Come to our FREE event with Institute for the Development of Human Arts

Register HERE

October 23rd, 2019 7-9pm

About this Event

BACKGROUND: HEARING VOICES NETWORK NYC

Those who hear voices or have other unusual perceptions have a long history of being cut out of the conversation regarding the true meaning of their experiences. Weighed down by labels of insanity and stigmas of being dangerous, the 5 to 15% of humans who experience these phenomena most often decline to self-identify, treating their rich inner worlds as a closely guarded secret. Hearing Voices Network is building a community where voice hearers and allies can reclaim their narrative – while sharing the insights, support, and strategies that are known to improve quality of life.

On October 23rd, IDHA is hosting an evening of community exploration centered on hearing voices and the experience of perceiving non-consensus reality. How can we challenge and shift inaccurate cultural labels when acknowledging our truths so often leads to significant social and career stigma? What are the alternative interpretations and strategies for living while hearing voices?We will be joined by an expert-by-training and an expert-by-experience from the Hearing Voices Network NYC Board to repaint the picture on voices and cultural norms, digging into the challenges of a human rights movement discredited before it even speaks. The presenters will share their work, relaying the hearing voices experience, non-medical solutions for maintaining happiness and stability, and the history of voice hearers from around the country and world coming together to emphatically declare “no” to labels and prejudices.

Presenters:

Dmitriy Gutkovich

Leah Rokeach, LCSW

This event is open to all people, including people with lived experience, family members, activists, allies, and psychiatrists or other mental health providers. We recognize a diverse set of perspectives, including people with lived experience who prefer medical explanations, as well as mental health professionals offering criticisms on their careers and research.

A full 5 to 13% of humanity hears voices during their lifetime. Whether they believe they are psychics or in need of psychiatry, talking to spirits or responding to satellites, most of these people will not self-identify or share their experience to family, friends, or community. What are these voices that others can’t hear? We suppose it is a matter of perspective…

To celebrate World Hearing Voices Day on Sept 14th, please join us to hear from five presenters with very different backgrounds and understandings of the hearing voices phenomenon. 

Please forward this message or share a #HearingVoices tag, and we hope to see you on Saturday the 14th 2:00 PM, at Perspectives on Hearing Voices.

Where: One Spirit Learning Alliance
247 West 36th Street 6th Floor
New York, NY

When: Saturday September 14th 2019 at 2pm

Cost: FREE but you must register: https://tinyurl.com/yxj5tprs

ISPS-US recently had a webinar on relating to distressing voices:

“There has recently been a shift from conceptualizing a voice as a sensory stimulus that the hearer holds beliefs about, to a voice as a person-like stimulus which the hearer has a relationship with. Understanding voice hearing experiences within relational frameworks has resulted in the development of psychological therapies that focus upon the experience of relating to and with distressing voices. This presentation explores lessons learnt from the development, experience and evaluation of one of these therapies – Relating Therapy. These lessons are located within the broader context of other relationally-based therapies that seek to support recovery through the use of digital enhancement (Avatar Therapy) and dynamic interaction with voices (Talking With Voices).”

The presenter, Mark Hayward, is both a practicing therapist and a researcher specializing in this approach.

You can watch it HERE

The 11th World Hearing Voices Congress will take place between 11 and 13 November 2019 in Montréal, Canada.

The event is hosted by REVquébécoise and L’Association québécoise pour la réadaptation psychosociale (AQRP) as part of it’s 19th congress.

For more information visit: INTERVOICE

A new Hearing Voices group is starting in Queens on February 2nd 2019 at 12-2pm. The group will be held at Rego Park Library on the first and third Saturdays of the month.

E-mail Maja Leibovitz for more info: mleibovitz@seriouscelebrations.com

Hearing Voices NYC was recently featured on NBC as part of a special on the Hearing Voices Movement. The description for the show is as follows:

“What is it like hearing voices that others can’t? For Jeannie Bass, hearing voices is her daily reality. The medical term is “auditory hallucinations.” Jeannie is a leader in the Hearing Voices Movement, which aims to re-frame and destigmatize the extreme mental experiences that society labels as crazy.”

Check out the video here.

Kudos to NBC News for providing balanced coverage about the voice-hearing experience!

Announcing a new training series titled “EXPERIENCE TRANSFORMS PRACTICE” which IDHA will be offering throughout the Fall and Spring. Like last year’s training series, this new training offers advanced continuing education opportunities to learn from a number of experts-by-experience and mental health professionals who have each made unique advances in alternative mental health narratives and practices. People interested in Hearing Voices NYC might be particularly interested in the upcoming course called:

“Making Meaning from Visions & Voices: How to Support People through Altered States and Finding Solid Ground” 

December 1st 2018

Nowhere else in the NY metropolitan area are experts providing education on truly transformative models that have the capacity to shift the way mental health care is practiced. This course is aimed at front-line mental health workers, peer specialists, social workers, psychiatrists and psychologists, who are interested in learning about a new mental health paradigm that goes beyond recovery and clinical support – Experience, Inclusion, Human-Rights, Transformation!

At this point IDHA is offering advanced subscription rates to agencies (and individuals) who want to sign up early and thereby enable others to attend the course, who may not be able to afford tuition.  As an agency, you can reserve spots for your staff members at $ 600 for the entire 7-week series (a total of 42 hours of training with C.E. eligibility). It is not required that spots must be filled by the same individuals each time. Each Saturday session is $ 150 dollars full fee for the day.  Class size is limited to 35 people. Attached is a flyer for you to disseminate to any interested parties.

More info can be found at: IDHA-NYC.org/experience-transforms-practice

We hope that you’ll join us for this incredible opportunity.

THIS LONG REQUESTED, 2-DAY TRAINING WILL BE

TAILORED TO YOUR NEEDS AND GOALS:

• LEARN MORE ABOUT THE GLOBAL HEARING

VOICES MOVEMENT

• EXPLORE CONCRETE, EMPOWERMENT BASED

STRATEGIES FOR SUPPORTING VOICE HEARERS

• PREPARE TO RUN YOUR OWN GROUPS

JUNE 2ND AND 3RD

9:30AM – 4:30PM

242 EAST 2ND ST, BETWEEN AVES B AND C

COST: $200 FULL PRICE

$150 STUDENTS/LOW INCOME

* *SOME FULL SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE

FOR VOICE-HEARERS!

CONTACT TAMI AT

TMGATTALCAT@GMAIL.COM

RSVP AT CONTACT@ISPS-US.ORG

Hearing Voices Training

When: Monday, April 16, 6:00 – 7:30 pm
Where: East Village Access (242 E 2nd Street)

FREE

• Are you a family member of someone taking psych meds, a prescriber of psych meds, or are you, yourself, taking psychotropic medication?

• Are you interested in hearing real perspectives on people’s experiences with psych meds?

• Are you concerned about multiple side effects, the stigma around taking meds, access to services, navigating the system, or the challenges around coming off/starting psychotropic medication?

Despite shifts towards inclusiveness and partnership in mental health services development, meaningful open communication between professionals, service users and families within the mental health system remains a challenge.

This Mental Health Trialogue (MHT) is the first of a monthly forum that brings together personal perspectives from providers, peers/survivors, family members and other interested parties to discuss issues and experiences with psychotropic medication, among other subjects. The goal of the forum is to foster rich discussion and to change the perception that only those who work in the field of mental health are the experts in mental health.

MHT’s combination of expertise and experience provides a unique wealth of collective knowledge to which individuals or people from different perspectives would not otherwise be exposed.

Trialogue meetings are open to current or former mental health service users, families and friends, professional mental health workers, prescribers, as well as all community members with an interest in mental health. All are encouraged to attend.

Three members from the Institute for the Development of Human Arts, a psychiatrist, a person with lived experience, and a family member, will open the forum by explaining the purpose of MHT, then launch into a “trialogue discussion” about experiences with psychotropic medication. We will then open the conversation to all in attendance to share their responses if desired and foster community. Snacks and refreshments will be provided.

MHT provides a supportive, non-judgemental space to share unique stories, find solidarity and discover new complementary perspectives that offer clarity, insight, and supportive community. MHT is not a support group, a source of medical/psychiatric advice, or a therapy session.

Be heard, be informed, find your seat at the table.