Voluntary Control of Auditory Hallucinations: Phenomenology to Therapeutic Implications
Ariel Swyer, Albert R. Powers
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review |
|---|---|
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Key findings | The authors argue that control over auditory verbal hallucinations varies among both treatment-seeking and non-treatment-seeking voice-hearers and appears to be a key factor in health status. They propose that established links between control, health status, and functioning suggest developing control could increase functioning and reduce distress, and that understanding distinct types of control and their neural underpinnings is needed to translate this into new therapeutic approaches. |
Abstract
Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) have traditionally been thought to be outside the influence of conscious control. However, recent work with voice-hearers makes clear that both treatment-seeking and non-treatment seeking voice-hearers may exert varying degrees of control over their voices. Evidence suggests that this ability may be a key factor in determining health status, but little systematic examination of control in AVH has been carried out. This review provides an overview of the research examining control over AVH in both treatment-seeking and non-treatment-seeking populations. We first examine the relationship between control over AVH and health status as well as the psychosocial factors that may influence control and functioning. We then link control to various cognitive constructs that appear to be important for voice-hearing. Finally, we reconcile the possibility of control with the field’s current understanding of the proposed cognitive, computational, and neural underpinnings of hallucinations and perception more broadly. Established relationships between control, health status, and functioning suggest that the development of control over AVH could increase functioning and reduce distress. A more detailed understanding of the discrete types of control, their development, and their neural underpinnings is essential for translating this knowledge into new therapeutic approaches.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on philosophy of mind, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Body Consciousness: A Philosophy of Mindfulness and Somaesthetics | 2008 | Review article | |
| Phenomenology, Structure, and Dynamic of Psychedelic States | 2016 | Review | |
| Classic Hallucinogens and Mystical Experiences: Phenomenology and Neural Correlates. | 2018 | Review | |
| The lived experience of psychosis: a bottom-up review co-written by experts by experience and academics. Individuals with lived experience of psychosis, family members, and carers | 2022 | Co-written bottom-up review | |
| From autopoiesis to neurophenomenology: Francisco Varela's exploration of the biophysics of being. | 2003 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cites 10
- Auditory verbal hallucinations and continuum models of psychosis: A systematic review of the healthy voice-hearer literature Clinical Psychology Review November 1, 2016
- Beyond Trauma: A Multiple Pathways Approach to Auditory Hallucinations in Clinical and Nonclinical Populations Schizophrenia Bulletin August 8, 2018
- Varieties of Voice-Hearing: Psychics and the Psychosis Continuum. Schizophrenia Bulletin January 2017
- Auditory verbal hallucinations in persons with and without a need for care. Schizophrenia Bulletin July 2014
- A comprehensive review of auditory verbal hallucinations: lifetime prevalence, correlates and mechanisms in healthy and clinical individuals. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2013
and 5 more in the library