Auditory Hallucinations (during non sleep)

Ok, I honestly have no idea where to post this. This is non dream related hallucinations I am talking about. I tried searching previous topics such as this, but the only ones I could find were hallucinations relating to WILDs...I was considering putting it under sleep and health but it would get more attention here, I assume.

So, does anyone else experience auditory hallucinations while awake? during WILD attempts does not count.

Here is some examples of what happen to me.
Last night I woke up at 3am and I didn't feel tired, I did RCs and I was awake. I started hearing sounds like people whispering faintly. But i couldn't understand it, it was just like someone was mumbling whispers, I also heard the sound of a someone writing with a felt marker, that distinct sound. I heard them simultaneously...I was getting freaked out and it ended up stopping but then it started again, this went on for about 10 minutes until I could fall back asleep.
Here is another example, I was listening to a podcast and the guy started saying things, I rewinded it and it turns out he wasn't saying what I heard, it was silence but I was hearing new ideas and such, and I know it wasn't just my head full of thoughts, because I don't zone out like that.
Another example is when I listen to music, sometimes new parts are added whether they are vocal or instrumental parts. Earlier my dad was playing some song, and then it started playing "smells like teen spirit" and I was like "I didn't know you liked Nirvana" and he's like "Nirvana isn't playing" then I realized it was still the original song.
Just things like this, does it happen to anyone else...?

also, feel free to move this thread wherever it is more fit, if need be :P

If it's happening right after you wake up, you probably have nothing to worry about, since some people are prone to hallucinations upon waking up, even while they aren't sleeping. But it sounds like it might be more than that if you're getting them during the day. I'll occasionally (more so when I was younger) hear distinctly a song, very faintly but substantial enough that it definitely doesn't seem to be in my mind, but I know that there's no song playing. But your situation sounds worse, if you're hearing sounds that aren't faint.

I don't know whether you should be advised to go to a psychiatrist or psychologist or therapist at all. If it isn't interfering with your life and only happens occasionally, it wouldn't be worth going on medication for.

This should probably be in Help or Sleep and Health. Help tends to take a while to get responses coz of the administration though.

But anyway. These things happen occasionally to everyone. Especially after just waking up.
It's only a problem if it happens often and causes you stress.

Does this happen often, or only the times you mentioned? Often meaning a few times a week or a few times a day.

Are you stressed? Or more stressed than usual? Maybe tired as well?

If it's only the occasional thing, don't worry about it. It may pass as you get older.
I used to hear voices too some times and beeping machine sort of noises. Usually when tired and stressed but sometimes when nothing was out of the ordinary.

Although your examples do seem fairly pronounced. I only heard things when it was quiet or constant noises were happening like in the shower with the running water noise or when everyone was asleep in the house and it was quiet.

The fact that you didn't realise these things were hallucinations may be an indicator that something is off. Like when I heard those machine beeping sort of noises I still had a feeling they were in my head, even though they sounded real. But you don't seem to recognise that they are hallucinations. At least not until your dad told you and after rewinding the podcast.

Keep an eye on it, but don't worry. It will most likely pass. I suggest writing these things down so you don't dwell on it, whether it's here or in a diary or whatever. This should help you to forget about it for a while, while keeping note of how often this happens.

I happens probably a few times every 2 weeks, and yeah I am pretty stressed.
I will try to to dwell on it but if it gets more constant I will have to check more out on it :)
thanks

Most of the time I was growing up, and later, I would hear a washing machine. But, if I got out of bed, looking for it, the noise would not be there.

i say look into it, see if it makes any sense before u start pushing it away. :P

It happened a lot today too, I kept hearing my phone vibrating when it wasn't
hearing the sound of people walking up my steps
and hearing whisper things in headphones (I wasn't listening to music, just had earbuds in)

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Originally Posted by erible

It happened a lot today too, I kept hearing my phone vibrating when it wasn't
hearing the sound of people walking up my steps
and hearing whisper things in headphones (I wasn't listening to music, just had earbuds in)

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I had this today. I saw the fan in my room moving back and forth like it was on in the corner of my eye. but it was off and not moving.

Do mushrooms you will get alot of these. Your face will morph in the mirror. sounds will echo. the ground will become all wavy. and little blue smurfs will be following you around!!!!

Sounds like exactly what I am going through right now, everything everyone is saying within this forum.
I've been very stressed recently as well, and I have noticed that's not helping my hallucinations. And yes, it happens during music a lot.
I have been having extremely bad anxiety lately too, especially at night.

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Originally Posted by LxANN

Sounds like exactly what I am going through right now, everything everyone is saying within this forum.
I've been very stressed recently as well, and I have noticed that's not helping my hallucinations. And yes, it happens during music a lot.
I have been having extremely bad anxiety lately too, especially at night.

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yep, I am stressed too and getting anxiety...its pretty creepy D:

Here's another example.

Just yesterday and the day before I was playing Zombies on CoD: Black Ops. After I finished playing, normally sounds which go unnoticed like the refrigerator etc. sounded like the Zombies in the game. Also I heard the music from it as well, with no apparent basis in reality, as in there was nothing going on which sounded similar that I could tell.

This game stresses me the fuck out, I get headaches if I play too long because of the adrenaline lol

So yeah, chances are this is just stress; you're experiencing the effects of it.
You should start meditating.

What's stressing you out?

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Originally Posted by erible

yep, I am stressed too and getting anxiety...its pretty creepy D:

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If you find solutions let me know pleasee:) I will try to look for some too

I am going to start meditating, what do you guys do for your meditation?

school, people, I already have anxiety issues and OCD, I don't like being around people much, etc. The school year is almost over so this is stressful, getting bullied, the cutting, the suicidal thoughts, the feeling like shit. all of this is stressful for me

I've been through all of that. I never cut myself. Well, not really, I tried once just to see why people do it. But I didn't get anything out of it.
But everything else you mentioned I have been through.

It's gotten a lot better now. School sucked hardcore, I should have left as soon as I could, but I didn't really know what to do if I did. Even though I did nothing productive really at school anyway.

Um, off track a bit lol. The point is I got a lot better very quickly after I started going to tafe (like a more practical uni thing we have in Australia). People are generally less shit there. I assume uni is the same.

For meditation I simply started with lying down on my back in bed, and breathing deeply and slowly. You should breathe in to your abdomen. It may take a bit of practice but it's easy once you realise how to do it.
Or you might get it straight away.
This is really just relaxation. But you should try to relax for at least 20 minutes a day using this technique. More if you want to.
Just keep focusing on your breathing and slow it down as much as you can, as long as you still feel comfortable. Don't slow down so much that you feel like you'll pass out or anything lol

After a week or two of this, you can start meditating.

You can sit down or lie down, just make sure your back is fairly straight (doesn't have to be like they teach you in school, like a plank of wood.) Just if you're sitting, make it so you're staying upright, as in not falling backward or forward. Keep your centre of balance vertical.

Just focus on your breathing like before to relax deeply. Then focus on the sounds you hear, the breeze or whatever, but don't pay too much attention to it. Just let if flow through your mind, don't think about it or let it linger in your thoughts. Let it pass through. Let all the sensory input just be.

This is meditation. Just keep doing this for however long you want to every day. You'll probably find that it's very enjoyable and you'll want to do it for longer. But it's best to take a break every 40 minutes at least, otherwise you start getting a bit restless usually. I normally just meditate for 20 minutes or so.

That's about it, it's quite simple really. You can also do some other things while in this relaxed state, but what I've mentioned is fine by itself.

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Originally Posted by erible

I am going to start meditating, what do you guys do for your meditation?

school, people, I already have anxiety issues and OCD, I don't like being around people much, etc. The school year is almost over so this is stressful, getting bullied, the cutting, the suicidal thoughts, the feeling like shit. all of this is stressful for me

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Sit down and focus on everything inside of you. Let everything just be. Witness your thoughts. Allow them to flow out of you. Focus on being. Allow your emotions to be. Allow them to stabalize. Allow everything to flow. Let everything be. It will stabalize itself. you need not do anything.

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Originally Posted by saltyseedog

Sit down and focus on everything inside of you. Let everything just be. Witness your thoughts. Allow them to flow out of you. Focus on being. Allow your emotions to be. Allow them to stabalize. Allow everything to flow. Let everything be. It will stabalize itself. you need not do anything.

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that's hard for me...I notice with me, I almost always have internal dialogue going on. It's hard for me to have a blank mind, which I want to start meditating and trying to communicate with my subconscious. Through relaxation, automatic writing, or image streaming but I just can't tell what thought is forced and what is natural...

I agree, when your mind is going through any type of anxiety or depression, its extremely hard to clear your mind, and let your thoughts be.
The thing is, is bad thoughts float around which is what we are trying to get rid of:/

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Originally Posted by LxANN

I agree, when your mind is going through any type of anxiety or depression, its extremely hard to clear your mind, and let your thoughts be.
The thing is, is bad thoughts float around which is what we are trying to get rid of:/

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exactly...i usually have issues falling asleep because so many thoughts are in my mind. it is like multiple people are in my head talking (in a non schizophrenic way) (as a figure of speech) even when I am talking with someone else, my thoughts are still everywhere

Again, I am the same as what you describe. You can change this. If you want to.

You can stay the same if you want as well. Or you can stay the same, but take a break from it for 20 minutes every day.

To quiet your minds is incredibly easy. People think it is difficult or even impossible, but that's only because they never even bother to try.

All you have to do is - shut. up.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by erible

that's hard for me...I notice with me, I almost always have internal dialogue going on. It's hard for me to have a blank mind, which I want to start meditating and trying to communicate with my subconscious. Through relaxation, automatic writing, or image streaming but I just can't tell what thought is forced and what is natural...

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Then listen to your inner dialogue. You must witness what is inside of you. It is all part of yourself. You must accept it. It will heal itself. It will flow. Let everything inside of yourself be the way it is.

but shouldn't I try to clear my mind?

But first you must accept the thoughts that already exist in your mind. They will flow out of you.

You have been very open and honest. What is happening to you is not normal. I am not qualified to tell you what to do with your experience or how to perceive your experiences. Some people would recommend you see a doctor. Others would say you have a gift. Others would say both. If that happened to me I would try to work it out. I would think it would be very important for you to KNOW the difference between normal sensory experience and this other thing that is happening to you. I would say it is very important for you to be able to tell the difference so you can control your behavior in society. The last thing people want is for someone not to know if what is solid and real around them is our normal world. Anyway I hope you are ok. Definately would seem good to rule out physical brain problems with a Doctor but be careful how you handle this because if you have control over it and can discern reality you don't want people to think your nuts and hamper your life if it need not be. Also you ahve to be very open with yourself if you do find you have a problem and get help. Im no Doctor and only state my opinion for your consideration.

Umm I don't think there is seriously anything wrong with her. I went a concert and when I came home I was in the shower and I kept hearing music in my left ear. Hallucinating is kool.

I have had AHs since I was a kid.

Only twice they have been intense enough to give me a jolt. The first I was in a taxi cab and asked the driver if he could turn the music down, only to see the car had no stereo. The 2nd, same thing, this time I was about to ask when I looked first, and yep, the radio was turned off. Both under an altered state of consciousness though.

To me, it is just the mind making patterns from outside noises that are not loud enough to be recognized as what they are, much less combined and overlapping one another. The wind, a light bulb, water flowing, a plant growing.

I hear a far away radio or one with the volume super low, either playing music or with a disc jockey talking. It happens when I'm working in silence. I'm focused so my mind is not busy with too many things. In the background the noise begins to build up until it becomes loud enough for you to notice it.

Then, I either focus on it and try to “sculpt” it to make an almost 100% recognizable real sound, like the specific words the disc jockey is saying, or the song lyrics, for example. Or I concentrate and try to discover if I am imagining it or if it is really coming from the outside, in which in either case it vanishes.

As a child they were of a different kind. I literally heard my thoughts as words being spoken to me. It never worried me though, I just found it odd that sometimes I thought my thoughts, and sometimes I heard them. But the thoughts were all the same.

R.

Happens to me too, though not quite to the extent you described (with your dad and the music).
I second what Roberto said, in my case anyhow.

Usually, it's a combination of slight sounds that my brain fiddles with trying to make it into something it knows. But sometimes, I'll hear things for no reason... like my computer calling me (Google voice is how hubby and I talk- it's the only "phone" I use for the most part), or the stupid perimeter alarm calling me (it also serves as a sort of walkie-talkie between hubby and I if the internet's down). Sometimes I'll hear a cat that's not there or my name being called. When I'm HIGHLY anxious or sleep deprived it's 100% worse.

If it gets any worse, see a doctor just to rule out everything from sleep apnea (causing you to be sleep deprived without knowing it) or psychiatric problems or a ton of other things.

I can sometimes hear people calling my name even when I'm alone.

Obviously I'm not a doctor, seek medical advice, blah blah blah. My recommendation is to try spending say 10 minutes twice a day only in meditation. To start, perhaps just eyes shut, breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth, and how your awareness on the sensation of the breathing. This will do a lot in cutting out your stress. Try hard to reduce it - this I believe is your problem, combined with opening the doors to the LD world. 2. Spend time 'grounding yourself' through the day. Breathe, gather your awareness, and touch the ground, feel it, experience it, touch the walls, examine your surroundings in detail. Hope this helps.

In my first year of college i smoked a lot of pot, did mushrooms a couple times and was really stressed out. My mother is schizophrenic (it's got hereditary components). At first I didnt know what was happening, I would hear people talking about me and think they were real people, because they were always on the other side of a wall or something. At first it was only when i was high, but then it started sticking around after i stopped being high. It took me two days to figure out, after the hallucinations were there when I wasnt high, that I was actually hallucinating ... I figured out that they werent real because they would say things that would require them to be able to see me, and the only ways they could do that is if they had some tiny ass camera in the smoke detector and things like that, which i realized wasn't realistic. I was still skeptical for a while, when like a day later i was driving home with all my stuff, including my laptop which has wireless. I was in the car and I could hear them talking from the trunk, and again the only way that could happen is if they were transmitting to my laptop or something stupid like that... i didnt really believe they could but i didnt know what was happening so i was trying to think of everything possible... when i unpacked and saw my laptop was beside me, not in the trunk, i knew i was hallucinating. Thats when the voices stopped being external and started being entirely in my head. I could have complete conversations with them and they acted as i expected them to, generally in personas of people i knew. I had one incident of them saying that if i didnt drop out of school, they'd make me hurt someone (i never had suicidal anything) after i fell asleep. I was probably the most scared i'd ever been in my life. I didnt do what they said, and when I woke up I knew the voices had no power over me.

After a while of dealing with the voices, I came to learn a few things about them. First, they were always people i knew, but never people i trusted implicitly. Second, I never got them when I was in new places, only when I was sitting around in my room or somewhere i knew. Like someone else said earlier, I found them to be the product of my mind interpreting quiet noises such as fans as something else. Plugging my ears never helped, because when i plug my ears i can still hear something (kind of sounds like I'm under water). Dealing with my stress cut back the hostillity and intensity of my voices a lot. Sometimes (rarely) my voices arent hostile or negative (there's been a couple sexual ones which is kind of odd, but at least they're not yelling at me haha ... also rarely they help me avoid stupid (by calling me stupid for doing something, then i realize they're right and change what i was doing) mistakes that I actually know better than but make anyways because I dont think of them). A lot of my paranoias about my friends from school i let go of, and i feel a lot better about it. I had reasons to believe all of them, but if you search for evidence for something, you can ALWAYS find it. I find I can almost control my voices like I would a dream. I expect them to say things and they do, or I can force them to say things (i picture this as just assembling the sounds into whatever i want by force). I find arguing with them is pointless - you cant win a fight against yourself. If they harass me, i let it go. This isnt a voice, but a thought pattern ... I tend to think about what others are thinking about me in third person, like "he's so bad at doing that" or even positive things, but always using he, or my name. Whenever I do this, I cut myself short just by thinking "I" a couple times, and I dont do that nearly as much anymore. I can live with the voices, but it becomes extremely hard to focus when you're being harassed constantly, also it adds to my stress.

I went to a psychiatrist and so far I'm not actually classified as schizophrenic or anything like that, I've just had episodes. I take one of the smallest doses of an antipsychotic you can get, and i havent had any voices for a few months at least, i dont really remember the date of the last time, but I occasionally stop taking the medication just to see if i can deal with it on my own. Most recently I've been trying to change the nature of my voices from malign to benign with just willpower and postive thought, which I do think is possible, but its probably going to take a lot of work.

Hearing music or your name is one of the early signs of a mental disorder like schizophrenia, but in a lot of cases it doesnt go farther than that. pot and other psychadelics do (or did for me, but believe what you want) increase your risk of mental disorders like this (however pot isnt enough to cause schizophrenia on its own, you have to have some genetic background or something else), as does stress. right now, EVERY time i smoke pot, i start hearing voices and they will persist even after im not high anymore, with only one exception, in a case i was extremely relaxed and having a good time with my best friend. If you're having bad trips it's better not to smoke imo.

Attitude is everything. Life is awesome, and if you dont think yours is, find a way to make it awesome. If you dont know how, ask someone. If you've got the internet theres always someone to ask, and occasionally you'll find someone with a good answer

^ that is a trip!!!!!

Ever since I did mushrooms a couple times I randomly would have weird hallucinations. I would see some random thing floating in the air. sometimes I would actually see real energetic things though but mostly they were just weird hallucinations....
When I was tripping on mushrooms I kept hearing this gameboy music playing.... it was really weird. Also I might of said this earlier but once after a concert I felt half def in one ear and I heard this faint music in my ear. I though it must of been coming from somewhere but it was just me. And I couldn't make it stop. it was really weird.....

I've had experiences with auditory hallucinations since I was about 13 (I'm 23 now). However, many of them have been sounds that many people, not just myself, have heard at the same time even though they have no natural explaination. Recently, I hear someone calling "Hey!" in a very loud voice, or someone calling my name even though I am alone. I've always attributed these experiences with ghosts/spirits though, and not anything physically or mentally wrong with me.

I personally dont believe in ghosts or spirits, but I also think that there's nothing actually wrong with hallucinating in itself, it's just like having blue eyes rather than brown. It's just being different. I do think that only once you cant deal with the hallucinations because they are always negative and make you or others feel bad in some way they become a problem, like alcoholism or other things like that. It's only a problem if it negatively affects someone. If it becomes a problem that you cant deal with, then it becomes time to find help, like I did.

I guess none of this is likely to help the original poster, but for whatever its worth....

On rare occasions I have had auditory hallucinations. Its most common in the morning when I'm the most relaxed, and when there is a white noise source, such as a fan (like a burning bush), that I can pull sounds out of and selectively amplify. The cause seems to be similar to what creates my dreams, though its harder to do while awake. A particularly strong message might occur as an auditory hallucination rather than a dream. Another level of this is the paranormal manipulation of a physical object to produce an actual sound, not a hallucination.

Would seeing an aura be considered a visual hallucination, or would it be considered seeing astrally? In general, I would say that seeing or hearing things that aren't there would be bad. But some things that people don't usually see or hear are in some sense real. I don't know whether or not becoming able to see or hear those types of things is generally a good or a bad thing.

Problems with unwanted hallucinations would seem to me to be one possible side effect of cultivating the ability to astrally project. Drug use would be another cause, obviously, as well as genetic predisposition.

Nice Fractal Avatar. Did you do it yourself?

One evening in my bed I heard my entire family screaming in the other room. Freaked me out, to say the least. :p

Just throwing this in: Hearing Voices Movement - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
As TheShadow says - if you feel it's harming you, a very low dose modern antipsychotic can silence them without affecting you in a negative way, without you noticing it, even. All the best!

Please don't necro-post + off-topic.

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