Following on from our Online Film Night, we are planning a series of events through the Lockdown to help us find ways of connecting with each other to explore voices and visions from different angles.
On Friday 8 May, from 7-8.30pm UK Time (British Summer Time) we will be hosting an online gathering to explore the ways voices, visions and related experiences are expressed and portrayed across different genres of music. Rai Waddingham, our chair, will be in conversation with Kate Quinn (from Heavy Metal Therapy), Erica Lee Martin (quirky Canadian electronic pop songstress) and some other special guests. Join us to listen to some tunes, connect with others and share your ideas.
This event is free and open to anyone who wants to come along (whether you hear voices or not). However, registration is needed in order to keep the gathering safe. If, like last time, we run out of space we will also live stream it via our YouTube channel.
Register at: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YkrkmPpkTz60xXxeASCZIQ. Please read FAQ before registering (especially information about privacy and safety).
International time zones:
Friday: 11:00 PDT | 14:00 EDT | 18:00 UTC | 20:00 CEST | 21.00 EEST | 21:00 IDT | 23.30 IST
Saturday: 03:00 JST | 04:00 AEST | 06:00 NZST
If you want to join from another country you are welcome. The gathering is taking place at 19:00 BST (British Summer Time). The above times have been estimated using an online tool. Please confirm your local time to avoid confusion/disappointment. See: www.thetimezoneconverter.com.
The Plan:
The night will be flexible, depending on the vibe, however it will include:
- Welcome – brief welcome from Rai (the host) and panelists
- Jukebox – space to play excerpts from songs that feature voices, visions and extreme states (e.g. highs, lows and other things often labelled ‘madness’). Cutting across genres, we will share our responses and ideas about the songs and use them as a ‘jumping off point’ for further discussion.
- Wider themes / issues – space to talk about wider themes of the way voices, visions and related experiences are portrayed in music. Questions might include: is it OK for someone without these experiences to sing about voices/visions/madness? Why are voices/visions/madness common themes in certain genres? Do people always mean ‘voices’ literally? Does it matter? How can music help/hinder us?
- Space to join in – Participants will have the opportunity to share their thoughts, ideas, experiences and reflections via the chat box. They can also ask specific questions using the Q&A function. However, we’re hoping for a more community vibe this time – so are going to have plenty of space for participants to volunteer to join us in the Zoom Room (either by audio-only, or with a video feed if they have a camera and are OK being seen) to share their own responses, ask questions or just to join us for a chat about the topic at hand.
- Special guests: We will be welcoming some very special guests throughout the evening …. including people with personal experience and expertise in different genres/styles.
Register at: http://b.link/HVNmusic. Please read FAQ before registering Register at: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YkrkmPpkTz60xXxeASCZIQ. Please read FAQ before registering (especially information about privacy and safety).
About the panellists
Rai Waddingham (Chair)
Rai is Chair of the National Hearing Voices Network in England, and Vice Chair of ISPS UK. She hears voices, sees visions and has a whole host of other experiences that have led to her being multiply labelled (with diagnoses ranging from schizophrenia to DID). After spending her early 20s as an inpatient, she is now an Open Dialogue practitioner and PhD student – studying ‘survivor knowledge’.
Before she met the Hearing Voices Network, Rai credits music with helping to keep her alive and express the many and varied things she kept inside as a child (hiding trauma, visions, unusual beliefs, self harm and – later – voices) from her family and friends. Writing music and gigging have always given her a valuable outlet – and, after her hospital years, an alternative identity as ‘Rai Studley’ (part of the Leicester Music Scene). Her playlist is varied … loving a range of music including acoustic, post-hardcore, pop, metal (of many kinds), rock, jazz (just not ‘free jazz’), folk, alternative and punk.
Check out some of her acoustic music here: https://soundcloud.com/raiwaddingham/sets/mad-girls-love-song
Kate Quinn
Kate Quinn is a clinical psychologist from the UK, working in NHS services in early intervention for psychosis. She is also a fan of heavy metal music. Kate works mainly with young adults who experience extreme states, voice-hearing and dissociation.
Kate set up Heavy Metal Therapy because of her own love of metal music and funding it helpful with her own mental health, and through meeting many others who felt the same. It’s now become a metalhead led online community about all things metal and mental health related.
It includes a website with stories that people have contributed about how they’ve found metal helpful, some reflections on the research and some playlists. This is linked to social media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) where they share lyrics and quotes as well as relevant articles and videos. It has developed a strong sense of peer support and community as people interact with the material, suggest new things that resonate with them and collaborate to create new articles and stories.
Erica Lee Martin
Erica is a singer, songwriter, actor and producer from Montreal, Canada. She has some serious muso-cred, in the form of a Masters in Music and a Masters in Classical Acting for the Professional Theatre from LAMDA. After a decade of singing Opera, now based in London she writes, produces and releases her own quirky brand of electronic pop. In full DIY spirit, Erica has no fancy studio or production team – she uses Garageband and creates videos on a budget by roping in friends and using her flat as makeshift sets.
With songs ranging from the silly to the serious, Erica is no stranger to the big feels. After years of working as a classical musician, Erica found writing and singing her own music was the best way to work through her own trauma and anxieties. As a good friend of someone who hears voices, Erica is also interested in how music can help others express things that aren’t easily spoken about. Check out her website and YouTube channel for more info.
Register at: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YkrkmPpkTz60xXxeASCZIQ. Please read FAQ before registering (especially information about privacy and safety).
FAQs
Is it a peer support space? Whilst we hope the discussion will be beneficial to all – increasing connections and solidarity – it is not a Hearing Voices Group and does not have the same level of safety and confidentiality as a space set up for peer support. Imagine it like a supportive social event attended by people who have a similar interest – but may not know each other.
I don’t hear voices, but love music. Can I come? Ofcourse – everyone with an interest in the topic is welcome to come and take part. We love having a mix of people – it helps our discussions be that much richer. However, it is important that everyone is aware that many participants will have experience of voices, visions and stigma/discrimination. So, please respect our ground rules.
Are there any ground rules? As with all HVN events, we follow Intervoice’s community agreement. In short, we ask people to be kind and generous with one another. These are difficult times for so many of us, so extending understanding and compassion to one another is a valuable gift right now. There will be a HVN representative taking part in the chat who will be there if there are any concerns or issues.
How tech savvy do I need to be? As long as you (or someone with you) has basic skills in operating a computer, a smartphone or a tablet, you should be fine. Using Zoom is no harder than making a phone call or surfing the internet. Check out this guide to attending Zoom ‘Webinar’s for some easy instructions: https://www.cdaa.org.au/sb_cache/events/id/1147/f/Zoom. Just ask if you need any more guidance.
Who will know that I’m attending? The HVN volunteers crucial to managing the event will have access to the list of participants (which includes the name you registered with). However, other participants will not be able to see that you’re there unless you use the ‘chat’ or ‘Q&A’ function.
When will others see my name? If you use use the Q&A function to ask or respond to a question, use the chat facility or join us in the Zoom room by audio/video other attendees will see the name that you registered with. This is why we suggest you register only with your first name, or a pseudonym if you have any concerns re privacy. If you have accidentally registered with your full name and wish to change it, please email us and we will do this for you before the event.
Can I ask take part in person? Whilst your microphone and webcam (if you have one) will be automatically disabled during the event, if you would like to ask a question, make a comment or join in the discussion in person you are welcome to raise your hand and we will invite you in when we can. You can also write a question or comment in the Q&A section of the Zoom room. If you want to ask a question in person (with sound) please make sure you have a microphone enabled on your device.
Why are you recording it? We know that there will be some people who would love to hear the discussion and feel part of the event – but will not be able to access it (e.g. because of computer access, technology glitches or having a difficult time and struggling to focus). We would like to be able to reach out to these people too, so will be recording it. If you are concerned about the recording, or write/say something that you wish to be edited out – please let us know. We are happy to remove any of your contributions that you ask us to – and will not store them. We will leave 7 days before making the recording available to others. Hopefully this gives you time to let us know any concerns.
Is Zoom safe? Since the lockdown, Zoom has become one of the most popular video conferencing packages. When something is popular, on the internet, there are often people who want to hack or ruin it. There have been some cases reported of people entering into Zoom rooms and sharing distressing content with attendees. Since this, Zoom has put in place guidance for security (and some updates) that we are following. Do ask us if you have any questions.
Any other questions, just email us at info@hearing-voices.org or comment on this page.
Register at: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YkrkmPpkTz60xXxeASCZIQ. Please read FAQ before registering (especially information about privacy and safety).
