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A presentation by Jacqui Dillon at Carina Håkansson’s Family Care Conference in Sweden from Mad In America

BAD THINGS THAT HAPPEN TO YOU CAN DRIVE YOU CRAZY

Jacqui Dillon, the national chair of the Hearing Voices Network in England, discusses the work of the Hearing Voices Movement at the recent conference  ‘Presence and Participation: Arguments for the Humanistic and Sustainable Work We Do’ hosted by Carina Håkansson’s Family Care Foundation in Sweden (25-27 April 2013). To listen to Jacqui’s presentation, please click here.

The full conference proceedings are available via live streaming video on MadinAmerica.com.

Watch Keynote Presentation The Personal is Political Online

 
 
 
 
 
 

Here is a link to my recent presentation ‘The Personal is the Political’ which was filmed at the Critical Perspectives and Creative Responses to Experiences of Trauma and Distress Conference at University College Cork, Ireland:

http://panopto.ucc.ie/Panopto/Pages/Viewer/Default.aspx?id=45a4bb2c-6001-4a66-b5f1-bdec5e120f0e

This was a fantastic free event, attended by over 450 people over two days was organised by the School of Nursing & Midwifery & School of Applied Social Studies:

http://www.ucc.ie/en/nursingmidwifery/OurConferences/Title-175942-en.html 

and Critical Voices Network Ireland. See: http://www.criticalvoicesnetwork.com/ 

 

 

Her impact will be felt for a long time to come.

Jacqui visited our little corner of the world for the first time this March.  During her visit, I had the opportunity to witness her in many roles:  Facilitator at a small training, speaker at two large events, and as a wonderful human being during all the spaces in between.  Whatever role she was in, Jacqui was engaging and down-to-earth.  She offered her perspective in a way that was accessible to all and – in some instances – lead to perceptible changes in the way people regarded others or themselves, their lives and the potential for their future.

Following Jacqui’s visit, more than one individual went out of their way to report that they felt she was the best speaker they’d been offered the opportunity to experience.  Several individuals began brainstorming ways to bring Jacqui back to the area in the future to reach even more people before she’d even departed.  Ultimately, her presence, personal story and unwavering values helped to strengthen our community and build momentum for change and the development of the Hearing Voices Network in the Unites States.  Her impact will be felt for a long time to come.

Sera Davidow, Director, Recovery Learning Community, Western Massachusetts, USA.

She gives us all deep insights, courage, and powerful ideas.

We have been gifted to have Jacqui deliver training for us in Melbourne, Australia, and look forward to her third installment in May this year.

Jacqui’s messages continue to resonate here in Australia, and we are so happy to see more and more mental health workers willing to work with the impacts of trauma.

People who have attended Jacqui’s training tell us frequently how deeply it has affected them, and how much they have learnt, and changed, as a result. She gives us all deep insights, courage, and powerful ideas.

Don’t stop this important work Jacqui – your gifts are immeasurable!

Indigo Daya, Project Manager, Voices Vic, Melbourne, Australia.

Bad Things That Happen to You Can Drive You Crazy!

I’m feeling elated after an amazing evening at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts. The event, sponsored by Mount Holyoke College Department of Psychology and Education, the Western Massachusetts Recovery Learning Community, and the Freedom Center was attended by about 150 people  – students, academics and people from the local community – some as far away as Boston, Connecticut and Pittsburg. The auditorium was packed with people hungry for an alternative to the pharmaceutically driven, biomedical model which dominates so heavily in America.  Many were inspired when they heard Ron Coleman and Paul Baker speak late last year and there is a growing momentum for the development of the Hearing Voices Network in America. Change is happening.

My talk, entitled: “Bad Things That Happen to You Can Drive You Crazy! Understanding Abuse, Trauma, and Madness and Working toward Recovery”,

(see this link for further information: http://www.mtholyoke.edu/news/stories/5682743)

seemed to really resonate with others experiences and many people were clearly questioning the adequacy of a biomedical model to make sense of and respond to human distress.

I began by reading ‘A Tale of An Ordinary Little Girl’ and then spoke about the groundbreaking work of the Hearing Voices Movement, its success in many other parts of the world and our intention to revolutionise the way societies think about hearing voices and other unusual human experiences. I ended by stressing the imperative to take collective responsibility for the ills in our societies, to become aware of the dominant ideologies that redefine reality and to challenge oppression, power, social norms and inequalities. I appealed to everyone to join the last great civil rights movement – fighting for the rights of those labelled as mentally ill.

As always, a number of survivors came up to me afterwards and thanked me for telling ‘their’ story. Lots of people wanted to find out more about how they could get involved in the movement, meet with others, start groups. People are impatient for a paradigm shift in the way we understand and respond to human suffering which is now, long overdue. Many are in anguish. Fortunately, there are already some fantastic Hearing Voices Groups running in the area, with several new groups in development. I left feeling proud, inspired and grateful to be part of such a wonderful, powerful movement for change in the world.

There is still so much work to be done. First, it’s time for a bath and then bed.

Radio New Zealand (2010)

Interviewed by: Kathryn Ryan, 14 April 2010 on the Nine till Noon show

Radio New Zealand Jacqui

Jacqui Dillon is a guest speaker at a conference in Wellington this week and in Auckland next week at the Making Sense of Psychosis conference, held by Auckland University and organized jointly by the NZ branch of the International Society for the Psychological Treatments of Schizophrenia and the NZ Hearing Voices Network. (duration: 17′23″)

See: http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/20100414

Mad In America

I’m off to America tomorrow to help spread the word about the pioneering work of the Hearing Voices Movement. On Monday I will deliver the first session of the ‘Starting Hearing Voices Groups Training’ at the Western Massachusetts Recovery Learning Community. It will be great to be a part of these important developments particularly as Gail attended the very first Hearing Voices Group Facilitation training that I ran in London back in 2005.

This training looks to continue the positive momentum of the Hearing Voices Movement in the United States, with the primary purpose of training people to start their own Hearing Voices Groups in the local area. I will be facilitating the training along with Oryx Cohen, Director of the National Empowerment Center’s Technical Assistance Center and former Co-Facilitator of the RLC Hearing Voices Group in Holyoke and Gail Hornstein, Professor of Psychology at Mount Holyoke College, Co-Facilitator of the RLC Hearing Voices Group and author of Agnes’s Jacket.

On Tuesday I will be interviewed by a filmmaker about my work, meet with members of the Recovery Learning Community in Worcester before going to deliver my presentation at Mount Holyoke College entitled –

Bad Things That Happen to You Can Drive You Crazy! –

Understanding Abuse, Trauma, and Madness and Working toward Recovery.

See this link for further information: http://www.mtholyoke.edu/news/stories/5682743

On Wednesday I will travel to Framingham where I will give a presentation at Advocates, Inc.

Before I fly back home on Thursday evening, I will meet Robert Whitaker, author of Mad in America and Anatomy of an Epidemic. Bob has agreed to speak at a fundraising event for the Hearing Voices Network when he is in London in November – watch this space for further info!

Your Feedback

If you have heard me speak at a training event or conference, I’d love to get your feedback too. Just add your comments to the bottom of this post.

With thanks, Jacqui