Voices are much more than a symptom

Abstract The international Hearing Voices Movement, which emerged in the 1980s, understands the phenomenon of hearing voices not just as a symptom, but helps in the development of strategies to deal with these voices. The objective of this study was to understand how people who participated in groups of voice hearers in the Brazilian health system dealt with such experiences. This was a qualitative research study, carried out in 2020, with data collection from in-depth interviews and field diary, analyzed using content analysis. Adult participants (4) attended the group for more than a month. It was possible to explore the individual coping strategies developed from the experiences of each one with their voices. The group was also an instrument of socialization and, from the normalization of the experience, of greater self-acceptance and reduction of stigma.

摘要 二十世纪八十年代兴起的国际幻听运动（Hearing Voices Movement）并非仅将幻听现象视为单一病理症状，而是致力于探索应对幻听体验的干预路径。本研究旨在探究巴西医疗体系内参与幻听者互助小组的群体，如何应对自身的幻听体验。本研究采用质性研究（qualitative research）方法，于2020年开展，通过深度访谈（in-depth interviews）与田野日志（field diary）采集研究数据，并运用内容分析法（content analysis）完成数据分析。本次研究共纳入4名成年参与者，其参与该互助小组的时长均超过1个月。研究得以挖掘参与者基于各自幻听体验所形成的个体化应对策略；该互助小组同时兼具社交联结功能，通过推动幻听体验的正常化，助力参与者提升自我接纳程度并减轻病耻感（stigma）。