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Listening to the Silences
Description
For twenty-eight years, I have been experiencing inner voices and physical presences in ways that would normally induce the label 'schizophrenic' - except that I have never been ill from this cause.
This is how it all began:
A 'presence' that I could not see, moved from the space in front of me, into me, and immediately my mind was charged with another 'voice' or provoker of thoughts, thoughts over which, then, I had no control, and which were not initiated by me. In my head began conversation as between two separate people, one of whom was me.
I began to hear voices.
This book is part autobiography, part DIY Manual, and so...
...if you are being engulfed in the quicksands of your mind, if you are calling for help in the silence of your mind, if you cannot silence the voices that invade your mind, dominate and torment you, if you are caring for someone who is struggling within the morass that their mind has become...
...if you are any of these, then I am writing for you.
About the Author
Born in South Wales, I spent my early years there, apart from four years service in the Royal Navy. In 1950, I graduated from the University of Wales with a degree in Electrical Engineering, and immediately began work at the Sellafield Nuclear Plant, where I spent all of my working life, my most memorable post being as Senior Instrument Engineer in the Calder Hall Nuclear Power Station.
I retired early, and began an entirely new life developing my smallholding, and my interest in horses. Quite by chance, and following a seemingly innocent investigation and an interest in dowsing, a situation developed from which I began to hear voices and experience a wide range of allied phenomena. That was in 1979, and to this day I have never been free from intrusions into my mind, or from intruding presences. YES - INTRUSIONS. Because of what I was doing at the time, and from all that has followed, I have not the smallest shadow of doubt that my experiences result from spiritual intrusion into my mind and body. I have never been ill from this cause, although there have been difficult times.
My purpose in writing is to inform and encourage - yes, to encourage those who are troubled by voices to believe that they can regain control of their minds and thoughts, and to help them to do so.
For twenty-eight years, I have been experiencing inner voices and physical presences in ways that would normally induce the label 'schizophrenic' - except that I have never been ill from this cause.
This is how it all began:
A 'presence' that I could not see, moved from the space in front of me, into me, and immediately my mind was charged with another 'voice' or provoker of thoughts, thoughts over which, then, I had no control, and which were not initiated by me. In my head began conversation as between two separate people, one of whom was me.
I began to hear voices.
This book is part autobiography, part DIY Manual, and so...
...if you are being engulfed in the quicksands of your mind, if you are calling for help in the silence of your mind, if you cannot silence the voices that invade your mind, dominate and torment you, if you are caring for someone who is struggling within the morass that their mind has become...
...if you are any of these, then I am writing for you.
About the Author
Born in South Wales, I spent my early years there, apart from four years service in the Royal Navy. In 1950, I graduated from the University of Wales with a degree in Electrical Engineering, and immediately began work at the Sellafield Nuclear Plant, where I spent all of my working life, my most memorable post being as Senior Instrument Engineer in the Calder Hall Nuclear Power Station.
I retired early, and began an entirely new life developing my smallholding, and my interest in horses. Quite by chance, and following a seemingly innocent investigation and an interest in dowsing, a situation developed from which I began to hear voices and experience a wide range of allied phenomena. That was in 1979, and to this day I have never been free from intrusions into my mind, or from intruding presences. YES - INTRUSIONS. Because of what I was doing at the time, and from all that has followed, I have not the smallest shadow of doubt that my experiences result from spiritual intrusion into my mind and body. I have never been ill from this cause, although there have been difficult times.
My purpose in writing is to inform and encourage - yes, to encourage those who are troubled by voices to believe that they can regain control of their minds and thoughts, and to help them to do so.
716 pages, Paperback
First published September 9, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 10, 2016
This memoir by a psychiatric survivor, is definitely worth reading. The Arial type, however, is not always the easiest font to read such a long book in. I generally prefer a serif font. But the book is very engaging, despite this.
On page 130 I gained a good understanding of how a person can put up with physically damaging things and society can deny the effects. This had to do with power cables and cancer. But I thought about it when I wanted to assert that the milk was stale in my coffee and a colleague said, 'Can't be, it's new.' I did take a second sip. Why? Same reason Roy Vincent's psychologist stayed in a building that eventually gave him cancer, along with most of his staff. Roy Vincent, however, felt uncomfortable in the psychologist's building, and didn't stay, blamed himself, then recognised the problem after many weeks, because he had worked in electrical engineering.
There's many insights you might want to gain from this book. Roy Vincent also talks about the abuses of the psychiatric system, when he had what is now a recognised physical illness, but was diagnosed as being mentally disordered instead, which meant he lost his livelihood for many years of his life.
On page 130 I gained a good understanding of how a person can put up with physically damaging things and society can deny the effects. This had to do with power cables and cancer. But I thought about it when I wanted to assert that the milk was stale in my coffee and a colleague said, 'Can't be, it's new.' I did take a second sip. Why? Same reason Roy Vincent's psychologist stayed in a building that eventually gave him cancer, along with most of his staff. Roy Vincent, however, felt uncomfortable in the psychologist's building, and didn't stay, blamed himself, then recognised the problem after many weeks, because he had worked in electrical engineering.
There's many insights you might want to gain from this book. Roy Vincent also talks about the abuses of the psychiatric system, when he had what is now a recognised physical illness, but was diagnosed as being mentally disordered instead, which meant he lost his livelihood for many years of his life.
September 9, 2019
I picked this book up thinking it sounded quite interesting and it looked like it had a compelling story to tell.
Unfortunately however the narrative is a rambling stream of consciousness like an old guy at the pub a few beers on the wrong side of tipsy. It never quite seems to fall into its stride instead skips here and there veering suddenly off track to another train of thought frequently.
In other ways it reads like a badly formed fiction novel with assertions such as how dowsing is a legitimate means of finding underground water, and damaged nerve cells in the spine. This continued on to how the author learned to use a pendulum to communicate with the dead, with three specific people in fact who are named in the book. These three dead people after some struggling ultimately declare they have 'won' and the author loses the ability to use the pendulum to communicate with the dead, and shortly thereafter begins to hear voices in his head.
After this we're treated to the author relaying on how he was offered by these voices/spirits to be Jesus's mortal conveyance in this realm when he returned to earth, but the author tells us he declined this offer as it would have been too high a profile role for him.
Despite the author stating in the blurb he's not schizophrenic, I was reallying beginning to question this claim and his ability to judge such, granted I'm no psychiatrist, yet steadfastly believing you have been offered to be the embodiement of Jesus does seem a bit off the reservation.
From here the author goes on to tell us how the spirits urged him to wash his anal sphincter each time he defecated going as far as to give specific education on how to do so in a public toilet. It seems the dead don't have a lot of other things to worry about on the otherside.
It was at this point I was practically convinced this book was the ramblings of someone who has lost their grasp on reality, at minimum partially. I attempted to read on further but just found myself increasingly less interested in what was becoming increasingly more fanciful and ended up giving it away about half way through. There's a few interesting bits here and there such as when one of the nuclear power plants was opened by the Queen they over rode all the safety features to insure there wouldn't be an embarrasing safety alert whilst she and the media where present.
Overall, I find myself questioning the sanity of the author and the impression I gleaned from his writing is that he has a few kangaroos loose in the top paddock.
Unfortunately however the narrative is a rambling stream of consciousness like an old guy at the pub a few beers on the wrong side of tipsy. It never quite seems to fall into its stride instead skips here and there veering suddenly off track to another train of thought frequently.
In other ways it reads like a badly formed fiction novel with assertions such as how dowsing is a legitimate means of finding underground water, and damaged nerve cells in the spine. This continued on to how the author learned to use a pendulum to communicate with the dead, with three specific people in fact who are named in the book. These three dead people after some struggling ultimately declare they have 'won' and the author loses the ability to use the pendulum to communicate with the dead, and shortly thereafter begins to hear voices in his head.
After this we're treated to the author relaying on how he was offered by these voices/spirits to be Jesus's mortal conveyance in this realm when he returned to earth, but the author tells us he declined this offer as it would have been too high a profile role for him.
Despite the author stating in the blurb he's not schizophrenic, I was reallying beginning to question this claim and his ability to judge such, granted I'm no psychiatrist, yet steadfastly believing you have been offered to be the embodiement of Jesus does seem a bit off the reservation.
From here the author goes on to tell us how the spirits urged him to wash his anal sphincter each time he defecated going as far as to give specific education on how to do so in a public toilet. It seems the dead don't have a lot of other things to worry about on the otherside.
It was at this point I was practically convinced this book was the ramblings of someone who has lost their grasp on reality, at minimum partially. I attempted to read on further but just found myself increasingly less interested in what was becoming increasingly more fanciful and ended up giving it away about half way through. There's a few interesting bits here and there such as when one of the nuclear power plants was opened by the Queen they over rode all the safety features to insure there wouldn't be an embarrasing safety alert whilst she and the media where present.
Overall, I find myself questioning the sanity of the author and the impression I gleaned from his writing is that he has a few kangaroos loose in the top paddock.
February 28, 2020
Roy tells it as it is. I've been going through something very similar for the past 5 years. It may not be the easiest read at times, but it's honest and based from real experience. I could connect with it right away.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews