This report from the International Consortium on
Hallucinations Research considers the current status and
future directions in research on psychological therapies targeting
auditory hallucinations (hearing voices). Therapy
approaches have evolved from behavioral and copingfocused
interventions, through formulation-driven interventions
using methods from cognitive therapy, to a number of
contemporary developments. Recent developments include
the application of acceptance- and mindfulness-based
approaches, and consolidation of methods for working with
connections between voices and views of self, others, relationships
and personal history. In this article, we discuss the
development of therapies for voices and review the empirical
findings. This review shows that psychological therapies
are broadly effective for people with positive symptoms,
but that more research is required to understand the specific
application of therapies to voices. Six key research
directions are identified: (1) moving beyond the focus on
overall efficacy to understand specific therapeutic processes
targeting voices, (2) better targeting psychological
processes associated with voices such as trauma, cognitive
mechanisms, and personal recovery, (3) more focused measurement
of the intended outcomes of therapy, (4) understanding
individual differences among voice hearers, (5)
extending beyond a focus on voices and schizophrenia into
other populations and sensory modalities, and (6) shaping
interventions for service implementation.