Hurts like a fucking son of a bitch, thanks for asking

It does. But such phenomena are controllable. I would not have gotten through medical school if that was not the case.

[He leans back, blinking rapidly and looking thoughtful.] Sometimes the voices are faint, in that very annoying conversation just out of range sort of way. Distracting. Irritating. It makes one nervous. One's blood pressure goes up, heart rate--it becomes impossible to not be tense. And the more the tension rises the worse the entire experience gets.

Other times the voices are very loud but still vague, which is perhaps the most maddening. But sometimes I can hear them quite clearly.