This page is intended to provide helpful resources for people who hear voices, see visions, or have other unusual sensory experiences or beliefs. It’s organized by topic and will be updated periodically. If we missed a helpful resource, or if something seems out of date, let us know at info@bchvn.ca.

Strategies for coping with distressing voices:

Hearing Voices networks and related resources:

Peer support for mental/emotional distress in BC:

  • Kaleidoscope is a peer-run mental health support society that hosts virtual support groups open to the general public, as well as groups specifically for university students.
  • The Early Psychosis Peer Recovery Network hosts a monthly online peer support group.
  • Mood Disorders Association of BC has a list of peer support groups around BC.
  • Trans Lifeline is a peer-run crisis line for transgender, non-binary, and Two-Spirit people. They will not call police or an ambulance without your consent.
  • PACT is a peer-assisted crisis response service offered by CMHA. Currently, it is only available on the North Shore.
  • Looking Glass hosts anonymous peer support chats for people struggling with body image or eating disorders.
  • Spotlight on Mental Health features a range of peer-led and peer support projects in and around Vancouver.
  • Young people age 12-24 can access peer support at Foundry centres around BC, or online.
  • Just Mental Health maintains a list of civilian mental health crisis response programs and related resources from around the world, including peer support and mutual aid.

Other support for mental/emotional distress in BC:

  • BC 211 allows you to search for community services and resources like shelters, medical care, financial assistance, and crisis support in your area.
  • Healing in Colour can help you search for a therapist who is Black, Indigenous, or a person of colour, or to find mental health resources specific to the experience of being racialized, Indigenous, or an immigrant or refugee.
  • MindMap BC can help you search for LGBTQ2S+ affirming, free, and/or low cost mental health support in your area, including counsellors, peer support, and other resources.
  • Qmunity provides support for LGBTQ2S+ people in BC, including peer support and referrals to LGBTQ2S+ affirming services.
  • The Early Psychosis Intervention BC website provides information on treatment for psychosis, including how to find and contact services in your area and what to expect during an intake assessment.
  • The Indian Residential School Survivors Society provides support to residential school survivors and their families, including counselling and cultural support. 24 hour crisis line: 1-800-721-0066
  • KUU-US Crisis Line Society offers a 24 hour crisis line for Indigenous people in BC: 1-800-588-8717
  • Salal Sexual Violence Support Centre provides support for women and Two Spirit, trans, and/or non-binary people who are survivors of sexual violence, including counselling and victim services. 24 hour crisis and information line: 1-877-392-7583
  • Battered Women’s Support Services provides support for cis and trans women and non-binary people who have experienced gender based violence, abuse in an intimate relationship, or sexual violence. 24 hour crisis line: 1-855-687-1868
  • BC Society for Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse provides support for male survivors of sexual abuse, including individual and group therapy and victim services.

Personal experiences, documentaries and interviews:

These videos and recordings reflect a range of different personal experiences with hearing voices, seeing visions, and other unusual perceptions or beliefs.

Diverse perspectives on hearing voices and mental health:

These resources represent a range of different ways of thinking about hearing voices and mental health.

  • Fireweed Collective is a Disability and Healing Justice collective which offers publications and webinars focused on how systems of oppression interact with mental health.
  • The International Society for Psychological and Social Approaches to Psychosis is dedicated to psychological and social ways of understanding psychosis. They have several publications and a newsletter. You can watch webinars by the US chapter of the ISPS on YouTube.
  • Asylum Magazine is an open access mental health magazine for discussing all perspectives on mental health and “a forum for free debate,” which prioritizes contributions from current or former mental health service users or survivors.
  • Spiritual Crisis Network is a UK non-profit that provides resources and information related to spiritual crisis, including books, websites, and articles.
  • Understanding Psychosis and Schizophrenia and the Power Threat Meaning Framework are reports published by the British Psychological Society which talk about mental and emotional distress as connected to many different factors in people’s lives.
  • Radiolab’s Voices in Your Head podcast episode discusses the topic of hearing voices in relation to the development of inner speech.
  • Decarcerating Care is a discussion series published by the Institute for the Development of Human Arts focused on community-led alternatives to coercion and policing in mental health. This page also includes a resource library of articles on a variety of topics, including Mad Studies, critical psychiatry, lived experience narratives, and disability justice.

Other resources:

I want to learn more about the history and context of consumer/survivor activism in BC.
I want to learn more about starting or stopping medication.

The information below discusses both positive and negative aspects of antipsychotic medication. It’s meant to represent a range of different experiences and feelings about medication. The BCHVN encourages people who hear voices to use the tools they find helpful, which may or may not include medication.

  • The UK mental health charity Mind has a guide to antipsychotic medications here. It discusses how they work, how they can help, alternatives to medication, side effects, and advice for people who are coming off antipsychotic medication. There is also a video from Mind where people discuss their experiences with medication.
  • Fireweed Collective has published a harm reduction guide for people who want to come off of psychiatric medication. You can download it for free in multiple languages here.
  • The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health has a detailed page about antipsychotic medication here, including possible benefits, side effects, interactions with other medications/substances you might use, and safety.
  • Here is a presentation by critical psychiatrist Dr. Joanna Moncrieff provided by the UBC Therapeutics Initiative discussing different psychiatric medications, how they can be helpful or harmful, and new ways of thinking about medication.
I want to learn about CBTp (CBT for psychosis) and how I can access it.

CBTp can sometimes be hard to access in BC. However, if you are interested in CBTp, you may want to contact the North American CBT for Psychosis Network, or try using Psychology Today’s Find a Therapist search tool. There are also CBTp apps, websites, and workbooks. Dr. Nicola Wright and Dr. Julia Grummisch have compiled a longer list of books here.

I had a negative treatment experience or am currently experiencing involuntary treatment, and I want to learn more about my rights in BC.
  • Health Justice has a list of resources for when you are experiencing involuntary treatment or have had a negative treatment experience, including legal resources and information about how to make a complaint.
  • Here is a website explaining your rights under BC’s Mental Health act, including a printable wallet card.
  • Here is a plain language guide to BC’s Mental Health Act.
  • Nidus provides information about how to create a representation agreement. A representation agreement gives you control over who is involved in decisions about your care in the future if you experience illness or disability and are considered incapable. For instance, a representative could be a partner, family member, or friend. It’s important to know that in BC, your representative does not have the power to consent to or refuse treatment on your behalf when you are involuntarily committed under the Mental Health Act.