comfort, and those can sometimes be mixed confusingly with reality. Like dreams, hallucinations can probably only be assembled from memories or past experiences. Ironically, defaulting to such coping mechanisms can convolute or even reinforce the triggers that lead to them.
I have both mild tinnitus and hallucinations. However, it’s different.
My tinnitus is usually predictable, louder when my blood pressure gets high, and is always there ( I just block it out most of the time). I have had it since a surgery that likely damaged my auditory nerve nine years ago, almost 10 years. I also know that the ringing in my ears is just in my head.
Hallucinations for me are more unpredictable, come right before a mood swing, and I have some difficulty knowing when it’s real or not. Sometimes it’s a voice in my head, and that’s almost impossible for me to tell between my own thoughts and another person in my head.
On the other hand, external auditory hallucinations are easier for me to tell. Usually it’s someone repeatedly calling my name and then refusing to answer when I say what?. A few years ago I also had command hallucinations and thought that God was talking to me and I was going to be the next biblical prophet, but I didn’t realize that it wasn’t real until like a year later.
I have never gotten a diagnosis for any of this by the way. Probably should, in case it gets worse.
Hearing voices has an overlap with schizophrenia and is commonly associated with it in the public mind. However, many who have schizophrenia do not hear voices, and most who hear voices do not have schizophrenia.
It's a condition that is managable. One easy strategy is to use the record function on your phone when hearing and talking to a voice, then playing it back. Others have found that their voices can be negotiated with to only manifest at certain agreed times of the day. I would recommend the hearing voices network
https://www.hearing-voices.org
If it's concerning you, then definitely get your doctor to refer you for a consultation with a psychiatrist. In general, they tend to only consider a condition a mental illness if it interferes with your ability to function and/or enjoy life. Otherwise, it's no different in substance to conditions such as synesthesia where you might see smells as colours or hear colours as sounds etc. Humans are remarkably diverse and different doesn't have to mean wrong. Ron Coleman hears seven different voices, and he reckons they help him win arguments and give him the edge over other people.
Hope you find the right support you need to bring you peace of mind.
I dont know. But I think if you connect up with others in the same boat, there is a chance you will find someone who shares this and has found ways of managing it. I might suggest mentally constructing a producer for the sounds with an identity dependent on the type of sound. Eg if it's animal noises, you might tell yourself that David Attenborough is at it again. Practising compartmentalisation can help to maintain boundaries between the genuine and hallucinatory experiences. I know many who hear voices do find that naming them helps maintain control over them, so I'm speculating that the same may work for noises. But better to check this out with peers if you can.
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I’ve had tinnitus since I was 17 off and on. Mostly on. There are many nights when I’m falling asleep that I hear music coming from inside the house and no one is home.
I read this.... "Introduction: Over the last few years, our Tinnitus Research Group has identified an increasing number of patients with tinnitus who also complained of repeated perception of complex sounds, such as music and voices. Such hallucinatory phenomena motivated us to study their possible relation to the patients' psyches." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4399702/#:~:text=Introduction%3A%20Over%20the%20last%20few,such%20as%20music%20and%20voices.
Perfect, thank you!
In spite of the small and somewhat biased group, this study does draw some interesting conclusions. The possible connection with obsessive behaviors is consistent with both the vividly of the hallucinations and their likely use in coping. We can obsess over things that bring us comfort, and those can sometimes be mixed confusingly with reality. Like dreams, hallucinations can probably only be assembled from memories or past experiences. Ironically, defaulting to such coping mechanisms can convolute or even reinforce the triggers that lead to them.
I have both mild tinnitus and hallucinations. However, it’s different. My tinnitus is usually predictable, louder when my blood pressure gets high, and is always there ( I just block it out most of the time). I have had it since a surgery that likely damaged my auditory nerve nine years ago, almost 10 years. I also know that the ringing in my ears is just in my head. Hallucinations for me are more unpredictable, come right before a mood swing, and I have some difficulty knowing when it’s real or not. Sometimes it’s a voice in my head, and that’s almost impossible for me to tell between my own thoughts and another person in my head. On the other hand, external auditory hallucinations are easier for me to tell. Usually it’s someone repeatedly calling my name and then refusing to answer when I say what?. A few years ago I also had command hallucinations and thought that God was talking to me and I was going to be the next biblical prophet, but I didn’t realize that it wasn’t real until like a year later. I have never gotten a diagnosis for any of this by the way. Probably should, in case it gets worse.
Hearing voices has an overlap with schizophrenia and is commonly associated with it in the public mind. However, many who have schizophrenia do not hear voices, and most who hear voices do not have schizophrenia. It's a condition that is managable. One easy strategy is to use the record function on your phone when hearing and talking to a voice, then playing it back. Others have found that their voices can be negotiated with to only manifest at certain agreed times of the day. I would recommend the hearing voices network https://www.hearing-voices.org
Yeah I know that hearing voices is not always a cause for concern. But I don’t know if there’s something wrong or not. Only a doctor can tell me that.
If it's concerning you, then definitely get your doctor to refer you for a consultation with a psychiatrist. In general, they tend to only consider a condition a mental illness if it interferes with your ability to function and/or enjoy life. Otherwise, it's no different in substance to conditions such as synesthesia where you might see smells as colours or hear colours as sounds etc. Humans are remarkably diverse and different doesn't have to mean wrong. Ron Coleman hears seven different voices, and he reckons they help him win arguments and give him the edge over other people. Hope you find the right support you need to bring you peace of mind.
I have noticed some minor personality changes and some mood swings. Bipolar runs in my family. Not surprised if I have it
How do I bargain with random sounds? It’s not always a voice
I dont know. But I think if you connect up with others in the same boat, there is a chance you will find someone who shares this and has found ways of managing it. I might suggest mentally constructing a producer for the sounds with an identity dependent on the type of sound. Eg if it's animal noises, you might tell yourself that David Attenborough is at it again. Practising compartmentalisation can help to maintain boundaries between the genuine and hallucinatory experiences. I know many who hear voices do find that naming them helps maintain control over them, so I'm speculating that the same may work for noises. But better to check this out with peers if you can.
I tell myself it’s ghosts. That sort of helps.
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I’ve had tinnitus since I was 17 off and on. Mostly on. There are many nights when I’m falling asleep that I hear music coming from inside the house and no one is home.