Did Hearing Voices Save This Woman’s Life?
In 1984 in England a woman known publicly only as A.B. began to hear voices in her head. Although relatively uncommon, such a thing isn’t unheard of. But something about this case in particular was so different that it defies medical consensus to this day: the possibility that these voices saved this woman’s life.
A.B. was a simple housewife who had been living in Britain since the 1960s. Originally from mainland Europe, A.B. moved to The UK for work, and ended up marrying, settling down, and having kids. She had no history of serious illness, so much so that she rarely even went in for a check up. Nor was there any history of mental anomalies or other episodes of auditory hallucinations. Instead the very first episode came quite fully and quite clearly as A.B. heard the full sentence “Please don’t be afraid. I know it must be shocking for you to hear me speaking to you like this, but this is the easiest way I could think of. My friend and I used to work at the Children’s Hospital, Great Ormond Street, and we would like to help you.”
According to the British Medical Journal, or The BMJ, which first published the findings. The voices eventually told her that she needed to get a brain scan. In spite of reluctance from medical practitioners at the time, A.B. eventually underwent a brain scan in spite of having no alarming symptoms simply due to her own insistence. The shocking thing was that she did indeed have a tumor. Luckily, because of the brain scan, she was able to recover completely. Furthermore, after her recovery, the voices disappeared for good, leaving her with one final message: “We are pleased to have helped you. Goodbye.”
Even now there is no confirmed explanation for what caused these voices and how they were able to accurately diagnose A.B.’s condition and direct her to the help she needed. However, there are some theories. The first is that there were well meaning psychics who were able to not only detect A.B.’s condition but to communicate it to her. The second is that A.B. knew about her condition, but invented this ruse in order to achieve free healthcare. However since she had been living in Britain long enough, that wouldn’t have been an issue. The third is that the tumor itself caused both the psychosis required for A.B. to hear voices, as well as subtle physical symptoms that she could have been aware of subconsciously, which could have manifested as the voices telling her there was a problem.
Of course there are more out-there theories. Some think it might have been well meaning aliens, time traveling telepaths, or guardian angels. A.B. herself referred to the voices as her guardian angels. One thing is certain though, although many are compelled to believe one theory over another, there is still no definitive explanation for these voices, and how they were able to save someone’s life.