Attitudes and Philosophy

In the Pacific Rim Hearing Voices Network
we are committed to fifteen important freedoms
  1. Freedom to share (or not share)
  2. Freedom to identify yourself using any name/alias
  3. Freedom to interpret your experiences using whatever framework you choose
  4. Freedom to use whatever language and vocabulary you decide is right
  5. Freedom to choose whether and when to make meaning of your experiences
  6. Freedom to share openly without fear of judgment or shaming
  7. Freedom to challenge dominant social norms and cultural beliefs
  8. Freedom to believe (or not believe) in the concept of "mental illness"
  9. Freedom to use multiple frameworks simultaneously
  10. Freedom to talk about anything
  11. Freedom to change your mind about anything at any time
  12. Freedom to choose whether to receive feedback from others
  13. Freedom to view yourself as a whole human being
  14. Freedom to choose what coping/engagement strategies work best for you
  15. Freedom to attend groups at whatever frequency you choose

These freedoms make room for a wide diversity of attitudes, beliefs, and conversations.  In HVN groups, no one will force you to view your experiences through the lens of any particular label or framework, nor will facilitators police your language and beliefs.  Each of us has the right to be ourselves.

In the Hearing Voices Movement, we believe there is nothing inherently wrong with voices, visions and other unusual and extreme experiences.  After all, some of our planet’s greatest creative minds have had experiences that fall under the "hearing voices" umbrella. 

Some of us have had privileged experiences -- identified by others as spiritual or mystical, worthy of celebration.  Others of us have been marginalized and viewed as somehow less for having unusual experiences -- often diagnosed as having a "mental illness" and forced to undergo various treatments.  Why some peoples' experiences are privileged and others marginalized is sometimes complicated.  The phenomenon of unusual and/or unshared experiences intersects with many other systems of power and oppression.

Many of us have experienced intense isolation as the result of our experiences.  HVN is a direct response to that isolation, building community and offering the real experts -- people with lived experience -- a place to come together to learn and grow from one another.

While some "mental health" support groups advise people only to push their experiences away, HVN encourages building a more useful and beneficial relationship with them; one that gives you power, choice, and agency.  If you want your experiences to go away, you will find support in an HVN group.  But if you're also looking to deepen your understanding of your experiences, what they might mean, HVN groups are good for that, too.  The choice to share and receive feedback in an HVN group is always yours, and you are always free to change your mind about anything at any time.