Strategies for managing auditory hallucinations

Auditory hallucinations are frequently experienced as distressing and intrusive. Although neuroleptic medication helps a considerable number of people, many obtain little benefit and continue experiencing voices long after discharge from hospital. Recent years have witnessed the development of a number of psychological techniques for helping individuals manage their voices. This paper reviews some of the recent literature and describes how a number of these strategies can be used to help individuals gain control over their hallucinations and so reduce the level of distress experienced.