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 […]
Dissociation & Psychosis in Young People
Last week, I was lucky enough to be invited to Perth and Bunbury by Richmond Fellowship Western Australia. As well as working with the team over there to help support their bid to develop Hearing Voices Groups within Western Australian prisons, I was also happy to provide three workshops on subjects close to my heart. […]
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 […]
ISPS votes to ditch the ‘Schizophrenia’ label
We have joined other organisations around the world in deciding to stop using an unscientific and highly stigmatising label which, because of its connotations of an irreversible illness (‘brain disease’), has damaged millions of people for a century John Read, ISPS, March 2012 This month I feel overwhelmingly proud to be a member of ISPS […]
Thinking About Psychiatric Medication
Following presenting at Bradford’s Free Thinking About Psychiatric Medication Conference, I was excited to be invited back up north to speak at a similar event in York. The conference, organised by York and Selby Rehabilitation & Recovery Service was aimed at re-launching their Thinking About Medication Group and raising awareness around medication use. Phil Thomas – […]
Conference: Giving Psychosis A Voice 2
On Thursday 8th March, I was lucky enough to be speaking at a really interesting conference hosted by Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. Giving Psychosis A Voice 2 brought together a line up of speakers that I would pay to see, so to be asked to present alongside some of the great and the good […]
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 […]
Conference: Medicating Human Distress
In November 2011 I was privileged to contribute to a fantastic conference ‘Medicating Human Distress: Concerns, Critiques and Solutions’ in Cork (Ireland). The conference was the second annual event arranged by the Irish Critical Voices Network and University College Cork. It featured a range of wonderful speakers and workshops, all of which brought some fresh life to […]
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