Phantom Voices, Ethereal Music and other Spooky Sounds

People who are hard of hearing or have damaged hearing, which may be caused by using headphones for a considerable amount of time to listen to loud music or straining to hear indistinct sounds, can experience this strange phenomena known as Auditory Hallucinations.

Hallucination, the word itself, makes some people think they are crazy or have a mental illness such as Schizophrenia. This is a myth and needs to be dispelled as it is not always the case.

According to the medical dictionary, hallucinations are "the apparent subjective perception of an object or event when no stimulus or situation is present." Another way to put it is, hallucinations are phantom sensory phenomena in the absence of real external sensory stimuli.

These may include seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and feeling...sights, sounds, odours, tastes or sensations that no one else perceives. Although hallucinations may occur with any of the 5 senses, auditory hallucinations are the most common.

A person hearing auditory hallucinations may hear music, sounds or voices that no one else present can hear. This is because these sounds are being generated in the persons brain...not externally.

Experiencing voices can be put into 2 categories: psychiatric auditory hallucinations or non-psychiatric auditory hallucinations.

1. People who experience psychiatric auditory hallucinations generally hear voices and music or other sounds...Non-psychiatric mostly hear singing or music rather then plain voices.

2. The voices heard with psychiatric auditory hallucinations are generally clear and distinct. They always seem to talk to or about the person hearing them and may engage them into conversation of which the content is usually of a meaningful personal nature.
In non-psychiatric auditory hallucinations, the person may hear voices often vague and indistinct.

Non-psychiatric auditory hallucinations comprise of a wide range of sounds such as tinnitus sounds (ringing, roaring, buzzing, hissing, rumbling, etc.)
Millions of people suffer from this tinnitus. It is the most common sort of auditory hallucination.

Few people are brave enough to admit they are hearing voices for fear of being thought crazy...You are not crazy!

Another and much nicer name for this complaint is Musical Ear Syndrome (MES) there are 5 symptoms that seem to be common in people hearing phantom sounds.

1. The person is often elderly.
2. Hard of hearing or damaged hearing.
3. The lack of adequate auditory stimulation.
4. Nearly always the person has Tinnitus.
5. Often the person is anxious, stressed or depressed.

A person does not have to have all 5 symptoms but many exhibit 3 or more.

Another cause of auditory hallucinations is drugs and medication. As people get older, they tend to take more and more medication...numerous drugs can cause auditory hallucinations.

I don't want to scare anyone at this point but feel this must be mentioned: it is rare, but brain abnormalities (tumors, infections) can cause auditory hallucinations just as visual hallucinations can occur. It is always wise to go and get checked out by a neurologist whether you fit or don't fit any of the common profile of being damaged or hard of hearing, being elderly or living in a quiet or lonely environment.

When hearing continuous voices or sounds, it is always best to seek medical advise before considering this to be paranormal.

I am writing this because at the moment we have 3 cases, all similar, that have come to SRI. The client's welfare with us always comes first, and it's best for all concerned to be on the safe side.

Remember, at times like this, it is best to consider medical causes first, paranormal second.