Compassion for Voices: a tale of courage and hope

About the project
Compassion for Voices: A tale of courage and hope is 5-minute animated film that aims to engage a general public audience with the compassionate approach to relating with voices, with potential for use as a therapeutic, educational, and de-stigmatising tool. This project was funded by a grant from King’s College London's Cultural Institute as part of its 2014 Collaborative Innovation Scheme for Early Career Researchers, along with three further grants from Compassionate Mind Foundation, Balanced Minds, and Medical Research Council (see below).
At the Cultural Institute showcase in Feb 2015, this project jointly won best project award. The animation was chosen by the BPS DCP to represent the work of Clinical Psychologists, with a special screening at the House of Commons DCP 50th Birthday event. It has been widely viewed on KZbin, and is frequently used in therapy sessions and training workshops. It has been translated into 10 languages (available in the KZbin subtitle settings), and is used for discussion in Hearing Voices Groups worldwide. The animation was also featured in an award-winning TV documentary on Hearing Voices produced for the French-German channel ARTE.
Project leads
Charlie Heriot-Maitland is a clinical psychologist, researcher and trainer. For the first 13 years of his career, he provided psychological therapies in the UK National Health Services (NHS), and is now Director of an organisation called Balanced Minds (balancedminds.com), which specialises in providing therapy and training in Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT). Charlie continues to provide supervision, training, and consultancy in the NHS, as well as other organisations across multiple sectors, including healthcare, social care, education, and charities. As a researcher, Charlie has spent several years investigating CFT and the application of CFT for people who are experiencing distress in relation to psychosis. He has authored a number of academic papers and book chapters on this subject, as well as a self-help book for voice-hearers (relatingtovoices.com). He regularly runs compassion training workshops for professionals and for the general public, both nationally and internationally.
Kate Anderson - an independent animation director. Following an MA in Animation at the Royal College of Art, Kate began her professional career with production company HSI London. Here she worked on a diverse array of animated shorts, music videos and commercials, gaining experience as both animator and director. Since 2010 she has been working independently, reaching out to new creative horizons with collaborators including documentary film makers, artists, and young people using music as a means to change their lives. For details of Kate’s past projects, visit her website: www.kateanderson.co.uk
Other contributors
Eleanor Longden - provided the voice of narrator for this film which was recorded by Nick Roberts at 5A Studios in London. Eleanor gave a very popular TED talk on her personal experiences with voices, which was one of the inspirations behind this film. Watch on the TED website: www.ted.com/talks/eleanor_lon...
Rufus May - Rufus provided the voice of Stuart’s voices for this film, which was recorded by Alex Quinn. Rufus is an inspirational figure in the hearing voices world, probably best known for using his own experiences of being a psychiatric patient to promote alternative recovery approaches for people who hear voices. Visit rufusmay.com
Cicely Goulder - Cicely provided the musical composition for this film. Cicely is a London based composer/producer, she writes film-scores and is one half of electronic duo KALEIDA. Visit / kaleidamusic
Richard Keyworth - Richard provided the sound design and mix for this film. Richard is a multi-instrumentalist composer and sound designer for all manner of visual media.
Project funders
Compassionate Mind Foundation - a charity that aims to promote wellbeing through the scientific understanding and application of compassion. The president of the Foundation, Paul Gilbert, is the founder of Compassion Focused Therapy, and the Foundation is the main organisation behind developing and teaching this approach to therapy. Visit www.compassionatemind.co.uk
Balanced Minds - An organisation providing compassion-focused psychological services and resources. They offer therapy, supervision, and training workshops, with an approach grounded in the science of compassion. Visit balancedminds.com
Medical Research Council (MRC) - a UK national organisation that aims to improve human health through funding research into all areas of medical and related science, including mental health research. The MRC also funded Dr Charlie Heriot-Maitland’s PhD research at King’s College London on developing Compassion Focused Therapy for psychosis. Visit www.ukri.org/councils/mrc

[@dreamydreamersoledad1238]

This is the first and only time I've been able to reach my son with these concepts and I am thrilled. I've had the Intervoice ideas & methods for working with voices for the past 4 years... but have never been able to communicate them to him... He was able to actually focus on this short film, felt validated and understood, and also grasped the concept of the Compassionate Voice very well, and was able to apply it. To me this is nothing short of a miracle. A seed has been planted and it is due to the simplicity, beauty and purity of this short film. Thank you to those who created and produced it! I hope more along this line will come.

[@betsychavez2914]

+Dreamy Dreamer Soledad I plan to download it; will share it with my son - so that he can hear, be affirmed. I will trust for the seeds planted to reap a glorious harvest! Thank you to everyone who create & produced this wonderful video!!!

[@carolbrock5798]

I read your comment on your son hearing voices. I too have experienced voices in my ears and thoughts that are not mine. Please listen to my story on KZbin at Hearing voices: Real Help and Understanding kzbin.info/www/bejne/jaCqmatjhNeZosk Praying for you and your son, with compassion, Carol

[@ashnishah5703]

Thank you so much to the entire team of King's Cultural Community for this beautiful, powerful video. This is heartwarming and extremely helpful for people like me, struggling with the voices of Inner Critic Toxic Shame and Toxic Guilt that paralyze our life choices often looping us within the circles of unresolved childhood trauma. I have encountered challenges in cultivating self compassion all my life yet it is the single most highly effective ingredient to inner peace and harmony. It has benefitted me immensely. I also admire the work from s point of view of a novice psychotherapist keenly interested in Compassion focused therapy and compassionate mind training for number of emotional and psychological concerns of my clients.

[@tealeafandco]

Tge cbt therapist showed me this the other day and it struck a chord. I dont have voices, but do have a problematic inner monologue which at times feels like a separate entity. A useful video. 👍

[@davidmiller6273]

If you are a voice hearer and miss this film you are missing out on alot. This is the way, this is what works. This is how it begins, learn this and you're well on the way to winning

[@stuffstuff137]

David Miller it is very hard I’ll admit.

[@artisticafflair408]

I thought I was alone in terms of how the voices talk to me. But you have done a great job of really knowing what these voices say. And it's a comfort to me to know it's the voices people can hear and not just my voices, and wrapping it up in an easy way to understand so it makes it more of a breeze to deal with. I am getting there. I have finally reached out for help when my voices got so bad I ended up in A&E and that's when I realised I needed help. Thank you , great video

[@michelleselman8004]

This video is so excellent and well done and informative!!! I thank the organization for presenting this!!!! Making information relatable and informative is so important to normalize the need for support for mental health challenges and reduce stigma and normalizing that help is available!

[@IncogneatoWealth]

Gheez, I'm in tears watching this. ❤️ this resonates so much with me. Really felt like a warm hug that I never got before, feeling understood. I start CFT tomorrow and I cannot wait to start journey. 😇❤️

[@deepflows89]

absolutely in tears, this video although shy of the dark side of this experience, i love with it still in its simplicity gives you a powerful message about your journey with voices, i have schizophrenia and my therapist sent me this video and i want to say it was amazing and well thought out thank you. this will help alot of people understand the true motives of their voices, and why they are there and can begin healing.

[@sadakos-petal]

It's been 2 years since...umm is there any progress of your health..?

[@MelodyBelovely]

I just presented this video in my midterm project power point for my psychology class and everyone loved it. Thank you!☺️

[@RonUnger]

I have heard a number of expressions of appreciation when I shared this video with my networks. Here's one that tells about the response of one voice hearer: "Fantastic - thank you. I showed this to my loved one who rarely ever responds and when I said shall I play it again, the response was a loud, clear yes."

[@rositacortizo4570]

Thanks Ron it it a fantastic and informative video.

[@carolbrock5798]

Ron, I too have experienced voices. Please listen to my story on KZbin at Hearing Voices: Real Help and Understanding kzbin.info/www/bejne/jaCqmatjhNeZosk Praying for you, Carol

[@gingaboybuda]

Wow this is exactly what i needed to be able to understand and explain what is going on i have felt alone for to long with it all and i can now relate to something so i can start to change and be the best me i can be! Thank you

[@jchusen]

Excellent on what it's like to hear voices and a way to understand and work with them.

[@karenlowe6636]

I love this video because it helps me whenever I view it!

[@DoreenBellDotan]

This is wonderful. I've always known that the key to coping with and healing symptoms of "mental" illness is developing morally.

[@chrishanners1]

Excellent short to get the word out! Great job!

[@rachelmete5091]

Such a fantastic video 🎉❤

[@baldguitar767]

this lil vid, depicts the last nine months of my life. Thanks guys, great job.

[@carolbrock5798]

Hello, I read your comment about voices on KZbin. I too have experienced voices in my ears and thoughts that are not mine. But I learned in the Christian Holy Bible that there is an invisible war on Earth involving very evil demonic spirits who can speak into our ears all manner of thoughts. The Lord Jesus Christ helped me in this battle against the schemes and strategies of the enemy and He can Help anyone else who will believe God. Please listen to my story on KZbin at Hearing Voices: Real Help and Understanding youtu.be/ WoGhx-Orflg Praying for you, with compassion, Carol

[@bertabritz2516]

Excellent. I think it's a great vehicle to share with lots of different people with different perspectives. Thank you very much for making it and making it available. A gift!

[@buckminsterfullerenecoraxp5995]

Thank you for sharing this insightful video!

[@TheUnluckySaurus]

So relatable it actually makes me so emotional. That red voice is always speaking to me… glad to see that I’m doing the right thing going to therapy. Fun fact my therapist shared this video to me haha, he knows me well haha

[@biefiftytwo]

Thanks you very much

[@swapaholicsukuk9218]

Great work Charlie!!

[@johannesgraser]

Amazing work! Well done!

[@alkumhcounseling8634]

Saw this years ago in a cbtp training, happy to see it high in the results of a search for self-compassion!

[@DarkMoonDroid]

For My Beloved. 😊💕

[@sandradelpozocollado1686]

increible!! sencillo y realmente muy bueno

[@missdiablica666]

This is brilliant :).

[@patricenicholastalksadvice9457]

Excellent video!

[@Paseosinperro]

Wonderful video! I don't hear voices but I think this video could be very useful for everyone struggling with the inner critic, not just voice heares. I still wonder what is the difference between thoughts and voices. Is not just a "thought with volume"?

[@MrZart]

You not only 'hear' the voices, you actually 'feel' them, physically/tangibly, much like the vibrations or sound waves from a loudspeaker. The 'voices' have depth and 'character', it's not, they're not just an 'amplified thought'. The voices seem to be coming from an external sources, from a distance from if you like. They genuinely 'sound' like another person/being/entity 'speaking' the words. The voices don't sound as if they're IN your head - they appear, or are perceived as totally, 100% from an external source. So much more than "an amplified thought..." I acknowledge, in my wellness that the voices are NOT real, they never have been, nor never could be. The perceived 'voices' are a symptom of an illness. Remembering, in illness and wellness and all the states in-between that the voices are really NOT real lessens the impact these 'voices' can have on your life. Our brains are wonderful, complex miracles of nature. The voices we hear in illness are an illusion, caused by the brain, for whatever unknown reason - perhaps a loose connection, or a dodgy pathway. Brains aren't perfect. We're not perfect. Working with, and adapting to what we have makes life so much easier. It's ok to be flawed, perfection must be SO boring to those delusional people who truly believe they've reached those giddy heights. I'd rather be the imperfect, flawed, and interesting, uniquely individual ME.

[@Paseosinperro]

@@MrZart Thanks for sharing and clarifying!! 🙏

[@MrZart]

​@@Paseosinperro thanks so much for your reply, sorry it took me 5 years to add my thoughts! 😊

[@Paseosinperro]

@@MrZart The wait for such a well-constructed response has been worth it.☺

[@MsDolcessa]

Muy buenoooo..!!

[@BBK96]

This is amazing. Thank you for making this

[@tobyfex2956]

This is incredible. :o I want to learn more!

[@ekennahutchinson1636]

Thanks for sharing x

[@concepcionanguita6431]

Muy didáctico, gracias!!

[@SitrukSoS]

Well this articulated that. Thank you ❤️‍🩹

[@marianagrov8816]

Excelente y gracias por compartir es tan importante ver expresada de esta manera algo que no todos podemos dar a entender gratcie

[@mr.gmr.s8192]

it help me a lot, thanks

[@veracarvalho5204]

Thank you for help me to understand my voices. Than you 🙏

[@jimroxas]

Beautiful :')

[@hulksmash8103]

This is awesome

[@phillippihikari2567]

Many people insists that mental voices are sign of schizophrenia, psychosis or even auditory problems. But this is an way who several other people has to think. According to Temple Grandim, people with autism can have 1 of 3 types of throughts: visual, verbal and patterns. Inner voice are an type of verbal throught, used naturally for a human think about an situation. But if someone are a drug user, the inner voices can be reproduced negative. An treatment is necessary for this last case, but as our mind is mysterious, anyone must deal with inner voice - good or bad - everyday until the death day. I am not an psychiatrist, but an autistic man. Autistic people see the world in other forms and we are imperfects, but we are humans too.

[@harryjagwar6819]

thanks

[@grantdustin1]

Very well done. Thank you for producing this video.

[@veronicabarron7028]

Interesting video.

[@veronicapiorno5082]

muy claro

[@user-wo5ho3fs9q]

❤️❤️❤️👍

[@co3110]

Is it possible to do therapy online, with psychologists from the King's Institute?

[@amspiteri]

Hi, is there any way I can download this to show at an event for people who hear voices?

[@carolbrock5798]

Please listen to my story on KZbin at Hearing Voices:Real Help and Understanding kzbin.info/www/bejne/jaCqmatjhNeZosk Praying for sooo many people who are suffering from Hearing voices, with compassion, Carol

[@phillippihikari2567]

This video is motivational. Our mind is mysterious, and each people has a different mind.

[@georgejaquith4732]

One voice did not want me to finish the video for lack of time. The tyranny of the urgent. good for children especially

[@stevekohler3430]

+George Jaquith How is your relationship with your voices now?

[@carolbrock5798]

Please listen to my story on KZbin at Hearing voices: Real Help and Understanding. I too have experienced voices in my ears and thoughts that are not mine. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jaCqmatjhNeZosk Praying for you, with compassion, Carol

[@anhaidelirio]

Can this be found in French somewhere?

[@TheHappyNisha]

Q.1. What about the aspect of Seeing the 'Voices' Manifested as Physical Archetypes in this 'waking' 'reality'? Does the research team at Kings College account for these too? Q.2. How is any of this kind of phenomena being measured? (for evidence collation), or is the measure how the person can Be With Whatever is happening? (as per your 3 colour categories). (I would need to know more, to work out whether I can let my people know). Thanks.

[@carolbrock5798]

Nisha, I read your comment about voices on KZbin. I too have experienced voices in my ears and thoughts that are not mine. I learned in the Christian Holy Bible that there is an invisible war on Earth involving very evil demonic spirits/ fallen angel's, who can speak into our ears all manner of thoughts, bad dreams, and most importantly they want to keep us from a Real relationship with our God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!!!! The Lord helped me in this battle against the schemes and strategies of the enemy and He can Help anyone else who will believe God. Please listen to my story on KZbin at Hearing voices: Real Help and Understanding kzbin.info/www/bejne/jaCqmatjhNeZosk Praying for you, with compassion, Carol

[@TomeRodrigo]

@@carolbrock5798 Please stop that bullshit, thanks.

[@mindfulnessasia1082]

To be able to feel real spiritual compassion for others, we have to reconnect with the Supreme Lord in love. When we experience spiritual love, we know this is what everyone is looking for. And then we want everyone else to also experience this.

[@alessiocardullo]

Il sabotatore si sente figo e crede di fermarsi di sabotare un attimo prima di farlo ma poi non c'è la fa

[@cristitaturtogo7963]

The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.Psalm 145:8 New International Version

[@TomeRodrigo]

No thanks.

[@MrZart]

No. Not. Never!

[@VictoriaWonders]

This video implies the 'voices' are himself and his own fault, then watch my video!

[@axelrose0910]

im experiment. i have a microchips inplanted in my head and earphone inplanted in my ears. if you hear voices and feel electricity in your head means you have a microchips inplant. im from phillippines..

[@jonathancrane6161]

AHHH 666 LIKES!!

[@joetoep6965]

Why are ppl still avoiding 'telepathy' ? I can imagine CFT works, so there's no opposition from me on this issue. Calling it voices instead of other peoples thoughts or feelings seems so inadequate to its origin (other ppl). But I'm okay with y'all - just don't forget to be willfully blind !-) * the willfully blind pretend they are comfortably unaware*

[@musicalsmokingcats4270]

Joe Toep I hope you are feeling more well these days xo

[@carolbrock5798]

Joe, I read your comment about voices on KZbin. I have experienced voices in my ears and thoughts that are not mine. But I learned in the Christian Holy Bible that there is an invisible war on Earth involving very evil demonic spirits who can speak into our ears all manner of thoughts. Even the Lord Jesus Christ heard the voice of Satan the devil and demons voices when He was here on Earth. See Matthew 4:1-11. The Lord helped me in this battle against the schemes and strategies of the enemy and He can Help anyone else who will believe God. Please listen to my story on KZbin at Hearing voices: Real Help and Understanding kzbin.info/www/bejne/jaCqmatjhNeZosk Praying for you, Carol

[@bobhope4565]

"Compassion is the courage to descend into the reality of human experience" is complete gibberish. Interesting video nevertheless.

[@jefflovenc]

cavemans......