The voices within

By Charles Fernyhough

Subjects: Psychopathology, Communication, Schizophrenia, Thought and thinking, Psychological aspects, Communication, psychological aspects, New York Times reviewed, Mental Health, Self-talk, History, MEDICAL, PSYCHOLOGY

Description: We all hear voices. Ordinary thinking is often a kind of conversation, filling our heads with speech: the voices of reason, of memory, of self-encouragement and rebuke, the inner dialogue that helps us with tough decisions or complicated problems. For others--voice-hearers, trauma-sufferers and prophets--the voices seem to come from outside: friendly voices, malicious ones, the voice of God or the Devil, the muses of art and literature. In The Voices Within, building on the latest theories, including the new 'dialogic thinking' model, and employing state-of-the-art neuroimaging and other ground-breaking research techniques, Fernyhough has written an authoritative and engaging guide to the voices in our heads.