When
you Vote you Count!
M-POWER Statehouse Empowerment Event
Andrew Palmer, Jessel Paul Smith
On Tuesday August 17th, 2004 M-POWER held an event entitled "Empowered, Finding Our Voice at the Statehouse." The event was organized by M-POWER in order to spread the word about the crucial function voting and political activity can have on the quality of our lives. The event was held in Room 222 at the Massachusetts Statehouse.
To read the full article: click on the article's title, located just above this intro blurb, or click here.
The
Coalition for Fresh Air Access
Jonathan Dosick
As the readers of the last few issues of Voices for Change have seen, Jonathan Dosick has been working on an initiative aimed at exposing, and hopefully correcting, what he and many others see as a growing problem -- which is that many psychiatric consumers are not allowed access to fresh air. In fact inpatients at many area hospitals are not allowed access to the outside at all during their stay in hospital. To reiterate inpatients at many area hospitals are not allowed to go outside at any time-AT ALL--prior to discharge. Since it is near him, Jonathan has focused a lot of energy on changing just such an outdoors policy at Cambridge Hospital. And as of this writing the Cambridge Health Alliance has unfortunately made no progress towards improving this situation. However, several other hospitals are also denying their patients access to the outdoors and fresh air.
Yet, according to Jonathan Dosick there is some light visible outside, at the end of this tunnel. Jonathan has recently said that: "Happily, the movement to safeguard these (outdoors and fresh air access) rights has been quietly picking up steam. I must thank many, many people who have been supporting me in this effort, folks from both M-Power, and NAMI, and those from other walks of life who have gotten involved and been very supportive."
Below this introduction you will read an announcement of the newly formed "CFAR" coalition. Please feel free to join "CFAR". There is strength--and victory--in numbers.
To read the full article: click on the article's title, located just above this intro blurb, or click here
Outdoor
Access and Fresh Air Issues
Sarah Entemann
In this article Sarah Entemann adds her voice of experience and support to CFAR; we hope you will too.
To read the full article: click on the article's title, located just above this intro blurb, or CLICK HERE
Vipassana
Meditation Retreat Center to
End Discrimination
Will Hall
Freedom
Center is the only Pioneer Valley group run by and for people labeled
with severe 'mental illnesses.' They work for human rights, true informed
consent, and holistic alternatives, and also believe all treatments should
be voluntary. Will Hall, is a meditator, but as Freedom Center Organizer he
also opposes hurtful stigma.
To read the full article: click on the article's title, located just above this intro blurb, or CLICK HERE
An
Open Letter to the Vipassana Meditation Center
Andrew Palmer
Andrew Palmer shares some experiences in an open letter about meditation and "mental illness."
To read the full article: click on the article's title, located just above this intro blurb, or CLICK HERE
Music
Therapy, an Alternative to Tranquilizers?
Thomas Gagnon
In this article, Thomas describes some research he's done on one surprisingly
established and long accepted aspect of medical treatment, which is enjoying
music. Thomas describes how medicine has long understood the benefits of music
therapy, and he shares the results of some of his internet research into this
subject. For instance, did you know that there is a professional association
of music therapists? Well actually, according to Thomas, there's more than
just one such group.
To read the full article: click on the article's title, located just above this intro blurb, or CLICK HERE
Recovery
Story
Anonymous
The writer of this story chose to remain anonymous. Due to the personal nature of her long odyssey this choice is understandable. She hopes her story will be valuable for our readers--especially for the very young--who are struggling with addiction.
To read the full article: click on the article's title, located just above this intro blurb, or CLICK HERE
Recovery Support Opportunity: The WRAP at Center Club
"To Life" presents
The Wellness Recovery Action Plan WRAP
A series of 12 classes and 7 support groups in Wellness and Mental Health
Recovery At the:
CENTER CLUB
31 Bowker Street , Boston, Ma.
617-788-1000 Call for directions
Introduction: October 14, 2004
2:30 - 3:15 pm
Classes Begin: October 20, 2004
3:30 - 5:00 pm
FREE TO ALL!!!
Refreshments Included
TOPICS INCLUDE:
* Empowerment & Responsibility *Finding and keeping Hope
*Taking Preventative Action Early *Crisis and Post Crisis Plans
*Peer Counseling/Support groups *Developing a Wellness Lifestyle
*Building and using Support Systems *Stress reduction/Relaxation
*The Impact of Culture in Recovery *Developing a WRAP Plan
To register or for more information contact:
Marina Colonas, MEd, WRAP Trainer 617 - 876 - 4193 mcolonas@hotmail.com
Cynthia Berman, OTR/L, WRAP Trainer 617 -787 - 5947 cynthiarberman@aol.com
Values
In Recovery, Is There Life After Coping?
Martin Koehler
In this article Martin ruminates over life after recovery, our potential as c/s/x and values.
To read the full article: click on the article's title, located just above this intro blurb, or CLICK HERE
MassHealth
Alternative: The Real Choice and Independence Plus Grants
Erin Barret
There may be a new system coming for how consumers are allowed to spend their
MassHealth benefit dollars. Erin Barret has been working with consumers on
this and she brings us additional information.
To read the full article: click on the article's title, located just above this intro blurb, or CLICK HERE
Listening
to Other Voices
Thomas Gagnon
Another wonderful piece written by Thomas Gagnon, it is warm and personal.
It demonstrates Thomas's affection and esteem for those remarkable people who have, over the years, made authentic, and deeply meaningful observations that seem to have resonated within him at the internal place where he--and they--were both residing just at that time.
I like the idea that such folk were true to him. In that, in a few words, they showed him the perceptive empathy they possessed for his individual situation. They reached him.
It also seems that these impressive remarks cut through all the semi-phony to downright sheer bogus crapola we are taught as "company men" or "company women" to internalize and propagate.
It seems to me that these folks were addressing Thomas the individual where he and only he was. Rather than approaching him according to what society demanded of both of them according to their socially defined roles. It wasn't the "normal" duties, ambitions, or conventional expectations as defined according to their respective social roles that inspired the things they said to Thomas.
These people were real!
To
read the full article: click on the article's title, located just above this
intro blurb, or CLICK
HERE
Gaebler,
Hell and Back
Andrew Palmer
A psychiatric inpatient unit is not a social model
which in any way resembles the reality beyond its locked doors. How can a
young person learn how to function in society if he or she is warehoused,
in some cases for long years of childhood or adolescence, in such a surreal
social context?
Since youth advocacy is clearly on the agenda now at M-POWER, I have dug up a story I wrote about my experiences as a young inpatient at the Gaebler Children's Unit during the mid-to-late seventies.
This article is reprinted below, it was first written as an essay assignment at UMASS Boston. The assignment was to write an essay from the point of view of a member of an oppressed and marginalized group. I used an academic paper, which we'd read earlier in the semester, about one German cadet's experience in the 1930's, at a training camp for the Nazi SS Officer Corps, as my reference material. I found similarities with the SS Academy's training regimen for their cadets, and the techniques used on inpatients like me at Gaebler.
I will always be grateful to Martin Koehler, who helped me edit the article for publication. In 1993, Martin patiently read my absurdly long-winded freshman paper, and told me: "the gold is in the personal recollections, Andrew." He marked off the "golden" sections of the essay in red pen, and said: "work on weaving the sections I've marked in red into a cohesive narrative."
The story was first published in the second issue of "In a Nutshell," Summer 1993 Issue.
Writing and publishing the story had a tremendous healing effect. Up until its publication, I hadn't articulated my personal perspective on the nightmare I endured while held at Gaebler.
I have realized, in retrospect, that there were many factors that combined to make me lose my voice. A sense of guilt and shame many mental patients get over being hospitalized. In addition there was the stigma and shame I felt post--hospitalization. Such internalized stigma, of feeling like: "a reject from society, " (or) "a mental case," also muted my voice of self-advocacy.
Yet, many difficult emotions, in regards to my memories of the place, magically evaporated after I had given my viewpoint on what happened there.
To read the full article: click on the article's title, located just above this intro blurb, or CLICK HERE
Added on 5/6/05