Emily's Voices: a memoir

This extract from "Emily's Voices: a memoir" tells Emily's story of her struggle with hearing voices and her journey through the mental health system. Emily's voices are distressing, but her therapist Daphne and her friend Marcus help her to challenge the voices, and to confront some of the stigma which she feels about being a voice-hearer. Emily starts to understand her own "symptoms" as essential survival strategies, and a more respectful acceptance of herself begins to emerge. Emily volunteers as an administrative assistant at a local mental health festival, then she embarks on a Master's degree in psychology. Emily must find a way of accepting that she hears voices, or she can't be in the world - but it's a confrontation that takes all of her newfound strength and resolve.