ABSTRACT

Background

Hearing voices peer-support groups (HVGs) enable people coping with voices, visions, or other unshared perceptual experiences to explore the particularities and potential meanings of their experiences while receiving support from others facing similar challenges. HVGs have now spread to 30 countries on five continents, and many members report profound life changes as a result of participating. Yet systematic research exploring how and why these groups work is still in its early stages.

Methods

To understand the diverse functions that HVGs can serve, we analyzed the experiences of 111 group members across the US, who provided detailed accounts of their voice-hearing histories and group participation in a questionnaire. Our collaborative team of voice hearers and researchers used phenomenological and thematic analyses.

Results

The key elements that make HVGs distinctive include their prioritizing of self-determination; de-emphasizing behavioral targets or pressure to change; respecting and welcoming multiple frameworks of understanding; cultivating curiosity about perplexing experience in any form; and fostering egalitarian collaboration and genuine relationships among members seen as “experts by experience.”

Discussion

We illustrate the dynamic relations among these elements through case examples, and then outline comparisons between HVGs and other types of groups, as well as directions for future research.

中文翻译：

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听力同伴支持小组的多种功能：美国国家研究的结果和案例

摘要

背景

听力同伴支持小组 (HVG) 使人们能够应对声音、愿景或其他未共享的感知体验，以探索他们经历的特殊性和潜在意义，同时从面临类似挑战的其他人那里获得支持。HVGs 现在已经传播到五大洲的 30 个国家，许多成员报告说参与后生活发生了深刻的变化。然而，探索这些团体如何以及为什么工作的系统研究仍处于早期阶段。

方法

为了了解 HVG 可以提供的多种功能，我们分析了美国 111 名小组成员的经历，他们在问卷中详细描述了他们的听力历史和小组参与情况。我们的语音听众和研究人员协作团队使用了现象学和主题分析。

结果

使 HVG 与众不同的关键要素包括优先考虑自决权；不再强调行为目标或改变的压力；尊重和欢迎多种理解框架；培养对任何形式的复杂体验的好奇心；并促进被视为“经验专家”的成员之间的平等合作和真正的关系。

讨论

我们通过案例说明这些元素之间的动态关系，然后概述HVG与其他类型的组之间的比较，以及未来的研究方向。