The materials were
developed under the direction of psychologist Dr. Patricia
Deegan in consultation with others who experience auditory
hallucinations. Both voice (e.g., repeated phrases,
whispering, laughing) and non-voice sounds (e.g., faint
rhythmic sound) are presented in these simulations. The
phrases contain derogatory material (e.g., ‘‘you suck,’’
‘‘loser’’) and benevolent/neutral material (e.g., ‘‘you are the
one,’’ ‘‘it will be okay’’). Furthermore, the material
attempts to simulate command (e.g., ‘‘stop it’’) and paranoid
(e.g., ‘‘everyone is laughing at you’’) hallucinations. A
representative 16-minute sub-sample (of the entire
42-minute simulation) was played at a volume to approximate
conversation level (around 60 decibels as calibrated
by a sound level meter).