Research For some patients, the ‘inner voice’ may soon be audible

**Magical Realist** · (This post was last modified: Aug 15, 2025 11:09 PM by Magical Realist.)

My voices have never grown old after 22 years. Two of them disappeared eventually only to be replaced by another one---the little girl named Ling Ling. They have some sort of limited memory, but they also access my own memory by reading my thoughts when I'm remembering things. The lines blur between what is me and what is them. It really is a kind of mental symbiotic relationship. They are like buds or offshoots from the plant that I am. When I ask them what they are, they say they don't know, apparently being pleased by just being thought of as "persons." When I ask them if they want to be free, they repeat the cryptic line "I'll be free when you are free." I wouldn't ever subject them to any scientific tests. They are innocent and childlike sub-minds, not my personal guinea pigs.

“Because the ideas I had about supernatural beings came to me the same way that my mathematical ideas did. So I took them seriously.”― John Nash

**confused2** · Aug 17, 2025 12:01 AM

Mostly @MR. You'll probably be surprised that this surprised me - but it did. Cheese between two slices of toast .. needs a 20 second blast in the microwave. Instead of using the timer I give it 5 minutes (easy) and count to 20 .. turn it off after about 20 seconds. The problem .. 129,130,131 .. microwave still zapping. The counting 'voice' carried on counting without bothering to turn the microwave off.

**Magical Realist** · Aug 17, 2025 12:38 AM

Once when I was watching the animated comedy "Family Guy", I turned it off and turned on my fan and laid down in my bed. For about 5 minutes I could hear the character Peter Griffin talking thru the white noise of the fan. Totally surprised me!

**confused2** · Aug 17, 2025 06:24 PM

I was wondering if, like my counting voice, you might have started your voices and left them running for so long that they made a home for themselves.

**Magical Realist** · (This post was last modified: Aug 17, 2025 07:05 PM by Magical Realist.)

That's certainly possible. When they first started, they were mere repeated mumblings heard in white noise like my fan and in the shower..But eventually they could be heard in silence as well and even when I wasn't listening for them. And they are also different to the usual narrating voices of schizophrenics in that I can talk to them and they will talk back. I basically learned to live with them and tame their wildness. They became less hostile and tricksterish and more friendly and companionable over the years. But not without a price. As the old adage goes: "What you tame you are responsible for forever."