What to expect on the day

This event has been planned specifically to be owned and directed by all who attend without hierarchy or ‘experts’, but a space for those passionate to see changes in mental health services to get together to envision what that change looks like…

Our day will focus on the Power Threat Meaning Framework  (PTMF) in relation to this question;

“How does the Power Threat Meaning Framework relate to those who perceive their experience in transcendent/ transformative, spiritual or spiritual emergency terms, and how could it be used to support this?”

About the PTMF

The PTMF is a co-produced document which describes an alternative to the diagnostic model of distress and unusual experiences. A brief summary of the Framework will be given by Lucy at the start of the day, but you may find it useful to familiarise yourself with its principles beforehand. PTM Summary 2019

If you have time, you might want to view this talk on the PTM Framework:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkNWQdVB4F0

A more academic summary can be read here: Johnstone and Boyle 2018 PTM Framework JHP.

The main PTMF documents, FAQs, and other resources are available on this website:

https://www.bps.org.uk/news-and-policy/introducing-power-threat-meaning-framework

Some things you might like to ponder before attending; 

What is our wider container for these experiences?

Is Bio/Psycho/Social/Spiritual quadrant of experience enough, or do we need to include anything else in the framework?

What do you consider might be a more inclusive language for ‘spiritual’ so we can hold the biggest framework as possible for all?

We are all aiming for the same destination (a new post-patriarchal paradigm) via different doorways – let’s focus on the destination rather than our doorway on the day; where are our bridges?

Which doorway are you coming through? Psychedelic? Mental Health? Environmental? Political?

What piece of the puzzle would you like to bring to the discussions?

 What about Open Space – how does it work? 

Here’s a brief video of the method:  https://youtu.be/M_jhcvCYBbg

There are 2 options for how you can get involved on the day;

The Convenor –Raise and hold space for a particular discussion topic that you feel most passionate about in relation to the theme of the day. You don’t need to pre-plan this, you might feel inspired during the morning of the event.

Convenor responsibilities; 

 It’s important to know that if you decide to be a Convenor on the day, you will need to be responsible for staying with that topic whilst people want to engage in discussing it, and for writing up a brief harvest report to present at the end of the day.

Pollinators – be a Butterfly and feel free to move around from discussion to discussion as you wish; be drawn to whatever you feel passionate about on the day; spread your ideas and wisdom wide across the conversation spaces!

The Four Rules of Open Space:
1. Whoever come are the right people
2. Whatever happens is the only thing that could have

3. Whenever it starts is the right time
   4. When it’s over, it’s over

The Law of Two Feet states that:
“If, during the course of the gathering, you finds yourself in a situation where you are neither learning nor contributing, you can go to some more productive place.”

Our schedule: 

(The space will be cleared and protected by energetic space holders prior to the day)

9.30am Arrivals and registration

10am: Introduction to the day

10.15am – Overview of the PTMF

10.45am – Guided meditation and preparation for the main sessions

11am – Market Place part 1

11.30am – Coffee Break

11.50am Market Place part 2

12.20pm – Afternoon schedule planning from agenda wall for all delegates

12.30pm – Lunch break

1.30pm – Open Space session 1

2.30pm – Open Space session 2

3.30pm – Break and convenors to create quick synopsis from their harvest form

3.50pm – Reconvene circle for harvest feedback

4.50pm – Close and what happens next

We will have a discreet Altar at the event in honour of those who have been harmed by the mental health system – please feel free to bring names of those you wish to honour on a small piece of paper to place on the altar if you wish.

We very much hope you can join us to connect, share and vision in January.

With gratitude and in solidarity for much- needed change,

Katie

Tempted to join in and have a say in what emerges?

CLICK HERE TO BOOK YOUR PLACE 

It’s hard to believe that only a year ago #Emerging Proud Press was only an embryo of a vision… it’s amazing what can be achieved with collaborative heart-centred efforts; the results speak for the power of the collective….

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE REPORT IN PDF

We are still seeking funding to continue the publication of more books in the series, to support us to continue to spread vital messages of hope; DONATE HERE 

John PINK from the Illawarra Region of NSW, Australia (coastal – south of Sydney) believes that ‘Hearing Voices’ is the beginning of opening to ‘Clairaudience’, and he’s not alone in thinking this. It’s not been something which has yet been acknowledged by Western Psychiatry, but there seem to be openings to considering what is often seen as this other cultural perspective…

After his ‘breakdown’, John met a Jungian Analyst and he considers the point at which she suggested that he Journal his Dreams was the initiation of his recovery.

Sometimes we need to overlook the ‘logical’, and trust in the perspective that is most helpful to the Experiencer…

MY ACCOUNT OF MY EXPERIENCE

My Nervous Breakdown, almost 40 years ago now, is the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me in my entire life!  It easily surpasses my winning 3 National Sailing Seniors (open -age) Titles before I was 21.  Quite unashamedly I was a Sporting Freak.

To progress on to encounter a Serious and Chronic MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEM (S&CMHP) someone must be very accomplished in the Physical Dimension because this is what happens in order for someone to attain access to the more Advanced Dimensions – starting with the Astral Dimension.  The Astral Dimension is easiest explained by mentioning that this is the Dimension people have “Wet Dreams” in.  Of course Astral Sex is just one of the things someone can do in this Dimension and Remote Viewing is another possibility.

Many Environmental Situations are possible to manufacture the stress necessary to produce a S&CMHP and us humans are really adept at Solving Problems – in fact we’ve been Solving Problems all our lives!  In Solving the Problem(s) we progress Mentally with each Problem we overcome!

This Nervous Breakdown had me stumped for quite a while – in fact I’d almost given up and all I wanted to do was to live out the remainder of my life on a desert isle – in fact I’d picked the Maldives in the Indian Ocean.

My Situation, with two quite young children, wouldn’t allow this and I had to keep working as an Underground Miner.  I’d thrown away my Degree in Metallurgy to get this job as an Underground Miner and it was the smartest thing I’d ever done.  A really easy job at the mine was provided for me and I worked by myself doing minimal work and basically all I needed to do was catch the underground transport to my work place and present myself at the end of the shift for transport out of the mine.

I remember having one Panic Attack at work and I pondered where did this stress come from?  As nothing in my Physical Environment had changed and I was not scared of working by myself I reasoned that this stress to cause this Panic Attack came from “Astral” – but it was more like “Somewhere Else” – not “The Astral Dimension”.

I have read on the internet that the Astral Dimension is “the Dimension of Communication” – and this is even more powerful that the Dimension next up (the Lower Manic Dimension – where someone adds Psychic Sight to the already-developed Psychic Sound-Hearing – ClairAudience).  Only once on the internet have I seen it mentioned that when opening the Throat Chakra, the Chakra controlling access to “The Astral Dimension”, results in Panic Attacks.

I was extremely lucky when I had my Nervous Breakdown.  The person who became my long-term Therapist was a Jungian psychologist and she suggested that I Journal my Dreams and my Recovery started from there.  It was a long, hard process putting my life back together but by enduring this experience my resolve is much more powerful than it ever was.

“There is deep wisdom within our very flesh, if we can only come to our senses and feel it”.

John now researches perspectives apposed to mainstream psychiatry in order to better understand complex human issues;

CLICK HERE TO READ JOHN’S 14_’Black_Holes’ OF PSYCHIATRY DOCUMENT

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT JOHN AND HIS FINDINGS

Remember Mandy, our latest Pocket Book Rep? She’s shared some of her inspiring poetry across the book series, but that’s not the half of it! Mandy and her partner Ash have been busy writing away their pain for quite a while, and are now ready to launch their creative flair upon the world… Check out their new Instagram site, and watch this space for news on their Pocket Book memoir – it’s not to be missed!

rpt

Hi all

It’s great to be involved in the KindaProud project and to share our personal stories for the Emerging Proud through Trauma and Abuse Pocketbook, which was published recently. If you haven’t ordered your copy yet, then you can do so here.

Following publication of the book, we finally got around to doing something with some of our writing and have set up an Instagram account. It’d be great if you all could take a look and we’d love for you to click ‘Follow’ so you can join us on our writing journey 😊

https://www.instagram.com/ambrielandjeeva/

We’ll be posting various poetry, quotes, etc. on the subjects of mental health, the environment and our broken society, as well as some other topics that will hopefully make you smile a bit.

We both found writing when we hit our lowest time emotionally. It really helped with our healing process and we then decided it was something that we wanted to pursue. We’ve written a stack of poems and short stories so far, are working on a Pocketbook memoir (expanding on the personal stories we shared in the KindaProud book) and we’ve started writing a novel together. We very much want writing to be part of our future…

With good love to you all x

Mandy and Ash (alias Ambriel and Jeeva 😄)

We are absolutely delighted to be able to introduce our Rep for our 5th Pocket Book of Hope in the KindaProud series; #Emerging Proud through Psychosis and Schizophrenia. 

We are more than KindaProud of the lovely and very talented Mica, who has prevailed through her diagnosis of psychosis to become both a published Poet and Psychologist, and so is supporting this much-needed shift of perspective from ‘illness’ to ‘transformation’ on many levels.

You’ll hear more of Mica’s story as we progress this book, but hear is a little intro and a sneaky peek of her amazing poetry…

My name is Mica Montana Gray. I’m 26 years old, from Birmingham, UK. I currently work as an Assistant Psychologist and have written a poetry collection titled ‘When Daisies Talk’ which explores my journey of healing through my experience of psychosis. I am passionate about changing the way that we understand the experiences of psychosis and schizophrenia in both clinical and community spaces, and I am grateful to have been asked to share my story as part of this movement.

It was at the launch of the emerging proud film event that I met some of the people who have been integral to who I’ve become and so it is an honour to help serve the community through sharing my story. My heart hurts for those who had to go through these experiences without such a community but I am encouraged by these stories that will help those who go through these transformative experiences in the future to find healing and hope.

I had my first experience of psychosis while studying my Undergraduate Psychology degree. My experience was an encounter with the brokenness of my own soul, past trauma’s and buried emotions – but it was also an encounter with ancient wisdom, oneness with the world, creativity, love and the spirit of God. My experience catapulted me into purpose, into relationship with God through Christianity and into discovering my true identity; my reason for being in this world. I am looking forward to sharing the insights from my journey with you as well as learning from all of yours.

 

Self-discovery

When I tell you

that aliens have implanted

chips in my head

or that the CIA is leaving microphones

under my bed

that I

think I am Jesus.

don’t get caught up on the metaphors.

don’t try to take my poetry

and fit it into your theory of psychology

in attempt

to calculate how far away i am

from the normal way that a human being

ought to relate to itself

don’t lock me into your narrow definitions of good mental health.

no, I don’t actually think that I am Jesus of Nazareth

who walked the desert for 40 days

and brought salvation through death.

what I am trying to communicate

is that I now recognize myself,

as important.

as having a cross to bear.

as a being made of love.

as a being, with a great purpose.

as a being, with a strong spirit.

so don’t get upset

when i refuse to let you convince me

that it is irrational to feel like a God

when i have finally encountered

a sense of divinity

within me.

when i have promised myself

to no longer let

the demons, the CIA, the aliens,

my negative thoughts

win in their attempt to

put out my fire.

so, when I tell you

that I am fighting the aliens in my head,

that I’m getting rid of the microphones

that the CIA have put under my bed

that I

feel like Jesus.

don’t get caught on the metaphors.

simply reply,

it’s about time.

CLICK HERE FOR MICA’S INCREDIBLE POETRY ANTHOLOGY; WHEN DAISIES TALK

Mica – it’s your time ❤

I’m proud to be a member of Drop the Disorder – would you like to be too?

CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE DROP THE DISORDER FACEBOOK GROUP

CLICK HERE TO BUY THE BOOK

We are delighted to announce that, thanks again to funding for publication from The Missing Kind Charity, we are able to publish our 5th pocket book in the KindaProud series!

The theme for the book will be;

#Emerging Proud through Psychosis and Schizophrenia

We will be announcing our fabulous peer Rep for this book very soon! Watch this space…

Would you like to take part?

Were you given either of these diagnoses but have realised that you were not ‘broken’ but amidst a journey of transformation? Would you like to share your story on our blog and be considered for publication in the pocket book? Your story could inspire people all over the world to know that there is hope beyond their label…

CONTACT US HERE

We are raising funds to continue the series – there are SO many titles we’d love to publish in order to support people who have been given disempowering labels know that they CAN not only recover but flourish through adversity – can you help us make this happen?

CLICK HERE TO DONATE 

There is so much anger in the ether around mental health services; valid and justifiable anger – I get it, believe me I do.

However, I have learned the painful way that all expressing anger achieves is building walls and pushing us further from finding solutions…

We have to stop focusing on the problem, and start focusing on the solutions

Most of us are wanting to get to the same destination (a new post-patriarchal paradigm) but via different doorways – let’s focus on the destination rather than the doorway; where are our bridges?

How do we bring in the narrative of ‘Post-traumatic growth’ and the switch from the victimisation of those suffering into possibility for transformation into services?

What is needed in services to support these experiences in a more helpful way? What can we include in MH care to enable people to thrive and not just survive?

This is what we will discuss during our ‘conference with a difference’ on 17th Jan 2020;

“How does the Power Threat Meaning Framework relate to those who perceive their experience in transformative terms, and how could it be used to support this?”

CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE EVENT

#EmergingProud sees the ‘spiritual’ element of the equally important BIO-PSYCHO-SOCIAL-SPIRITUAL aspects of what it means to be wholly human as understanding a crisis as a journey of growth, connection and transformation.

Which doorway are you coming through? Whether it’s the psychedelic community, mental health arena, environment activism or a political lens we believe you hold vital pieces of the puzzle to bring to the discussion…

CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE EVENT

What to expect on the day; 

9.30am Arrivals and registration

10am: Katie to introduce the plan for the day and the laws of the Open Space mechanism

10.15am – An overview of the Power Threat Meaning Framework by Lucy Johnstone

10.45am – A somatic meditation practice to get us ‘out of our minds’ and into the wisdom of the heart

11am – Coffee break

11.20am – Market Place – all delegates invited to raise a discussion topic for the day if they are passion about something needing to be addressed

12.20pm –All delegates invited to plan their afternoon from the live Agenda wall

12.30pm – Lunch break

1.30pm – Open Space session 1 (delgates free to float between discussions as they feel inspired)

2.30pm – Open Space session 2 (delgates free to float between discussions as they feel inspired)

3.30pm – Break

3.50pm – Reconvene full delegate circle for harvest feedback from discussions

4.50pm – Katie to close with what happens next – all delegates to receive a post-event report 

FEELING and compassionate rage is necessary to give us the impetus to want to affect change, as long as we put our anger to purpose. Are you passionate for change? 

CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE EVENT

CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE EVENT

Today is World Mental Health Day 2019 and there will be posts galore about ending the stigma of mental distress. But that sentiment far from misses the point.

Natural human reactions to trauma are being pathologised as made-up diseases that have absolutely no scientific evidence for, and then treated in inhumane ways. This has to stop. The way we push away, ignore and medicate our pain into meaningless oblivion has to change.

Are you struggling? Do you need another, more helpful way in which to understand your pain?

One of our fabulous #EmergingProud through Trauma and Abuse Pocket Book contributors, Catherine Lucas, has a message for you;

Right at this particular moment in history, there is more need than ever to help individuals like you become empowered and take responsibility for your healing. You have SO much to offer this world in crisis. Whatever the trauma, abuse or mental health issues you’ve been through, I hope my story, and all the others in this book, inspire you, inspire you to know you can turn your life around, that you don’t need to buy into the old, pathologising, medical model paradigm. There is a bigger picture, a more holistic, integrative approach, which puts you and your story at the centre of your healing journey. You are the hero of your hero’s journey to wellbeing. Together we can create a new reality for ourselves and the world.

Together we can change the narrative of mental health.

Today sees the release of our 4th KindaProud Pocket Book aiming to do this…

CLICK HERE TO BUY THE BOOK 

CLICK HERE TO BUY THE BOOK 

Together let’s make #WMHD2019 different from all those that have gone before. Let’s make 2019 the start of a transformation… 

This book offers; A deeply moving insight to the humanity that lies behind psychiatric labels and diagnoses. This movement showcases the resilience of the human spirit that can survive on very little for very long and yet continue to strive towards healing and growth. The brave unblinking voices heard here finally return the stories of mental illness from the medical institutions to those that know deeply within themselves that the ‘madness’ wasn’t theirs to start with, theirs was the task of surviving and finding their way towards safety, integrity and empowerment. Their stories carry the urgency of reform for our mental health systems, from hierarchical structures of ‘treatment’ into collaborative and holistic systems of ‘healing’. An important perspective for anyone surviving or working with survivors of trauma or abuse.

 

Maria Papaspyrou, Integrative Psychotherapist