living with voices 16Jun2014-Poster

<a href=”https://www.eventbrite.com/e/living-with-voices-tickets-11450588017?ref=ebtn&#8221; target=”_blank”><img src=”https://www.eventbrite.com/custombutton?eid=11450588017&#8243; alt=”Eventbrite – Living With Voices” /></a>

Description and registration information

Living With Voices

Toronto, Mon 16^th June 2014

Many of us will hear a voice, or voices, at some time or other. For many it is a comforting or valuable experience, yet for some it can be bothersome, distracting, disruptive, even terrifying – this can lead to isolation and illness and exclusion from society.

In our society this surprisingly common experience has become a taboo of which we fear to speak. When we hear of someone hearing voices we might both dismiss it as ”not real” yet also regard it as real enough that they must be ill and even dangerous. We might be surprised to learn this belief is not common to all cultures and is also relatively new.

This pattern is not, for most part, experienced as very helpful or supportive-either for those who struggle or for those of us who want to know how they  can offer support. We believe that those who do struggle and suffer need and deserve better support from their community.

We also believe that many who do not hear voices do want to better understand and want to learn how they can offer support to those they know and love, or to those they work with, or those who simply live in the same community.

Who this event is intended for…

This is one day event is designed to appeal to a broad audience, including workers, family members, friends, the curious, as well as those who themselves hear voices.

The day is intended as an introduction – offering ways we can begin to understand a part of the human experience that can be – like any other aspect of life – infuriating, terrifying, mundane, helpful, even comical.

We hope you will go away from this event understanding there is more to hearing voices than you thought and also confident that you can support the people you know or meet who do struggle.

We also hope you go away dissatisfied with our society’s current approach and with ideas how you can help change that. Who knows, you may even go away wondering how you can hear voices too.

We will create opportunities to explore: 

• the range and breadth of voice hearing experiences through history and across cultures.
• multiple explanations and languages of voice hearing experiences.
• how we can accept voice hearing as a story of diversity – not of simply diversity of ethnicity or religion, but diversity of internal human experience.

…and share some practical examples of how…

• people who struggle with voices have learned to live with their experiences.
• we might support those who struggle with experiences like hearing voices.

Presenters

We are honoured to have an international team for this event:

• Rufus May
• Elisabeth Svanholmer
• Marc Roininen
• Dave Umbongo
• Kevin Healey

This event is funded entirely from tickets and donations. It will also serve as a fundraiser – raising funds to incorporate  Recoverynet.ca  as a community non-profit enabling it to host and organise such community-based events as this one.

Registration

Fees 

• Full          –  Health professional, General admission        $100
• Reduced –  Student                                                                    $60
• Bursary  –  Bursary                                                                    $30
  • A limited number of Bursary places available to voice hearers who are in receipt of benefits at $40. Please inquire by email below.

Donations

Whether or not you will be attending you can also make a donation to support us at the online registration.

• If you wish to attend the event please purchase the appropriate ticket and also choose donation separately.
• If you will not be attending there is no need to purchase the ticket, simply choose the donate line and follow the steps.

All donations go to the fund for establish Recoverynet.ca as a community non-profit.

Two Ways you can Register…

1. Register online and in a few minutes at Eventbrite…

• Register online: Living With Voices

2. By snail mail details coming soon [but faster than CanadaPost]