Podcasts about Hearing Voices Network

Ellie's just had a research paper published!In today's episode we discuss how can we learn from the impact that COVID-19 had on mental health peer support groups being forced to transition to online formats? Ellie shares insights from her research conducted at the University of Liverpool, focusing on the experiences of Hearing Voices Network facilitators.Key themes include the rapid shift to Zoom, issues of access to technology, changes in facilitator roles, and the dynamics of peer support. The conversation also explores the benefits and challenges of online peer support, digital exclusion, and the future of grassroots mental health care.You can read Ellie's full paper by clicking here.Follow @livelymindspod on X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and more at https://www.bio.link/livelymindsPlease note that this show does not constitute medical advice and is not a replacement for seeking professional help. You can find our more about the show and get signposting to support on our website livelymindspod.com

Charla divulgativa a cargo de John Read, profesor de Psicología Clínica en la Universidad de East London, investigador que ha publicado numerosos estudios sobre el uso y efectos de la denominada terapia electro-convulsiva, es presidente del International Institute for Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal y forma parte de la junta directiva de Hearing Voices Network de Inglaterra.

To donate to my PayPal (thank you): https://paypal.me/danieru22?country.x=US&locale.x=en_US VIDEO NOTES Join me as I speak with Mary Vieten, PhD, ABPP, and we discuss Warfighter ADVANCE. Warfighter ADVANCE offers relief and clarity to warfighters. Instead of prescribing powerful medications that often compound or mask the underlying problem, Warfighter ADVANCE teaches new coping skills and equips warfighters for recovery and successful reintegration. The ADVANCE is, at it's core, a 7-day program that uses a variety of means to change the trajectory of the Warfighter's (active duty or veteran) post-deployment life, so that rather than an existence characterized by an endless cycle of mental illness diagnoses, medications, medical appointments and disappointments, the Warfighter has a life characterized by pride, productivity, healthy relationships, continued service, and advocacy for the same outcomes for their fellow service members. LINKS Article "Warfighter Advance: The ADVANCE 7-Day" https://1drv.ms/b/s!Av53vsClEHoMx1r9zpacMniahI6T?e=mA7Vx0 Warfighter Advance: Biography: https://www.warfighteradvance.org/mary-vieten.html Warfighter Advance Main Page: https://www.warfighteradvance.org/ International Society for Ethical Psychology and Psychiatry: https://psychintegrity.org/ (if there is a link asking you to verify your humanity, don't click it) Allen Frances, MD: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_Frances A post on Thomas Insel's statement: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/side-effects/201305/the-nimh-withdraws-support-dsm-5 Crazy Wise Documentary: https://crazywisefilm.com/ Mad in America: https://www.madinamerica.com/ Hearing Voices Network: https://www.hearing-voices.org/ Anatomy of an Epidemic: https://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Epidemic-Bullets-Psychiatric-Astonishing-ebook/dp/B0036S4EGE Note: Information contained in this video is for educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for treatment or consultation with a mental health professional or business consultant.

Daniel Bergner is a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine and the author of six books of nonfiction, including The Mind and the Moon, Sing for Your Life and God of the Rodeo. Daniel's writing has appeared in the Atlantic, Granta, Harper's, Mother Jones, Talk, and more. Here Daniel and Dawson discuss: Daniels's journey Daniel's brother who was diagnosed with psychoses How fear locks into managing risk using medication Danie's brother today: 40 years and he's living a fruitful non medicated life The under researched phenomena of how we do often get better as we get older The premise that brains are organs; they just need the right chemical to correct The case history of Caroline who heard voices; some urging her to harm Caroline's story and how now she works with the Hearing Voices Network and a suicide prevention hotline The third case history of David, wrestling with depression and anxiety David's story and how he is a civil rights litigator who has argued in front of the Supreme Court Why the US is one of only 2 countries that allows drug companies to advertise to patients The use of medication in regard to mental health What about if rather than getting rid of the symptoms; we have more modest aims Why service is part of connecting, bringing people out of their darkest times Being rescued by rescuing someone else For more information about Daniel and his books: http://www.danielbergner.com/ And more about host, Dr. Dawson Church: https://www.dawsongift.com/   #eft #eftuniverse #blissbrain #mindtomatter #mentalhealth #themindandthemoon  

Dr Jacqui Dillon is an activist, trainer, writer, and speaker specialising in hearing voices, dissociation, trauma, abuse, and recovery. She is the Chair of the Hearing Voices Network in England and a key figure in the international Hearing Voices Movement. Her survival of childhood abuse and subsequent experiences of using psychiatric services inform her work. She is an outspoken advocate and campaigner for trauma-informed approaches to madness and distress. Jacqui is part of a collective voice demanding a radical shift in how we understand and respond to experiences currently defined as psychiatric illnesses. In this episode, Jacqui talks about her experience with hearing voices, her relationship to the voices and the power of community and support in aiding her healing and the healing of many across the world. I think this can be a huge turning point for those listening who are not too knowledgeable about the phenomenon of hearing voices. Jacqui is a really inspiring human and a guest I have wanted for a very long time. Thanks to Jacqui for her courageous work, her time chatting with us, and for listening. Until next time!https://hearingvoicesdu.org/Sign up to our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/earthlydelightspod

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://thecrazycategory.com/2022/08/07/what-is-the-hearing-voices-network/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecrazycategory/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thecrazycategory/support

The Hearing Voices Network is a global affiliation of support groups where people who hear voices or see visions can find support and be believed, rather than pushed towards medication. The group was started in the 80's and has chapters all over the world, including the Pacific Northwest. One of their fundamental precepts is that trying to convince people that their experiences aren't real isn't effective. Kate Hill is the director of the Portland Hearing Voices group. Derek Pyle is the group facilitator for Bear Creek Hearing Voices Network. They both join us to talk about their experiences.

Guest:Freddie de BoerOn May 17th, the NY Times Magazine published an article by Daniel Bergner, based on his book The Mind and the Moon. The article reports on psychosis , from the point of view of Caroline, who is beset by the hallucinations of psychosis. Daniel Bergner explores how to seek a deeper engagement with ourselves and one another—and how to find a better path toward caring for our minds.Or - does he leave out a huge piece of the picture?So many comments about the article, which seemed biased toward the Hearing Voices Network. One such response, from Freddie deBoer, has generated over 7,000 YouTube views so far.Links:NYTimes article:https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/17/magazine/antipsychotic-medications-mental-health.htmlFreddie deBoer's response:https://youtu.be/yKB6F_VYuZYhttps://freddiedeboer.substack.com/p/my-response-to-daniel-bergners-new?s=rWant us to cover a topic? comment to share?Facebook page @Schizophrenia3Moms@SZ3MomsTrenches -  twitterRandye Kaye -Broadcaster, Actress, Voice Talent, Speaker, and Author (“Ben Behind his Voices”, “Happier Made Simple”)Miriam Feldman – Artist, Mom, Author “He Came in With It”Mindy Greiling – member of the Minnesota House of Representatives for twenty years. Activist, Legislator, Author (“Fix What You Can“) 

Ro Speight is a peer and recovery specialist with MHA in the CCBHC program. She shares many pearls of wisdom in this episode on how she learned to build a narrative around her mental health that was conducive to creating a thriving life. She shares specifically how interacting with others and establishing meaningful connections was a key to this process. Check out the links below to learn more about some of the resources Ro describes.Hearing Voices Network: http://www.hearingvoicesusa.org/Alternatives to Suicide: https://wildfloweralliance.org/event/alternatives-to-suicide/all/Get Help Now | MHA (mhawestchester.org)

Join us for a conversation with Tehseen Noorani and Erica Fletcher where we discuss the origins and highlights of the Psychedelics, Madness, and Awakening Conference, as well as each interviewee’s personal research and links to these subjects. Topics we cover include: Why madness is excluded from psychedelic therapy and left outside the emerging conversation, and how to involve mad folks in these conversations Community harm reduction responses to spiritual awakening, and harm reduction with psychedelics The consequences of psychedelic exclusion criteria How themes of overground and underground experimentation and healing show up in each participant’s research And more! About Tehseen Noorani and Erica Hua Fletcher: Tehseen is an independent researcher in the final stages of a five-year postdoctoral project documenting how 'psychedelic' and ‘psychotic’ experiences, practices and histories are connected.  This has involved an ethnography of the overground and underground experimentation happening with, (1) psychedelics, including leading qualitative research with the psychedelics research team at Johns Hopkins University, and (2) madness, including as a long-standing ally of the Hearing Voices Network, and more recent membership of the Hearing The Voice project. His book - planned for publication in 2021 - puts these twinned sites into conversation, locating their joint possibilities within the raced and gendered politics of contemporary drug-taking and spirit-making.   Erica is a postdoctoral fellow at UCLA's Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior and the co-chair of the Society for Medical Anthropology's Mental Health Interest Group. Over the last decade, she has worked closely with community members, peer support specialists, and community health workers on collaborative alternatives to traditional psychiatric treatment. Erica writes about contemporary mental health social movements, community health and healing, and carework; her scholarship spans the health humanities, social medicine, and mad studies.  About the Conference: Psychedelics, Madness, & Awakening: Harm Reduction & Future Visions To watch recorded presentations and panel discussions with the Psychedelics, Madness, and Awakening’s conference, check out the PMA website: http://www.psychedelicsmadnessawakening.com Find Tehseen online: On Twitter @tehseennoorani To download Tehseen’s articles: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tehseen-Noorani-2 Find Erica online: On the web: https://ericahua.weebly.com On Instagram @erica.hua To download Erica’s articles: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Erica_Fletcher3 Links to relevant resources: Anthropology & Mental Health Interest Group: http://amhig.medanthro.net  Alternatives Conference: https://www.alternatives-conference.org  Hearing Voices conference: http://hearingvoicesnetworkireland.ie/intervoice-congress-2021/  Links to So Many Wings’ social media and website On the web: https://somanywings.org On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/somanywingspodcast On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/somanywingspodcast On Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/join/somanywingspodcast

Jason Wright sits down with the acclaimed author of the Harm Reduction Guide to Coming Off Psychiatric Drugs,  speaker, and Mental Health Abolitionist Will Hall.  An enlightening conversation for anyone who has ever thought of a life without medications.

The Crime Story Podcast has been ranked as the no. 10 Criminal Justice Podcast by  the "Content Reader" company Feedspot. 

This week on MIA Radio we share the audio from our first Town Hall panel discussion. Mad in America, Open Excellence and the HOPEnDialogue project have collaborated to create an ongoing series of Town Hall discussions exploring the challenges, learnings and opportunities for personal and societal growth found through dialogical responses to crisis in the age of COVID-19. The title of this first discussion is: Are We Living in the Most Dialogical Time Ever? And the hosts are Kermit Cole and Louisa Putnam. COVID-19 has forced us all into new ways of being, new ways of relating to each other, and new ways of responding to each other in a time of crisis. These new ways reveal more clearly than ever how essential dialogue is to the human experience.  What are dialogical practitioners doing — and learning — in this time of crisis? What do these learnings suggest or make possible that might have previously seemed unattainable? What insights do people who have lived with a sense of crisis, often cut off from “mainstream” dialogues, have to offer a world in crisis? Hosts Kermit Cole and Louisa Putnam are inspired by Open Dialogue to respond as a team to individuals, couples and families in crisis. They have hosted many symposia in Santa Fe, New Mexico to explore the intersections between Open Dialogue, Hearing Voices, and other Dialogical approaches, and recently completed their studies under Jaakko Seikkula to be Open Dialogue trainers. Panellists Jaakko Seikkula teaches Dialogical practice to the many people around the world who have been inspired by the Open Dialogue, the response to mental health crises in Tornio, Finland that Jaakko’s team created. Richard Armitage is a dialogical practitioner and trainer in Denmark at a large centre for supported living and rehabilitation. Iseult Twamley is a Clinical Psychologist and Open Dialogue Trainer/Supervisor. Since 2012 she has been Clinical Lead of the Cork  Open Dialogue Implementation, Ireland.  Rai Waddingham is an Open Dialogue Practitioner, international trainer, and has created, established and managed innovative Hearing Voices Network projects in youth, prison, forensic, inpatient and community settings. Andrea Zwicknagl is a peer support worker in Switzerland and a board member of HOPEnDialogue.

Hey everyone its Jason from the Oddball Show, come and check out this podcast with Oryx Cohen, mental health advocate and producer of Healing Voices. We talk COVID 2020, vision quests, and self care during a pandemic. Lots of laughs on this episode, check it out.

Jim and Andi talk about recovery programs beyond 12 Step and WRAP options. They discuss LifeRing (https://www.lifering.org/), Alternatives to Suicide (https://www.westernmassrlc.org/alternatives-to-suicide), Hearing Voices Network (https://www.hearingvoicesusa.org/), White Bison (http://www.whitebison.org/), The Sanctuary Model S.E.L.F. (http://sanctuaryweb.com), Recovery International (https://recoveryinternational.org/), and Whole Health Action Management (WHAM) (https://www.thenationalcouncil.org/training-courses/whole-health-action-management/).

Kayla and Chris talk about a much, MUCH nicer topic this week - and learn about the endless limits of the human imagination. Links below! -- Vice article Globe and Mail article Tulpa.info Science Friday series Prime Mind article Hearing Voices Network r/Tulpas

Welcome to the Hidden South - a collection of conversations between myself, Brent Walker, and people I meet throughout the Southeast U.S. This is episode number 6. I met with Ember on her fortieth birthday. Our conversation took place on the hood of her bus in the Upper Ninth Ward in New Orleans, LA and focuses predominantly on love addiction and borderline personality disorder. Show Notes Hearing Voices is an organization, with groups in 25 countries, that provides community support, and refuge for those who hear voices, see visions, and experience other forms of extraordinary perception. I found this short video very helpful in explaining the importance of the Hearing Voices Network. Earlier this week, I posted Dawn's story about borderline personality disorder. Her story sheds additional light on BPD. I recommend checking it out. Ember's story amd hundreds of others can be viewed on The Hidden South --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hidden-south/support

In episode #063 Chris meets with Kelly Waterman who is a co-facilitator and member of the Hearing Voices Network (HVN). They discuss Kelly's insider perspective of the Hearing Voices Network and her challenges with our mental health systems and her hopes for change.  Hearing Voices Network USA Gail Hornstein Western Mass Recovery Learning Community Eleanor Longden's TED Talk    Chris Hoff PhD, LMFT We want to hear from you! Youtube: http://bit.ly/2i0DmaT Website: http://www.theradicaltherapist.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheRadTherapist Instagram: https://instagram.com/theradicaltherapist/ Email: theradicaltherapist@gmail.com

Hearing voices is much more common than used to be thought, but what if they're cruel voices that seem to try to stop you from living your life?  Chris Shoulder talks to Dr Lucy Maddox about how he uses CBT techniques to manage his experience of voices and Dr Emmanuelle Peters explains the theory behind the treatment.    Show Notes Here are some resources if you'd like to find out more information.    Websites If you'd like to know more about BABCP check out the website: http://babcp.com If you want to find an accredited therapist look here: http://www.cbtregisteruk.com/ Chris has also written about his experience of CBT on the BABCP website:  https://www.babcp.com/Public/Personal-Accounts/Chris-S.aspx Hearing Voices Network is an organisation providing a network for people who hear voices. https://www.hearing-voices.org/tag/voice-collective/ PICuP Clinic where Emmanuelle and Chris work is here: https://www.national.slam.nhs.uk/services/adult-services/picup/ NICE guidelines for service users/relatives are here: www.nice.org.uk UK based organisation the Paranoia Network is here: www.asylumonline.net/paranoianetwork.htm Mad Pride campaigns against misunderstanding and discrimination experienced by people who are seen as ‘mad’ or mentally ill www.madpride.org.uk This website offers an alternative perspective, practical advice and email support to people who are interested in exploring the idea of spiritual crisis. There are some local groups, for example in London. www.SpiritualCrisisNetwork.org.uk,   Books and articles Overcoming Paranoid and Suspicious Thoughts. Research suggests that 20–30 per cent of people in the UK frequently have paranoid thoughts. This is a practical self-help guide. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Overcoming-Paranoid-Suspicious-Thoughts-Books/dp/1845292197 Overcoming distressing voices, Mark Hayward, Clara Strauss, and David Kingdon, 2012, London: Constable and Robinson. A self-help guide based on a cognitive behavioural approach. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Overcoming-Distressing-Voices-Books/dp/1780330847 For an article about CBT for psychosis by Lucy click here: https://www.theguardian.com/science/sifting-the-evidence/2014/may/20/cbt-psychosis-cognitive-behavioural-therapy-voices   Other media A History of Delusions - radio 4 series by Dr Dan Freeman https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0001d95/episodes/player Voice hearer and psychologist Eleanor Longden talks about her experiences in this TED talk. https://www.ted.com/talks/eleanor_longden_the_voices_in_my_head   Credits Editing consultation from Eliza Lomas Music by Gabe Stebbing Image by Justin Lynham via Flikr Creative Commons Produced by Lucy Maddox for BABCP

Rai Waddingham from the Hearing Voices Network and Geoff Brennan from Starwards talk at the 'After the Mental Health Act review' event in London.

Dr Ken gives another short lecture on the SchizoPhrenia CARE project today.   First, a little more on the cultural background of mental health.  Traditional Western medicine is currently the main form of medical practice  in the United States and the West today.  Dr Ken spent four years doing lab research in brain chemistry related to psychosis.  Please see the pdf document from Dr Ken on psychosis available at the website listed below.  Some believe that severe mental illness is a myth.   More on culture:  the term "allopathic medicine” is typically used and mis-used to refer to traditional Western medicine.  But it is not really allopathic at all, as that means a medicine based upon classical Greek practices which was based upon “humors,” and balancing them with treatments opposite to the symptoms.    To begin to bridge the culture gap, since 1989 the NIH has been exploring and studying Traditional Chinese medicine and Hindu Indian Aruydevic medicine theory and practices.  Today, this study group is become a formal center of NIH.  It is named the National Center for Integrative and Complementary Medicine.    The other podcast episode on the Soteria program shows how it represents an effort to change the Western medical cultural model to one of greater healing and compassionate management of those folks in crisis with psychosis.    Another group of interest is The “Hearing Voices Network.”  It is a movement started in the United Kingdom, in Manchester, England in 1988.  One goal is to normalize the experiences of hearing voices, having visions, having tactile sensations and other sensory experiences.  One of their aims is to promote and develop self-help groups.  This group and movement also represents a big culture shift and change.   More on the Schizophrenia Care Project.   First, the name of the project.   The word “project” comes from self-help and personal transformation groups and refers to a community based project which is not a personal goal or project.  Also, it refers to bringing the possible into the realm of the real.  The vision, goal or mission of the SchizoPhrenia CARE project is to promote and support balanced, healthful, meaningful, and respectful lives for those living with schizophrenia, hearing voices, or chronic psychosis and their caregivers.   The first word is “Balanced.” This gets to the notion that  life can be thought of as having areas in it that are like spokes on a bicycle wheel.  Some of those spokes are health, fitness, diet, exercise, learning, productive activities, self-care, friendships, family, job or work, finances, fun things to do, hobbies, religious and spiritual activities, meditation, sleep and rest, etc.  So, a balanced life is a life where a person strives to have the same length on the different spokes of the wheel, or parts of life.   Next, the word is  “Healthful.”  Health is made up of at least three main parts.  First is the physical body, diet, exercise, rest, and self-care.  Next, the mental health, this is about a person’a habitual thoughts and attitudes, having lively friends and interests to keep the mind active.  And third is spiritual health.  This is one’s relationship to a Higher Power, or God, or for some folks, an active involvement in a supportive, loving and accepting church community.   The word “Meaningful” refers to a humanistic idea that our lives are a story.  There were events and things that happened in our childhoods, events at school.  Perhaps for many listening to this podcast, events related to odd and frightening experiences and behavior, and even emergency contact with police and mental health hospital emergency rooms.   After the Nazi holocaust in WWII,  a prisoner who survived, a psychiatrist named Victor Frankl, wrote a book “Man’s Search for Meaning.”  One of his questions was why did some prisoners wither and die while others lived while both were in those miserable conditions of cold and malnutrition.  In his book, he states that finding meaning in one’s life is part of the answer.  The other things are to be responsible for one’s self, and care for other people. The main reason for living is to find meaning in one’s life.  Also, he adds that each of us has the freedom to find his or her own meaning in what we do, what we experience, and how we handle those experiences.  So for the listeners, there may have to be a re-telling of your own life story, as you find new and acceptable meaning.    The last word in the phrase is “Respectful.”  This is the opposite of the shameful negative stigma.  Many groups want to change the culture about stigma over mental illness.  But rather that fight against it, the phrase Dr Ken has chosen for the project is “respectful lives.”  So respectability is the goal, the thing we are striving toward for those living with schizophrenia, chronic psychosis and those who are hearing voices. Respectability is the new normal.  Respectability begins with self-respect and self-love.   The logo for the project is a heart-shaped partial outline surrounding a human head.  Within the head are little triangles.  These symbolize the thoughts, ideas, memories and experiences (both inner and outer experiences) of the person living with schizophrenia and those hearing voices.   The heart outline symbolizes the core value of the project & staff.  That is the value of care & love, bridge building, of seeing the person living with schizophrenia as not fundamentally different from one’s self.    Caring for and loving one’s fellow human being in the same degree that one loves and cares for oneself is a moral value.  It is a moral value which requires growth, stability and support to live and act at that particular level of moral development.  This is a stage of development beyond and above the selfish and only self-serving moral level.   The short hand logo name is SP-CARE.  That is a funny abbreviation of SchizoPhrenia as SP.  That’s kinda like spelling schizophrenia with a capital S at the beginning and a capital P in the middle.  But it works.   The next big arena for the project is adding its weight to the already existing support and empowerment groups.  The idea here is that there are many ideas which can help the family or the board and care staff take care of  someone who is living with schizoiphrenia.  Many people already know what to do.  The challenge is to embody what we know, to keep up the motivation to act on what we know and to live the values and principles to help all involved. This has started with an online accountability FaceBook community public group.    The crowning achievement envisioned for the project is local and international sets of long term residential, education, support and empowerment homes for those living with chronic psychosis, living with schizophrenia, and those hearing voices in acute crisis.  The homes have the name of New Hope Campus, and the goal is to have sets of three in a community staffed with a good number of folks who will care for, support and form meaningful relationships with the residents over time.  There will be diet and exercise support.  Outside holistic psychiatrists will be used to oversee any who may require medications.   Funding through large scale international charitable donations was discussed.   Lastly the audience is invited support the vision of balanced, healthful, meaningful and respectful lives for those living with schizophrenia and to subscribe to the websites below.

This is first talk on the Schizophrenia Care Project.  The theme will be the project’s goals, vision, sub-parts and mission.     First language and “words” were discussed.  There is a theory of human communication that holds that the words we use have an impact on our sense of identity, our place in the world, our self-esteem and things of that nature.   The word “psychosis” was reviewed in some detail.  It is a medical word, a jargon, a technical word.  Psychosis is a word like the word “fever.”  It describes a set of experiences, reported perceptions / senses and observed behaviors.  Just like “fever” the medical word “psychosis” does not imply or define a specific diagnosis.   Of considerable interest are those reported perceptions,  experiences of the person having them,  that are not shared with others in the immediate vicinity.  Some would classify ESP, extra-sensory perception, clairvoyance, and such as hallucinations.  Hearing the voice of “God” as some religious mystics hear is also in this category of an experience that is not shared by others in the same room, or right nearby.   Regarding disease or pathology, the definition of schizophrenia as a phenomena was reviewed.  It is also in the PDF report available at the www.DrKenCampos.com website.   Some religious and spiritual systems include experiences that could be termed hallucinations and delusions.  For those appropriate sub-cultures, this is not a problem, not an illness.  Religious  experiences that occur in those accepting group settings, that is in a church or spiritual community, were not considered to be part of illness.  Examples were given.   So, one might conclude that a certain sub-set of fevers or of psychotic experiences can be part of the normative human life.  It leads one to a question.  What can the family, the community, and the mental health practitioners do about this.    The  World Health Organization studies of those with a schizophrenia diagnosis were discussed.   Narrative reframing and motivational interviewing were both discussed.   The  group called the “Hearing Voices Network” which exists as part of the “Hearing Voices Movement” seeks to raise awareness that there unusual experiences in any of the five senses, are not in themselves pathological, and do not immediately qualify as a diagnosis of schizophrenia.  They aim to re-define the “psychotic experiences” of their members and normalize them.  They generally avoid the word “psychosis.”   Indeed, severe mental illness had carried strong negative connotations and negative associations both in our Western and American culture, and results in unnecessary suffering on the part of some people who are living with such symptoms, diagnoses, and labels.     The SchizoPhrenia CARE Project is an umbrella for several things, first is this podcast aimed at educating and supporting the caregivers of some loved on who is living with schizophrenia or who is “hearing voices.”   Next, the project is a platform for written educational material, including periodic newsletters, and an initial book on Hope and advice for the caregivers to find a foundation of support in their own lives so that they may more effectively care for the loved one living with schizophrenia or “hearing voices.”      Online support groups are another spin off of the podcast and SP CARE project. Dr Ken envisions both moderated and unmoderated purely peer led groups for empowering the caregivers.  Additionally, the is to be a private level support and empowerment group. Accountability and support to implement the practices of both self-care and new ways of supporting their loved one who is living with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or who is “hearing voices” is the key here.  The word “eccentric” was reviewed and discussed, too.   Dr Ken reviewed some of his hospital based experiences, too. Like aspirin or tylenol for a fever, the acute use of the dopamine blocking medications, the anti-psychotic medications is a very humane thing to offer.  Despite the importance of self-determination, there also exists a group of people who are at risk for sever or damaging consequences of their unusual experience as well.  This smaller group is the set of people who require a paternalistic intervention with the use of anti-psychotic medications for the short term at least.  Safety is key.    Lastly the residential care part of SchizoPhrenia CARE project was discussed. “New Hope Campus - with the neighborhood or city name attached”  are the names of such houses. The goal here is to help people with supportive, holistic and well staffed group home for long term residence.

Live Life In The Purple with MLuv - Segment Community Speaks interview with Katherine “Corey” Jones, positive themed internet radio show with guest Corey Jones, co-facilitator of the “Hearing Voices Network” in Atlanta, and promotion of their open house

Live Life In The Purple with MLuv - Segment Community Speaks interview with Katherine “Corey” Jones, positive themed internet radio show with guest Corey Jones, co-facilitator of the “Hearing Voices Network” in Atlanta, and promotion of their open house

Live Life In The Purple with MLuv - Segment Community Speaks interview with Katherine “Corey” Jones, positive themed internet radio show with guest Corey Jones, co-facilitator of the “Hearing Voices Network” in Atlanta, and promotion of their open house

The standard psychiatric understanding of auditory hallucinations is that they are a symptom of serious mental illness, and ought to be treated with antipsychotic medication, but could there other ways of understanding this phenomenon? Can such symptoms ever have meaning in their own right? We explore whether voices could sometimes be the psyche's attempt to heal itself. In the show, we mention the Hearing Voices Network. The Dream:  I was walking along on a frozen lake near the shore. Suddenly the ice under my feet gave way and I felt myself falling through. My boots were immediately soaked, pulling me under. My coat quickly became too heavy. As my head slipped below the surface, I saw my mother walking some distance from me. She didn’t see me; nobody did. I didn’t make a sound. I only had time to think: this is my death, and nobody will see me. I was going down very quickly, with no time to even struggle. About 1.5 meters below the surface, I had a final quick thought; maybe I’m dreaming. Then I woke up.

Barrie Wylie has heard voices for as long as he can remember. Growing up on a small island in Scotland, the voices in his head were like secret best friends that he could play with. When he left school to become a fisherman at 15, his voices told him he was a disciple of Jesus.  He believed he could control the weather and prevent harm befalling his boat and his crew.As Barrie got older, his voices intensified. They became more aggressive, telling him to harm himself and others.He learned to cope by silencing the voices with alcohol and other drugs.  He wound up in police custody more than once. When a family friend died under mysterious circumstances, Barrie was arrested and falsely suspected of murder.  While in custody, he told his doctor about his voices.   An autopsy later revealed that the friend died of natural causes. But Barrie spent the next seven years in and out of psychiatric hospitals, all while heavily medicated for paranoid schizophrenia. The voices don't leave him, no matter how much medication he took. They only got worse, until Barrie believed he heard the devil himself inside his brain. He tried to kill himself at least twice.  [Please note: this episode contains two descriptions of attempted suicide.] It was a social worker from the hospital who first suggested the Hearing Voices Network to Barrie.  HVN takes an unorthodox approach.  They say that hearing voices in and of itself should not yield a diagnosis.  They encourage people to talk to the their voices, treat their voices as if they're real people.  This approach is not universally accepted.But Barrie said that talking to his voices actively gave him agency he never had before.  He stopped trying to rid himself of his voices and instead learned how to have healthy relationships with them.  He stopped trying to hurt himself.  He stopped believing that his voices could control him. He joined Facebook support groups that advocated the Hearing Voices appoach.  And that's where he fell in love with Rachel.  She also heard voices.   Barrie and Rachel are now married and have a young child together.   He says he couldn't be happier. Barrie runs a website documenting his story and helping others through theirs. This episode was produced by Luke Eldridge.  Luke is an independent producer living in the UK.  The episode was edited by Bethany Denton, with help from Jeff Emtman, and Nick White. Music: Serocell, Flowers, The Black SpotWe recently released another (very different) story about mental illness and delusions of Jesus.  It's HBM039: A Goddamn Missionary, in which a man with Bi-polar Disorder learns to control his manic episodes through medication and altruism. 

Barrie Wylie has heard voices for as long as he can remember. Growing up on a small island in Scotland, the voices in his head were like secret best friends that he could play with. When he left school to become a fisherman at 15, his voices told him he was a disciple of Jesus. He believed he could control the weather and prevent harm befalling his boat and his crew.

Barrie Wylie has heard voices for as long as he can remember. Growing up on a small island in Scotland, the voices in his head were like secret best friends that he could play with. When he left school to become a fisherman at 15, his voices told him he was a disciple of Jesus. He believed he could control the weather and prevent harm befalling his boat and his crew.As Barrie got older, his voices intensified. They became more aggressive, telling him to harm himself and others.He learned to cope by silencing the voices with alcohol and other drugs. He wound up in police custody more than once. When a family friend died under mysterious circumstances, Barrie was arrested and falsely suspected of murder. While in custody, he told his doctor about his voices. An autopsy later revealed that the friend died of natural causes. But Barrie spent the next seven years in and out of psychiatric hospitals, all while heavily medicated for paranoid schizophrenia. The voices don't leave him, no matter how much medication he took. They only got worse, until Barrie believed he heard the devil himself inside his brain. He tried to kill himself at least twice. [Please note: this episode contains two descriptions of attempted suicide.] It was a social worker from the hospital who first suggested the Hearing Voices Network to Barrie. HVN takes an unorthodox approach. They say that hearing voices in and of itself should not yield a diagnosis. They encourage people to talk to the their voices, treat their voices as if they're real people. This approach is not universally accepted.But Barrie said that talking to his voices actively gave him agency he never had before. He stopped trying to rid himself of his voices and instead learned how to have healthy relationships with them. He stopped trying to hurt himself. He stopped believing that his voices could control him. He joined Facebook support groups that advocated the Hearing Voices appoach. And that's where he fell in love with Rachel. She also heard voices. Barrie and Rachel are now married and have a young child together. He says he couldn't be happier. Barrie runs a website documenting his story and helping others through theirs. This episode was produced by Luke Eldridge. Luke is an independent producer living in the UK. The episode was edited by Bethany Denton, with help from Jeff Emtman, and Nick White. Music: Serocell, Flowers, The Black SpotWe recently released another (very different) story about mental illness and delusions of Jesus. It's HBM039: A Goddamn Missionary, in which a man with Bi-polar Disorder learns to control his manic episodes through medication and altruism.

If you have a mental health problem, where you live in the world makes a big difference to the care you receive. In many lower and middle income countries, three-quarters of people with mental health problems don’t have access to mainstream mental health services. Even in wealthier, developed countries, the figure is close to 50%. Claudia Hammond investigates some of the alternatives that occupy this ‘treatment gap’. Psychiatrist Dr Monique Mutheru is one of just 25 psychiatrists in Kenya. In the absence of services to meet the mental health needs of Kenyans, traditional healers and witchdoctors play a crucial role in diagnosing and treating them. Claudia examines a programme which brings health workers and traditional healers together. It provides training for traditional healers to refer their severely ill patients to the clinic and avoid harmful practices that some healers carry out, such as lobotomy and bloodletting. Even in developed countries like the United Kingdom, where mental health services are freely available, some people with mental health problems feel that the treatments do not help. The Hearing Voices Network provides support to ‘voice hearers’, through support groups, helping them to manage and engage with the voices that trouble them.