Recovery Learning Community to Screen “A Balancing Act”

 

Weekly Movie Night to Feature Local Filmmaker, Marc Israel

 

 

New meditation group! Thursdays, 6-7pm, Quaker space, 43 center street, side entrance. All are welcome, free. Led by Chaya. Meditation followed by short sharing of gratitudes and spiritual inpiration. Co-sponsored by RLC.

Another hot issue right now is cultural competence, which like others
 is
being used against us but has the potential to be used for us.  There
 are
cultures and religions that don't use drugging at all who are getting
 more
press and validation.  The discussions about culture point to the
 obvious
question about "mental illness" and how subjective it is.  In the
 discussion
of culture, it becomes clear that there cannot be one standard for
 diagnosis
since all cultures see behaviors differently and attribute them to
 different
causes.  The downside is that pharma is using this as a tactic to pull
 in
people of opressed and minority cultures by propogating "mental illness

Some important topics at Narpa '07:

The resurgence of electroshock:  Books are being written about how
electroshock "saves lives" and it is still being used as a forced
 treatment!

Forced ECT survivors Ron Bassman, Leonard Frank, Dorothy Dundas and
 others
shared their stories that could only be described as torture.  ECT has
killed people and the movement must fight against force+/or coercion
 and
trends toward downplaying the dangers.  Memory loss is a given.  Most
 people
report losing a few years of memory completely.  Some much more.  These
survivors also expressed losing their will and all sense of self.

UN Treaty for rights of people with "disabilities." 

Below is the talk I wrote for Narpa.  Feel free to
pass this on to others. 

I did not read it (below) word for word, but refered to
it and touched on most of these points.  Other topics
I mentioned that I gleaned from Freedom Center
organizers were:

new leaders
more funding for young people to go to conferences
new speakers
dangers of teen screen
reach out to schools
internet communites for young people
college campus outreach (from activists)
make the movement fun
address the ADD/ADHD drug emergency

I recently went to a CPS training that ended with a
talent show.  I realized that if everyone in the room

 

We would like to thank you for all for your support over the past year. It has been a truly monumental one. We were successful in increasing the public's awareness of people’s experience in the mental health system by holding our first annual bed-push. We pushed a hospital bed from Cooley Dickinsonto downtown Northampton where we held a speak-out. As a result, we got our picture in the front page of the Hampshire Daily Gazette, coverage from Channel 22 News, and a radio piece done by WMAC, a local NPR affiliate.

Will is traveling around the country - Virginia Tech, Richmond, Chicago, Indianapolis, Winona, Minneapolis - with Sasch and Madigan of the Icarus Project talking about his psych abuse experiences, the origins of Freedom Center, the new coming off meds guide, and visions of who we are and what we can do beyond the disease and disorder model. Check out the Icarus staff blog for info, including audio and photos.

Download flyer here.

Hello everyone! Thanks for giving me the opportunity to be the new support group facilitator. As a FC organizer and previous member of support group, I know what a special community resource the support group is, as a safe place for emotional support and unique alternative to the mainstream mental health system; an invaluable source of updated information about psychiatric medications and alternative options available to people in extreme emotional states and/or dealing with current or past trauma; an opportunity to learn about and become involved in the exciting psychiatric rights community; and much more.

The new writing group is 2-3 on Wednesdays.  At
Windhorse Associates: 211 North Street, in Northampton
(Market St turns into North St.)

Our first meeting will be this Wednesday and all are
welcome but the group limit is 10, so it is first come
first serve.  If you email me at chaya(AT) freedom-center.org, I will reserve you a
space.

This group is sponsored by Freedom Center, the RLC,
and Windhorse.  I will be leading it with Dave Stark,
a hilarious and witty writer.

David Egilman, the expert witness who last winter caused a huge controversy by providing The New York Times with sealed documents indicating Lilly downplayed or hid harmful Zyprexa side effects and improperly promoted the antipsychotic to doctors, has struck a deal with the drugmaker.

(The court earlier ruled that Freedom Center organizer Will Hall and some others named were no longer under an injunction, but maintained the injunction on several others.)

 -------- Original Message --------
Subject: hello
Date: Wed, 29 Aug 2007 11:32:07 +0200
From: Moosa Salie <moosa_salie AT absamail DOT  CO  DOT za>
To: Will Hall

 

Will is Traveling

 

Who is going to overthrow ServiceNet now?

 

Who is going to tell us we can do EVERYTHING and ANYTHING

Just a little bit better?

 

Who will truly understand what it is we are going through

And what we are up against?

 

Who is going to give us auricular acupuncture?

Who will take us skinny dipping in a Strictly “no-swimming” reservoir?

Who will transform WindHorse?

Who will revive our support group?

Who will finally bring in the big money?

Who will facilitate?

Who will articulate?

 

Who will see the future with

Crystal clear vision?

 

Who will go jogging with me in

Acupuncture is cancelled this Monday due to space and clinician issues. Acupuncture will be held as usual the following week, 9/3/07 Sorry for the inconvenience. Please join us for yoga Monday evening at 7:15 in the back of the Somatic Center located at 32 Masonic Street.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Making a push for better care: Protesters march to bring attention to mental health services

 

Freedom Center presents at Smith School of Social Work. On Monday, August 6th three freedom center members were asked to present at the Smith School of Social work for Stephanie Bryson’s class. We agreed- and Chaya, Dianne, and Mollie did the presentation. When we first arrived outside the classroom we heard screaming, screehing, and lots of excited noise... a student poked their head out and let us know they were presenting at there was a rowdy game of “mood disorder jeopardy”. We realized at that moment that we were speaking to a slightly different demographic than we were used to. We toyed with a game we could play as a spoof--like “find the right therapy wheel of fortune” or “diagnosis slot machines” but we decided to let it go.

Listen to the coverage on NPR affiliate WAMC!

Read coverage in the Gazette

Check out the slideshow!

 

The bed-push was an amazing feat -- unbelievable -- we lost a wheel about half way there... and then another... and then another.. until we were down to ONE WHEEL! So people CARRIED the bed, in the grueling heat, all the way to downtown. INCREDIBLE!!!

For Immediate Release: Escape From Psychiatry: A Protest and Bed Push Against Abuse in the Mental
Health System
July 29, 2pm Cooley Dickinson Hospital

 

Download Flier here.

 

This past weekend, two Freedom Center organizers did a presentation called "Who's Calling Who Crazy? Psychiatry and the Oppressed" in a packed standing room-only hotel room in Atlanta, Georgia as part of the U.S Social Forum. The U.S Social forum was a large gathering of approximately 20,000 grassroots activists from around the country (and some internationals) who were gathering to educate, motivate, and envision a more just world.

June 24 Facilitation Training

June 24th in Northampton the Recovery Learning Center and Freedom Center are offering a 3-hour Facilitation Training, led by Freedom Center organizer and Icarus Project staff Will Hall.

from Cathy Levin of MPOWER:

 

Download scanned version here.

 

Freedom To Sit: Welcoming People Labeled with Psychiatric Disabilities at Buddhist Retreats
by Will Hall

Turning Wheel: A Journal of Socially Engaged Buddhism, Publication of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship Summer 2007

(download pdf scanned version)

 We just heard that Freedom Center has been renewed as a recipient of the Northampton Community Block Development Grant! The city awarded us a $3,000 grant to continue our work improving access of low-income, abuse survivors and others who need help finding wellness and recovery resources in the community. Thanks to everyone who worked on the proposal and has been organizing to make our services, peer counseling, and referrals a success.