Hiya I was diagnosed with schizophrenia about 2 years ago. I’m very well now and don’t hear voices, well at least I think I don’t. Problem I have is that I don’t know whether I get intrusive thoughts or voices. When I hear what I think could be voices it’s asif they’re coming from my head internally rather than externally, they are not my own thoughts just random things. I can distinguish that it’s not a real voice though, it doesn’t sound like it’s anyone next to me, They also have a tone to it. Could anyone tell me the difference? Really struggling to understand. Thanks X
I struggle with this difference myself. I have both, I don’t have auditory hallucinations but I have inner voices, they differ from intrusive thoughts because they say stuff and the thoughts have a thought like form. It’s hard to explain
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I distinguish them by means of an analogy with walking.
Say, ordinary thinking is like ordinary walking; you’re in control and you walk wherever you want to walk.
Then an intrusive thought to me is like unexpectedly tripping over a branch, or being pushed by someone else. I will make different movements than I intended. But it still feels like it is my body that is making these movements, they just no longer match up with how I intended to move.
Voices, on the other hand, feel to me more akin to witnissing someone else walking. They could be walking to my right (inside), or to my left (outside), but there is a more thorough sense in which these movements I witness are not mine, whereas when I trip, the movements are mine in one sense, but not mine in another sense.
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It’s so annoying! It just seems so hard to understand -.-
What is inner voices? Does your intrusive thoughts have a tone to them as if they’re being spoken, but not heard via your ears? Mines sort of audio but I know that they’re defo not real. From what I’ve read it’s sais voices can’t be distinguished between real and fake… Thanks 
I have a problem distinguishing between intrusive thoughts and intrusive bad memories. Think I get a lot of both. End up swearing out loud to whatever they are.
Thanks, still pretty unsure, can’t get my head around it… it’s weird it only happens at night.
I really agree with @Minnii here. That’s a perfect explanation actually! Not necessarily auditory hallucinations but more than intrusive thoughts…inner voices? I struggle with this too.
I have auditory hallucinations and intrusive thoughts. With hallucinations, I hear them with my ears. I can tell you how far away they are, and what direction they’re coming from. I sometimes have trouble telling whether or not they’re real, but I usually know it’s a hallucination.
Intrusive thoughts are equally bad, just in a different way. They used to make me feel disgusted with myself, because I couldn’t believe something so terrible could enter my mind. Now, I just accept that it’s the illness,band just try to do breathing exercises or puzzle games until they go away.
I’ve only ever heard voices in my head. They’re a voice though and not a thought. I also don’t control what they say. Intrusive thoughts for me come as a thought but are not something I would ever think. Like to hurt somebody or say something inappropriate. I would talk to your pdoc or tdoc about it because I believe both are signs of psychosis. Good luck! 
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You’re not alone op
Intrusive voices were my worst symptom. Sometimes when ppl on the forum describe them I become confused whether we experience the same thing, but I think we do based on soooo many threads with similar feelings. I always described them as voices but they didn’t SOUND like voices. They just felt like voices. Not my thoughts. When I hear threads like this it helps me understand myself more. Thanks.
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