Records of people experiencing verbal hallucinations or 'hearing voices' can be found throughout history. Voices of Reason, Voices of Insanity examines almost 2,800 years of these reports including Socrates, Schreber and Pierre Janet's "Marcelle", to provide a clear understanding of the experience and how it may have changed over the millenia. Through six cases of historical and contemporary voice hearers, Leudar and Thomas demonstrate how the experience has metamorphosed from being a sign of virtue to a sign of insanity, signalling such illnesses as schizophrenia or dissociation.

They argue that the experience is interpreted by the voice hearer according to social categories conveyed through language, and is therefore best studied as a matter of language use. Controversially, they conclude that 'hearing voices' is an ordinary human experience which is unfortunately either mystified or pathologised.

Voices of Reason, Voices of Insanity offers a fresh perspective on this enigmatic experience and will be of interest to students, researchers and clinicians alike.

About the Author

Ivan Leuder is Reader in Psychology at the University of Manchester. Philip Thomas is a Consultant Psychiatrist with Bradford Community Trust and Senior Research Fellow at the University of Bradford.

Reviews

'I wish I could find a way of making psychiatrists and clinical psychologists read (this book). They will find it both challenging and liberating.' - Richard Bentall, University of Manchester

'This remarkable book explores the experience of voices 'psychologically', rather than as a mere 'symptom' to be suppressed, by medication or other means.' - Alan Costall, University of Portsmouth

'I was impressed by the comprehensiveness of the book, its historical perspective and the use of case studies. It shows nicely how professionals are bound by their beliefs.' - Marius Romme, University of Maastricht

'This is a very interesting book ... [it] highlights the intellectual fascination presented by verbal hallucinations and places this phenomenon in a novel, and most welcome perspective.' - Benny Shanon, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

'A challenging and thought-provoking book which I would highly recommend to students and health professionals alike.' - Robert Coen, St James's Hospital, The Irish Psychologist

Book Information
ISBN 9780415147873
Author Ivan Leudar
Format Paperback
Page Count 240
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 440g