...voices inside your head? Ever had anything like this going?

Even as I was growing up, I noticed that I would start having conversations with myself, every now and then (mentally, not necessarily verbal). This starts usually with me thinking about something (and when I do this I tend to become very focused on that particular thing), when all of a sudden I'm presented with another "opinion" by one or more voices. Sometimes there are 2, contradicting each other, which becomes very funny for me, although this interrupts my original flow of ideas. It's pretty weird, I perceive these voices as neutral, just "throwing" suggestions, and sometimes I sense that it's my voice talking back to me in my mind, while at other times it's a completely unfamiliar voice.

Because I've had those for quite a while now, I've learned to live with them, it's not scary or anything, but I'd like to hear opinions on it, I want to better understand this and how can I use it better to my advantage. I have to mention that these thoughts occur also in social situations, and they're not obtrusive at all and don't perturb my usual activity; I just become aware of them and move forward, but not without giving the idea a little bit of entertainment, to see if it goes anywhere or not.

I believe this happens because in time I have become aware of the voices and tried to keep an objective view on everything I was presented with. Eventually, this led to me learning to question everything and make conscious choices during the course of my life, so it's not a bad thing at all actually.

As an ending line, I have to state that what I'm experiencing does not resemble at all audio hallucinations, as mine are merely spoken thoughts from inside my own mind on different voices, they're not external to me in any way.

Hey rjb

I too have these voices in my head. I have 3 distinct ones. My own, one that seems to want to do the wrong thing and another that is kind of neutral but presents all the possible outcomes and pushes for me to make my own decisions. I spoke to a psychiatrist about this and it's apparently quite normal. I was a little relived to say the least.
Apparently it's even a good thing to have strong internal voices.

Peace

Pw

Did you ever see that 90's sitcom, Herman's Head(?)? It was about a guy who worked in an office, and we got to see the inner workings of his mind and there were like five disttinct voices/personalities that made up the way that he would think, act, and behave. I imagine PW is right on, that inner voices are normal and a good thing.

My question for you is, by what name do your voices call you? I was asked this recently and it was kind of fun to think about. Obviously you don't have to divulge too much information. When I screw up I get the long form - first and last, when I am hurt and angry sometimes it's just my first name or a "you." The one that is a bit silly and disconcerting to other people is when I refer to myself as "we" Since there's only one of me. People will say who's we as though I am refering to me and other people and I must rephrase it to "I."

It's good to hear I'm not alone I thought this might be the case, just needed to make sure. Thanks.



No I have not, but I will look into it, sounds like an interesting movie



There are 3 types of experiences that I usually encounter, but I'm not directly referred by a name in any of the cases:
- one in which I become aware of those voices and just observe the exchange of "lines" - it's exactly like watching a bunch of people exchange information on a given subject, but every one has a different opinion;
- another one, in which I'm actively involved, and which goes like a q&a session. Sometimes I refer to myself as "we", even though I'm aware that it's just me talking to...me
- the last one, more like a whisper, which gives me small hints during routine activities (evidently, not 24/7)

I think if you stay playful with the whole process then it can be totally healthy. You can get multiple perspectives on the same issues, and thus broaden your understanding and creativity in various areas. I've rarely heard voices in my head, but recently I've been toying with some on purpose. I'm writing a story and am getting good at visualizing scenes in my head, and when I'm at my best I start to hear the unique voices of each character. They can even begin to take on a life of their own, and it makes it much easier for me to get realistic interactions into the story.