Hallucinations Reinforce Delusions of Paranoid Schizophrenia

Hallucinations are a prominent feature in many people who suffer from paranoid schizophrenia. Many of us will experience visual, tactile and auditory hallucinations during some period of our illness. The most common of these, and the only I have experienced, are auditory hallucinations. Hearing voices is extremely common for people with paranoid schizophrenia, and can be a terrifying and degrading experience for the sufferer.

Hallucinations Reinforced My Delusions

The voices, for me, seemed to work in tangent with whatever delusion I was having at the time. The delusions and hallucinations reinforced each other to help put my mind into an alternate state of reality. If, for example, I held the delusion that someone was following me, then voices would appear from dark alleyways and rooftop windows. If I believed someone was being attacked, I would hear angry voices and rustling sounds from within an empty room.

Hallucinations Were Beyond Real

The voices seemed extremely real to me, and often had a deep epic sound to them. The audial quality of the voices were almost perfect, as they were produced directly within the brain, and were unfettered by the imperfections of the ear.

The voices I experienced were always terrifying and persecutory. In fact I don't ever remember having experienced a positive delusion or hallucination at any point during my illness. This is contrary to other people with schizophrenia who hear voices, and claim that they can sometimes be soothing (Schizoaffective Disorder and What It’s Like to Hear Voices).

I am certain that different people with schizophrenia experience hallucinations in different ways. It would be interesting to categorize the different types of voices people with schizophrenia hear. Are the voices human? Are they male or female? How are they related to the delusions? What is the underlying theme?

I Can't Control Hallucinations or Delusions

I don't ever remember having any control over what the voices were saying. They seemed to appear out of nowhere, and at random periods of time. Prior to sleep the voices were more prominent and vocal. This could make falling asleep difficult because my concentration was interrupted by the sounds within my head. On one occasion I remember that there was an ongoing discussion between two different voices. I do not remember what they were discussing, as that level of psychosis tends to affect memory.

Silencing Hallucinations and Delusions with Medication

Currently I am on medication and don't experience auditory hallucinations. I hope that they will never return, as hearing the voice of God or an alien is not as flattering as it may seem. The only sound I currently hear, is from sound vibration in the air. I don't ever care to have that procedure bypassed again. Hearing voices is nothing short of terror. Just writing about it gives me shivers. I just hope that they will never return again.