Me & The Meds: The Story of a Dysfunctional Relationship
This article first appeared in Mad in America (www.madinamerica.com). The use of medication in mental health services is a hot issue. Despite the paucity of evidence supporting its long-term efficacy, critiquing the use of ‘antipsychotic’ medication can be felt as a personal attack both on those who use it to manage distressing experiences and those […]
Short Thought #1: “Don’t Confront. Don’t Collude?”
Short Thought #1: ‘Don’t Confront, Don’t Collude?’ from Rai Waddingham on Vimeo. This is the first in a series of free ‘shorts’. This one explores the mantra, woven deep into psychiatric practice – the belief that we should neither confront nor collude with beliefs that are seen as ‘delusional’. In the video, I share some […]
Symptom or Experience: Does Language Matter?
Whenever we talk about ourselves we tell stories. Without these stories, our experiences would sit – unconnected – like a thousand tiny beads. Telling our story helps us to weave connections between these beads, linking them together with different threads to create a tapestry full of meaning. This is a fluid and continually evolving process. […]
The Schizophrenia Commission: A personal perspective
As someone who has lived experience of being diagnosed with schizophrenia (amongst other things) the release of the ‘Schizophrenia’ Commission Report has left me with very mixed feelings. First and foremost, I applaud the hard work of the members of the commission and all those who gave evidence and contributed to it. During the evidence-gathering […]
Voices Matter: Hearing Voices Movement
Between 19th & 21st September, hundreds of people from around the world descended on Cardiff, Wales, for the annual World Hearing Voices Congress. This annual event is one of the highlights of my year, and I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to go every year since 2009. It’s a fantastic opportunity to […]
40,000 Feet And One Decade Later
10 years ago today I found the body of one of my closest friends and allies – Susan. Another casualty of a mental health system ill equipped to support voice hearers overwhelmed by past traumas, Susan died before she fully found her wings. Under the circumstances it seems strangely poignant that I’m writing this whilst […]
Boxing Clever – Trauma, Anger & Self Expression
Please note: There are no descriptions of abuse in this, but if you’re feeling sensitive please be careful when you’re reading it. I have some angry child voices that have reasons to be angry. Whilst I’ve always been a fan of creative expression, I’m generally much more comfortable writing a song or drawing a picture […]
Making Sense of ‘Me’ By Finding HVN’s ‘We’
This article is loosely based on a talk I gave at the Hearing Voices Network’s 25 year anniversary conference last week. I was asked to talk about my relationship with HVN and what the network means to me. As the Hearing Voices Network has been a crucial part of my journey, this was something I […]
The Problem With Psychiatrists
Are doctors really trained to provide what we, as people with mental health problems, really need? Ok, this might ruffle a few feathers, but it has been on my mind for a while so I’m gonna go with it anyway. In the years I’ve been in contact with the ‘specialist’ mental health services I’ve had […]
Communicating With Voices: Part One
Over the last 12 years, I’ve been struggling to find ways of dealing with the voices I hear. For much of that time I’ve been taking enough neuroleptic medication to knock out a horse. Meds are a bit like putting a giant mattress over the voices – I find it dulled them and often supressed […]
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