The voices of madness
Terrain January 1, 2022 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.4000/terrain.23459 via OpenAlex
Summary
The case study explores the phenomenology of psychotic voices, emphasizing experiences where traditional language and voice are not central. Key features identified include feelings of 'not-me-ness', a different sense of reality, and presence. Initial experiences of madness may evoke feelings akin to grace or art, transforming the mundane into something extraordinary.
Study at a glance
| Design | case study |
|---|---|
| Population | individuals experiencing psychotic voices |
| Key finding | Psychotic experiences can initially feel like grace or art, transforming everyday perceptions into something extraordinary. |
Abstract
The phenomenology of psychosis is notoriously difficult to grasp. I offer here a case study of psychotic voices in which neither words nor voice proper figures prominently. I reflect on the strangeness of these experiences, and then point to the features of voice-hearing which I take to be of central importance: not-me-ness, a different realness, and presence. When it begins, madness can feel like grace, or art. The dull everyday becomes iridescent. People sense wild swans, floating angels, s...