recovery network: Toronto

Grounding Trauma Conference 2018 : Challenging Paradigms. 17th, 18th April 2018

Posted on January 18, 2018 by recoverynetwork:Toronto

Very pleased to have been invited to co-present with Jennifer Wynne a the CAST Grounding Trauma Conference 2018.

Neither trauma nor difficult experiences that called names like “psychosis” are as mysterious or hard to understand as many experts would have you believe.

We’ll be sharing ways we can understand experiences of trauma, pain an difficult-to-hear voices that get separated by medical climical apporaches but whichg are intimately connected within our bodies and embodied experience and also within our communities even across generations.

We’ll tell stories of personal experiences, learning and collective work building a whole-community approach in Southern Ontario as well as looking ahead to World Hearing Voices Congress coming to Canada in 2019.

Early bird savings on registration available til Mon Jan 22nd

See link to conference website at the bottom of this post.

Hearing Voices In Southern Ontario, A Journey

Presenters: Kevin Healey, Jennifer Wynne

The Workshop

This workshop invites you to challenge paradigms – including the paradigm that what we need is more solutions and paradigms.We invite you to join in creating new stories around “trauma” and experiences that get called “psychosis”, shifting language, bringing together and connecting people, generating new resources, spaces, understandings and practices and exploring new and emancipatory roles for all.Drawing on a forty-year history of a global movement, seven years in Toronto and one year in Durham region we will share stories, ideas, language, examples and resources you can share too.We invite you to join us in envisioning and enacting a world that understands and accepts individual experience and views the person sharing their experience as the expert.
talks, stories, powerful visuals, short video, and experiential, reflective exercises.

“We need to stop assuming that those things that we are describing
are the consequences of underlying illnesses.”
Peter Kinderman

Kevin Healey
Recovery Network Toronto
Hearing Voices Network Canada

Kevin hears more voices than you can shake a stick at, so many that even his voices hear voices, and has done so for longer than either he or they care to remember.

Founder and coordinator of www.recoverynet.ca, Toronto Hearing Voices group, Anglophone Canada’s longest running, and of the Hearing Voices Café.

Creates and delivers innovative, taboo-busting talks, trainings and workshops that enable people to find new language, and simple ways to understand surprisingly common human experiences that we’ve made so fearful and taboo, that we make life harder for those who struggle and harder for the rest of us to understand.

Shows how we can make simple sense of trauma, pain, psychosis, taboo, and butt-hurt voices, and how they interweave and interconnect our inner-struggle with living in an outer-world that is fast becoming unfit for humans who built it and in which we keep creating results that nobody wants.
After you’ve heard him talk you may join those who say they don’t hear voices but now wish they could.

A member of the global Hearing Voices Network and leading spokesperson in Canada and honoured to receive the first INTERVOICE International Annual Award for Innovation at the World Hearing Voices Congress in Paris, Oct 2016. Also Coordinator for the Toronto branch of ISPS-US International Society for Social Psychological Approaches to Psychosis.

HVN celebrates 30 years in 2018 in The Hague, The Netherlands, then in 2019, World Congress will be coming to Canada. We invite you to join us as we envision and enact a world that understands…

Jennifer Wynne
CMHA Durham Senior Case Manager, Community Wellness Services

Jennifer has worked in the Mental Health field in various capacities, such as forensics, crisis, housing, outreach, case management and youth for close to fifteen years. She is passionate about client-centred care and strives to promote systemic change that will revolutionize the way that we see mental health care in the future. She believes that those with lived experience can provide the best expertise to drive change. Jennifer has been interested in the Hearing Voices movement for over 7 years, but has more recently become involved by co-developing and facilitating a Hearing Voices Café and chartered group in Durham Region. Jennifer is currently a Senior Case Manager at CMHA Durham and helps to manage a team of Youth Case Managers, Peer Supporters and Clinical Facilitators. Jennifer invites you to join in on a society that encompasses those that experience things considered out of the norm, as full citizens and open up spaces that make it easier to talk about our experiences – even the most taboo ones.

Register

http://www.cast-canada.ca/conference-program-and-presentation-details.html

Posted in Healing, hearing voices, making sense of "mental illlness", psychosis | Tagged community, Healing, hearing voices, Trauma | 2 Comments

Chris Evans on learning to live with his “noisy brain”

Posted on January 15, 2018 by recoverynetwork:Toronto

Chris Evans shares what works for him in learning to live with his “noisy brain”, “brian noise”.

“It’s just this brain, no matter what I do,
it’s gonna find new things”.

Captain America does peer support!
Nice.

Posted in human diversity, human potential, Ideas, Learning, mental diversity, mental skillness | Tagged brain noise, Captain America, monkey mind, noisy brain | 1 Comment

Nobody – Niia

Posted on January 14, 2018 by recoverynetwork:Toronto

I don’t even like your type of pain
You don’t even ask me what’s my name

Lyrics

I don’t even like your type of pain
You don’t even ask me what’s my name
We just fit together like wet on rain
Hey, leather jacket wait up
Hold the elevator

Some nights I’m like
Am I am I alive?
Am I alive?
‘Cause you feel like a dream
And I can’t even take it
Too much too much to loose
Too much to loose
I just got to tell ya
Nobody does it better

Ooh tonight, were gonna start a fire, gonna burn it all night
Come inside the flame feel the heat of desire
Nobody takes me higher
Nobody takes me higher

No nobody
It’s you and me you and me all night
No nobody
It’s you and me under the sun light
No nobody
It’s you and me, you and me all night
No nobody, no nobody

Never, never, never, never, never thought I’d find a love like this
And she don’t even understand how she gotta mend all this bullshit
Never, never, never, never, never had a love like this right
I met her once, I met her twice and then the third time I was all in

Never, never never, never, never had a love like this right
She don’t need no man but she know she need a little lovin’
Never, never, never, never, never thought I’d find a love like this
And I don’t even like it
But tonight I’m tryin’ to start shit

Ooh tonight, were gonna start a fire, gonna burn it all night
Come inside the flame feel the heat of desire
Nobody takes me higher
Nobody takes me higher

No nobody
It’s you and me you and me all night
No nobody
It’s you and me under the sun light
No nobody
It’s you and me, you and me all night
No nobody, no nobody

Yeah you feel like a dream
I just gotta tell ya
Nobody does it better

Ooh tonight, were gonna start a fire, gonna burn it all night
Come inside the flame feel the heat of desire
Nobody takes me higher
Nobody takes me higher

No nobody (oh it’s you and me)
(Oh nobody) no nobody
Ooh, no nobody, yeah
No nobody, no nobody
No nobody, no nobody
It’s you and me, you and me all night
It’s you and me under the sunlight
It’s you and me, you and me all night

Posted in music | Tagged no body | Comments Off

Workshop#1 Accepting Voices in Calgary- Sat 5th May, 2018

Posted on January 13, 2018 by recoverynetwork:Toronto

First time in Western Canada…

Opportunity to participate in ground breaking innovative workshop that enable you to transform your own understanding of experiences that get mystified and called “psychosis”, of connections with trauma and between difficult life experiences and difficult-to hear-voices, to be less afraid and feel more able when life calls upon you to support someone who is struggling.

Limited Spaces, Register Now.
For more see below.

Continue reading →

Posted in book, Event, Learning, Trauma, workshop, zombie | Tagged hearing voices, psychosis, Trauma, voices, wormhole | Comments Off

Solomun – Kackvogel

Posted on January 13, 2018 by recoverynetwork:Toronto

Posted in Don't Suck-Dance !, Ideas, music | Comments Off

Yesbuttery…

Posted on January 11, 2018 by dave umbongo

Yes but
Yes but
Yes…
but not really

Yesbuttery
-when you want to make a show of saying yes
but you’re really saying, no.

no no no

Yes buttery
but-but-but
Butterbutt!

Yes, but…
No.
Yes but with extra but-butt-butter
Is still no.

kinda whataboutery, eh?

Prefer my butter with marmite and toast and hot strong sweet tea

…or roasted parsnips,
now there’s a thing…

#yesbuttery

Posted in Cartoons, Ideas, Weird | Tagged #yes buttery, but, chip butty, yes | Comments Off

Baboons in The Whitehouse…

Posted on January 10, 2018 by recoverynetwork:Toronto

“Donald trump has been brought to us so we can be really clear on what too much privilege looks like.”

Anonymous 14 year old.

The quote below is from Dr Robert Sapolsky, he’e referring specifically to baboons, more specifically to one troop of baboons he has been observing in the wild for four decades – but of course, it applies equally to humans.

Much of our society is built on this same pattern, endless variations on it.
They’re not just in The Whitehouse.

The few at the top get to see themselves as having worked hard to get what they have – and it is hard work holding onto it all, having to constantly be on guard and pushing everyone else out of the tree.

It’s within us too.
As is the capacity to choose a different path.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

Related

Baboons in Suits
Baboons in suits
Hierarchy as a destructive force in the human psyche
Hierarchy as destructive force within the human psyche

Posted in Abuse, Adversity, bollocks, Ideas | Tagged baboons, Humans, Sapolsky | Comments Off

Their time is up – Oprah Winfrey

Posted on January 8, 2018 by recoverynetwork:Toronto

“For too long, women have not been heard or believed if they dare speak the truth to the power of those men. But their time is up. Their time is up.”

“I want all of the girls watching here now to know, that a new day is on the horizon.

And when that new day finally dawns, it will be because of a lot of magnificent women, many of whom are right here in this room tonight, and some pretty phenomenal men, fighting hard to make sure that they become the leaders who take us to the time when nobody ever has to say, ‘me too’ again.”

Oprah Winfrey accepts the 2018 Cecil B. de Mille award at the Golden Globes ceremony jan 2018

Full transcript:

In 1964, I was a little girl sitting on the linoleum floor of my mother’s house in Milwaukee watching Anne Bancroft present the Oscar for best actor at the 36th Academy Awards. She opened the envelope and said five words that literally made history: “The winner is Sidney Poitier.” Up to the stage came the most elegant man I had ever seen. I remember his tie was white, and of course his skin was black, and I had never seen a black man being celebrated like that. I tried many, many times to explain what a moment like that means to a little girl, a kid watching from the cheap seats as my mom came through the door bone tired from cleaning other people’s houses. But all I can do is quote and say that the explanation in Sidney’s performance in “Lilies of the Field”:
“Amen, amen, amen, amen.”

In 1982, Sidney received the Cecil B. DeMille award right here at the Golden Globes and it is not lost on me that at this moment, there are some little girls watching as I become the first black woman to be given this same award. It is an honor — it is an honor and it is a privilege to share the evening with all of them and also with the incredible men and women who have inspired me, who challenged me, who sustained me and made my journey to this stage possible. Dennis Swanson who took a chance on me for “A.M. Chicago.” Quincy Jones who saw me on that show and said to Steven Spielberg, “Yes, she is Sophia in ‘The Color Purple.'” Gayle who has been the definition of what a friend is, and Stedman who has been my rock — just a few to name.

I want to thank the Hollywood Foreign Press Association because we all know the press is under siege these days. We also know it’s the insatiable dedication to uncovering the absolute truth that keeps us from turning a blind eye to corruption and to injustice. To — to tyrants and victims, and secrets and lies. I want to say that I value the press more than ever before as we try to navigate these complicated times, which brings me to this: what I know for sure is that speaking your truth is the most powerful tool we all have. And I’m especially proud and inspired by all the women who have felt strong enough and empowered enough to speak up and share their personal stories. Each of us in this room are celebrated because of the stories that we tell, and this year we became the story.

But it’s not just a story affecting the entertainment industry. It’s one that transcends any culture, geography, race, religion, politics, or workplace. So I want tonight to express gratitude to all the women who have endured years of abuse and assault because they, like my mother, had children to feed and bills to pay and dreams to pursue. They’re the women whose names we’ll never know. They are domestic workers and farm workers. They are working in factories and they work in restaurants and they’re in academia, engineering, medicine, and science. They’re part of the world of tech and politics and business. They’re our athletes in the Olympics and they’re our soldiers in the military.

And there’s someone else, Recy Taylor, a name I know and I think you should know, too. In 1944, Recy Taylor was a young wife and mother walking home from a church service she’d attended in Abbeville, Alabama, when she was abducted by six armed white men, raped, and left blindfolded by the side of the road coming home from church. They threatened to kill her if she ever told anyone, but her story was reported to the NAACP where a young worker by the name of Rosa Parks became the lead investigator on her case and together they sought justice. But justice wasn’t an option in the era of Jim Crow. The men who tried to destroy her were never persecuted. Recy Taylor died ten days ago, just shy of her 98th birthday. She lived as we all have lived, too many years in a culture broken by brutally powerful men. For too long, women have not been heard or believed if they dare speak the truth to the power of those men. But their time is up. Their time is up.

Their time is up. And I just hope — I just hope that Recy Taylor died knowing that her truth, like the truth of so many other women who were tormented in those years, and even now tormented, goes marching on. It was somewhere in Rosa Parks’ heart almost 11 years later, when she made the decision to stay seated on that bus in Montgomery, and it’s here with every woman who chooses to say, “Me too.” And every man — every man who chooses to listen.

In my career, what I’ve always tried my best to do, whether on television or through film, is to say something about how men and women really behave. To say how we experience shame, how we love and how we rage, how we fail, how we retreat, persevere and how we overcome. I’ve interviewed and portrayed people who’ve withstood some of the ugliest things life can throw at you, but the one quality all of them seem to share is an ability to maintain hope for a brighter morning, even during our darkest nights. So I want all the girls watching here, now, to know that a new day is on the horizon! And when that new day finally dawns, it will be because of a lot of magnificent women, many of whom are right here in this room tonight, and some pretty phenomenal men, fighting hard to make sure that they become the leaders who take us to the time when nobody ever has to say “Me too” again.

Posted in Ideas | Tagged Oprah Winfrey | Comments Off

Angry Inuk

Posted on January 7, 2018 by recoverynetwork:Toronto

The continued existence of Inuit peoples demonstrates their resilience – not only in the environment in which they call home but also, and as for many other Indigenous peoples of the world, in face of the many hundreds of years of history of those seeking to impose the “benefits” of Western / European civilization upon their way of life.

And it goes on, lest you believe colonialism ended, it simply takes different forms, some of which are cast in the spotlight in Angry Inuk, like those who live affluent lives in cosy apartments raising millions of dollars so that they can mount their moral high-horse and decide how Arctic peoples must live their lives.

Angry Inuk is a remarkable documentary about remarkable people.

By design neglect or ignorance we continue to do our best to make their lives impossible when we would do well to be grateful that they manage to survive their environment and and despite western civilization’s best efforts – because we need to learn from them.

CBC is screening Angry Inuk this evening. [Schedules may vary]

If you can get to see it I very much doubt you will regret the time you spend doing so and having your horizons broadened.
It you can’t then you can find it on itunes for few bucks.

This is the Synopsis from Vimeo
Seal hunting, a critical part of Inuit life, has been controversial for a long time. Now, a new generation of Inuit, armed with social media and their own sense of humour and justice, are challenging the anti-sealing groups and bringing their own voices into the conversation. Director Alethea Arnaquq-Baril joins her fellow Inuit activists as they challenge outdated perceptions of Inuit and present themselves to the world as a modern people in dire need of a sustainable economy.