Hearing or Seeing Things Others Don't? 3 Things I Want You to Know

There's a lot of stigma and uncertainty around having experiences that other people don't seem to have. Some people find ways to manage these experiences on their own, sometimes for years. Others worry about what might happen if they tell someone. And when we're afraid of something, our natural tendency is often to avoid dealing with it. So, if you've been having experiences that are difficult to explain and haven't felt ready to talk about them, here are three things I want you to know.

1. It Doesn't Automatically Mean You Have a Mental Health Condition

There are a number of reasons someone might hear or see things that others don't. Good mental health professionals will not immediately assume something is wrong. Instead, we want to understand what's happening. We will ask questions like: What have you been experiencing? How long has it been going on? How is it affecting your life? What do you make of these experiences?

From there, we can work together to determine whether additional assessment or support might be helpful. Having an unusual experience doesn't automatically mean you have a psychiatric disorder. The goal is to understand what's happening rather than jump to conclusions.

2. There Are Professionals Who Understand These Experiences and Won't Judge You

The stigma surrounding mental health conditions is real. People casually use words like "crazy" or make negative assumptions about individuals experiencing psychiatric symptoms. It's understandable that this might make someone hesitant to share what's happening.

But I want you to know that there are mental health professionals who are trained to have these conversations in a compassionate, professional, and nonjudgmental way. And there are those of us who genuinely love helping people sort through these types of concerns.

Finding a professional with experience in this area can make a difference, and those professionals are out there.

3. Starting a Conversation Doesn't Mean Assuming the Worst

Talking about hearing voices, seeing things, or having unusual experiences doesn't automatically mean you're going to be hospitalized or started on medication.

It means we're starting a conversation.

Of course, if there are immediate safety concerns or symptoms that require urgent medical attention, those need to be addressed. But simply sharing these experiences doesn't automatically mean that hospitalization or medication is necessary.

And things don't have to get really bad before you ask for help.

A Final Thought

If you've been keeping these experiences to yourself, I hope this gives you a little more confidence about talking to someone.

You don't have to know exactly how to explain what's happening. You don't have to have a diagnosis in mind. And you don't have to share everything at once.

You can simply start by saying, "I've been having some experiences that I don't really understand, and I'd like to talk about them."

That's enough to begin.