Introduction Mental health nursing (MHN) staff in acute settings work with voice hearers at times of crises when they experience high levels of distress. Previous research has focused on community mental health staff's experiences and their service users views on exploring the content of voices. No studies have explored this from an acute mental health service perspective. Aim This study therefore sought to explore the experiences of staff working with voice hearers in an acute mental health service. Method Due to the exploratory nature of the research, a qualitative design was chosen. Three MHNs and five healthcare support workers (HSWs) were interviewed. The data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Results A group analysis elicited three master themes: "It's quite scary really, not unlike a horror movie;" "I can only influence what's in front of me;" and "Just chipping away". Discussion Staff working with voice hearers in acute settings experience feelings of powerlessness and helplessness, as they feel unable to reduce the distress experienced by voice hearers in their care. Staff employ coping strategies to help manage these difficult feelings, including using structured tools in their work with voice hearers and attending reflective practice forums. Implications for Practice Acute mental health services may need to protect time for staff to access regular reflective practice and other supervision forums to help manage their feelings of powerlessness and helplessness arising from their work with voice hearers.

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First-person accounts of voice hearing are scarce. This research aims to explore the role spirituality in the sense-making process of hearing voices.Five semi-structured interviews explored experiences of spirituality and hearing voices. Qualitative data was analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA).Three superordinate themes were identified: Need for connection, Values about self and identity, and Making sense. The findings suggest a relationship spirituality and voice hearing, and relate to the need for belongingness and self-identity.Acknowledging the sense making process and engaging in conversations about spirituality are implicated. Future research could explore the role of spirituality in cross-cultural populations.

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