About the DHVS Website

The Hearing Voices Website has been set up as one resource amongst others to provide information on the hearing of voices (termed auditory hallucinations) or on other related unusual perceptions, non ordinary experiences which might also be generally classified under anomalous psychological experiences.

The author inspiring the construction of this website is motivated by both an interest in this area of human experience and a real concern that in spite of the growing knowledge on this topic it is still very hard for the many people round the globe to get their hands on such material, much of it published in English and a few other European Languages. Undoubtedly more websites some interconnecting with this website will be set up.

The name Hearing Voices website is retained in honour of a project which was first given the oxygen of life in 1996 through public funds separate from those usually distributed directly through the UK’s National Health and Social Services. These funds lasted one year, from then on funding was provided from a number of sources within the local NHS and also at times from Social Services.

The author would like to be more specific about the sources of the funds to honour the many significant people that were both persuaded or who somehow decided to enable the service to continue to this day. It is also possible that those sources would not wish to be directly identified in this website, for a variety of precautionary, political and legal reasons.

The website is not officially linked to the service though some account of the service will be given. It is the author who has taken copyright control of the name to ensure that the website will continue even if the service on the ground is somehow discontinued or simply replaced by a grander and better staffed project a service that may well have a different name.

The menu of what is offered on this website is already listed on the front page of the website, a list that will increase in length and choice. It is intended that more information about the construction of the Hearing Voices Website will also be made available for those people interested in researching how services of this nature start up life and evolve in the climate of the UK’s National Health Service. The more specific section on the DHVS as opposed to the more general information and links provided by this website will be placed under the heading about the DHVS local services.

It is very important to acknowledge that the DHVS (as opposed to this independent website) continues service to this date on account of the general consensus amongst the many stake holders (people who directly use the services or fund it to provide a service), these include the consumer users (voice hearers and non voice hearers), a variety of workers (doctors, nurses, social workers, occupational therapists, psychologists, workers from voluntary organisations), and managers. Unquestionably there are key decision makers amongst senior managers and senior clinical staff whose active operational consent allows the DHVS to continue its work.

The author of this website humbly thanks them for their support for the service and also makes clear that all the shortcomings of this website are entirely that of the author and cannot in any way be attributed to the NHS directly or indirectly.