We are kaleidoscopic beings — endlessly variant. Social, political, psychological, ecological, cultural, biological all having impact. When we don’t engage our kaleidoscopic reality in a very active way – thinking we understand anything at all is ridiculous. Everything Matters — it’s the meme I use as a title for my work because it encapsulates our essence..
“The health of the society and the health of its individuals are inextricably linked. To end the worldwide epidemic of depression, we must combine individual psychological therapies with new social and economic systems that respect the earth and more fairly distribute the worlds resources. Such models already exist. What we need is the political will to implement them. If we can do so, we will be able to create a more equitable culture that optimizes the mental and emotional health of each of its ciitizens.” … [click on title for full view]
You know what I liked best about the interview I did the other day? I didn’t use clinical terms when I talked about mental distress…and I didn’t do that on purpose…I truly don’t think in terms of psychiatric labels anymore. They are meaningless to me and my language supports that. … [click on title for the rest of the post]
Most mental health professionals not only know next to nothing about the deepest part of the psyche, they are terrified of it, adding another layer of obfuscation to the problem. When people in mental distress are terrified the last thing they need is to be met by a “healer” who is equally terrified of the clients thoughts and behavior. … [click on title for the rest of the post]
I get really tired of the stickiness of psychiatric labels. In spite of the fact that they are used inappropriately all the time, once people are labeled it’s very hard to lose the label and the bigotry and prejudice that accompanies the label. … [click on title for the rest of the post]
It’s actually been said before. Maybe this time someone other than the victims will listen.
Human rights are being violated everyday in the USA and all over the world in the name of psychiatry yet hardly anyone cares or believes it’s happening at all.
The UN came out with a report that states that forced psychiatric care passes the threshold of maltreatment to TORTURE.
Yes. … [click on title to read the rest]
Just FYI: First New York, now New Jersey. It’s open season on people with psych labels: Gov. Christie commits to ‘fully implementing’ mental health treatment law (that should read INVOLUNTARY “TREATMENT” or forced treatment. Coercion. And the fact is there is no care in coercion…sorry!! It is not the answer here. This is about placating the… Continue Reading →
The new additions to the DSM-V create even more opportunities to see our clients as “The Other” and less like fellow travelers on this journey of life. Noted existential psychologist Irvin Yalom states that “labels do violence to people,” and Kierkegaard said, “Once you label me, you negate me.” I, along with many others, fear the violence that will be done to those included in these new categories.
I believe the DSM-V changes can serve as a wake-up call, alerting each of us to the need for a life of celebrating our humanity … one where we learn to accept ourselves right where we are without judgment or criticism. Of course, that means we must take a stand against the dangers we are facing.
Turning Wheel: A Journal of Socially Engaged Buddhism, Publication of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship Summer 2007 download pdf scanned version In 1992 I was committed to psychiatric hospitals, suffering from voices, fear, isolation, and visions that led to a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder schizophrenia. Since then, these same experiences guided me to the deeper questions… Continue Reading →
This blog – Beyond Meds – has been a lifeline to me since I found it. For the longest time I’d thought I was the only one who had experienced “waking up” from, well, a 15 year walking coma. I’ve found the information here to be extremely validating not only of my experience with psychiatry… Continue Reading →
Everything Matters 
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