As part of our mission to support Hearing Voices Groups across the country we are excited to let you know that the first Hearing Voices Network Facilitator Support Group will be running on Tuesday 20 June from 7pm – 8.30pm (online). Facilitated by Vikki from Peer Hub CIC, this group will provide a space for group facilitators to connect with one another, share experiences and learn from one another.
The first meeting will feature a guest spot from one of HVN England’s trustees – John Read. He will be sharing ‘What Research Says about HVN Groups’ – something that is of relevance to groups that are taking place in contexts where an evidence base is given increasing importance.
If you are a Hearing Voices Group facilitator in England, whether you’re a member of HVN or not, you are welcome to attend this meeting.
Each year we gather together – online or in person – to connect and share our learning. This year we will be joined by Jacqui Dillon and The Art of Voices Project for our online Members’ Event.
Jacqui Dillon is a writer, activist, international speaker and trainer. She has personal and professional experience, awareness and skills in working with trauma and abuse, dissociation, ‘psychosis’, hearing voices, healing and recovery. Jacqui is also a voice hearer. She will be speaking about Iatrogenic Harm.
Art of Voices @ProjectArtofVoices is an international collaboration exploring ways of working with people who hear voices using art.
AGM
The AGM is a great opportunity to hear about what HVN has been up to and to connect with others within the network. In addition to the usual Chair’s Report, Financial Report and Election of Trustees we will have a space for members to share what they’ve been up to (e.g. how their local group is going).
Non members are welcome. If they wish to attend the Member’s event we ask that they consider making a donation. Current members of HVN are welcome to attend for free (this includes people who attend a group that is a current member). If you’re not sure if you’re a member just email info@hearing-voices.org to check.
We are excited to invite you to join us for our Annual General Meeting and members event on Saturday 2nd April, from 2pm – 4pm, Online (Zoom)
The event begins with a screening of Dolly Sen’s short film – ‘Inside’ and is followed by a Q&A/discussion with Dolly who will kindly be joining us for the event.
Then, at 3pm we will have our AGM.
In addition to hearing what the HVN trustees have been doing, the AGM is a wonderful opportunity to connect with other members and share experiences and ideas. We will have time for our usual ‘Round Robin’ where any member (group or individual) is welcome to share a few words.
If you have any issues registering for the event, please email us at info@hearing-voices.org and we can register you directly and make sure you have the link you need.
Please note: The screening of Inside is open to non-members too. We ask non-members to consider making a donation to attend, but this is not mandatory. Please help us spread the word!
INSIDE: A SURVIVOR-MADE FILM ON PSYCHOSIS
Written and directed by Dolly Sen.
Donna hears voices, but who will she will listen to? INSIDE is a film about psychosis written and directed by Dolly Sen, a person who has experienced psychosis herself, a drama about the beginning of how she found a way to herself.
SOME REVIEWS
Dolly Sen’s Inside is a hard-hitting short with a powerful message highlighting the disparity of understanding of racism within the mental health system. Parading as care the psychiatric system channels mental health into often unhelpful and judgmental labels that become part of the problem as they do not address the underlying issues that lead to mental breakdown. Inside acts as a case study in how racism can harm people’s mental health and sense of self to the point where it can become part of someone’s psychosis. When Donna declares to a mental health professional that ‘nobody listens’, she expresses just how impossible her situation is where the weight of oppression from white privilege will not be acknowledged. In a succinct few minutes Inside suggests a conversation that the psychiatric system would do well to take heed of.
– COLIN HAMBROOK, Editor of Disability Arts Online
‘INSIDE – THE FILM’, the second of the trilogy by Dolly Sen which started with OUTSIDE (2013), is a moving, intense and evocative portrait of the claustrophobia and loneliness of being spoken to by voices only you can hear in a mental health system which examines and assesses, while avoiding understanding and connection. Experience is reduced to diagnosis and risk. Sen portrays the stresses and precariousness of trying to operate within consensus based reality as someone experiencing psychosis. She speaks from inside the multiple layers of marginalisation experienced by those with psychosis who are seeking understanding, compassion and refuge. While it paints a vivid portrait of that distress, with Sen’s signature rage with biting humour, it also leaves room for the possibility of beauty, hope and connection.
This is the sixth in our series of online events to help us find ways of connecting with each other to explore voices and visions from different angles during the pandemic.
On Sunday 7 November, from 7.30 – 9pm UK Time (GMT) we will be hosting an online gathering to explore the ways voices, visions and related experiences are portrayed in TV series.
Join Rai and a panel of contributors who bring different experiences to the table (personal and professional) as they explores some of the different ways that voice-hearing and visions is depicted in TV series.
In this event we’ll be looking at examples that focus on characters and story development … dramas. It will include Marvel Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Prison Break, Moone Boy, Perception and River.
As well as looking at some clips from these shows and sharing our responses to them, we’ll also be zooming out to consider some of the wider issues:
What does this genre offer us?
What is missing?
Why are some depictions of voices/visions more common than others?
Has voices/visions become a ‘trope’?
What stereotypes might they perpetuate?
If someone with lived experience of voices/visions wrote it, what might be different?
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. We will also live stream it via our YouTube channel.
If you want to join from another country you are welcome. The gathering is taking place at 19.30 GMT. Please confirm your local time to avoid confusion/disappointment. See: www.thetimezoneconverter.com.
The Plan:
Welcome – brief welcome from Rai (the host) and panelists
TV Clips and discussion – we will play a range of clips from a selection of TV series (named above) that depict voice-hearing and visions in different ways. We’ll use these as jumping off points for discussion. The TV industry doesn’t exist in a bubble, so we’re sure to cover some wider issues too.
Join In – this event is as interactive as you want it to be. Some of you will want to simply watch and listen (and that’s fine). Others may want to connect with others, share your thoughts or ask questions using the ‘chat’ or ‘Q&A’ functions. Some of you (we hope) might want to switch on your microphones (and maybe even cameras) and pop in to speak with us in person.
Please read FAQ before registering (especially information about privacy and safety).
The Panel
Rai Waddingham (Host)
I’m Chair of HVN and a definite geek. I love it when I unexpectedly see something on one of my favourite shows that – intentionally or not – really resonates with my lived experience of hearing voices, seeing visions, dissociating or living in overwhelming unshared realities. Oh, and I’m not a stranger to those painful moments when someone gets it badly wrong and some of my favourite shows and characters become yet another part of that wall of stigma and discrimination that is so familiar to many of us.
Veenu Gupta
Veenu Gupta is a psychology PhD student with psychosis researching identities within psychology. Eastenders enthusiast and wannabe twitter influencer.
Eoin Kelly
Eoin is a voice hearer and artist from south east London, and also the newest member of the HVN board of trustees.
He studied film production at university, and he has always found the way voices & visions are depicted in film & media to be a complicated issue.
He’s particularly interested in how we can recreate such individual and personal experiences in TV in a way that can be understood by a wide audience without being reductive.
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 watching TV. 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 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.
Twenty-eight years ago, I was a high achieving, well respected member of the community, but that soon changed after a drug induced psychosis episode landed me on a psyche ward for 5 months. I was ostracised from society and my friends, cast aside as an example of what happens when you play with drugs. I had suffered some trauma in my childhood but because both of my Parents are still alive and out of respect for them, I did not write about what happened. This in turn lead to depression and an unbridled sense of abandonment by girlfriends and started me on my downward spiral when I least expected it.
I had always felt that my diagnosis was taboo within my Family and indeed the Community. It was hushed up and never talked about ever, and I suffered alone. We had no social media to turn to support groups in the 90’s and I knew no one who suffered from Mental Illness. I always felt the need to talk about what happened to me, but no one wanted to listen and so I decided I would write my story. I hoped that those close to me understood what happened from my point of view and rather hoped that anyone seeking help in the future may turn to my book for insight into what can happen with a diagnosis.
The journey took 18 months from start to finish, with writing taking a year. I decided to self-publish through Amazon because I did not want to sign away my story away for a pittance on the off chance of it becoming popular. The small things like proof reading, photographs, book design etc all slowly added up but finally in June 2021 my book was uploaded as ready to print and in kindle format. There was some elation and worry that it would be received well if at all. I have had some nice reviews, which can I add are the hardest thing in the world to get readers to do, so please review any book you read for the Author, it means more than being paid for it.
I do feel as though I have accomplished something to be proud of now, although in hindsight the ending was rushed and I did miss a couple of silly mistakes. However, I was going through quite a bad episode during the writing and I think I just wanted it finished to be able to move on.
Facebook has been a complete game changer for me and belonging to various mental health or hearing voices groups has helped tremendously. I also find that whilst I can try and help others with my experiences, I get much love and help back.
My main concern with writing my book is that I may be recognised in my community due to the fact my face is on the front cover. I have become a very private person and I think the past stigma has scarred me. I am told to not feel ashamed for having Mental Illness but all my life there was shame and I would love to let it go, I just can’t.
If you decide to read my story, I hope you enjoy it. I am sorry some of it is crass but I was young at the time and felt it important to show the difference before and after my breakdown. I hope you can laugh too. My email is at the end if you would like to contact me, and please I would love you to leave an honest review.
If you’d like to support HVN at the same time, consider signing up to Amazon Smile (http://smile.amazon.co.uk/), choosing ‘National Hearing Voices Network’ as your charity of choice and shop through their website. It’s the same as Amazon.co.uk but they donate a small percentage of sales to us.
During our recent work on mapping Hearing Voices Peer Support Groups, we heard that many group facilitators would like us to help them find ways of connecting with other people who are also facilitating groups. To meet this need we are offering two new Hearing Voices Group Facilitator support options.
Note: To access these options we ask that you, or your group, are a member of HVN. You can find out more about membership here: Join Us – Become a Member
Buddy System
Would you like to connect with another Group Facilitator? We are launching a buddying scheme.
Just email us to let us know you’d like to take part in the scheme. Remember to tell us the contact details you’d like us to pass on and the group you facilitate.
We introduce you to someone else (via email) who facilitates a group and has also opted-in.
You and your ‘buddy’ take things from there – with the idea that they create a supportive place to share and consider the successes and challenges of facilitating a group.
It’s important to be clear that we cannot take responsibility for what happens between buddies. Only share contact details that you feel comfortable with someone else having, and be sure to speak about your mutual expectations around how much contact you would like.
If you’re a faciltiator and would like to find out more about this scheme, email: info@hearing-voices.org.
Facilitator Support Network
First meeting 14 sept, 7-9pm (online)
Hi, I’m Vikki and I’m the co-founder of Peer Hub CIC, a little user-led organisation in County Durham. I’m delighted to have the chance to facilitate some online networking meetings for Hearing Voices group facilitators.
At Peer Hub, we’re really keen on bringing together communities that support each other and share good work, and also can help collaborate or talk about the harder or more complicated parts of trying to do good stuff and think differently around the things that get called ‘mental health’. So, when I got the opportunity to support HVN in creating a space to come together to do that very thing, I was a little bit chuffed about it! You can find out more about Peer Hub on our website www.peerhub.co.uk.
Our first network meeting for facilitators will be on the evening of Tuesday 14thSeptember 2021 from 7pm-9pm. We’ll start with a speaker and then have an hour to chat about how we’ll use these meetings going forward, what kind of things we might want to talk about and which speakers or subjects would be good to have for future events.
You can book onto the first networking meeting through this private link on Eventbrite, and we’ll send access information to get onto the Zoom 24 hours before the event starts.
I’m a peer supporter, trainer and strategist, supporter of the hearing voices movement and still trying to figure out what the world is about and what I’m supposed to do in it (my official bio is on the Eventbrite link).
The following research request has been sent to us by Joanna Brett. She is looking to speak to people who have attended at least 3 Hearing Voices Groups. Whilst we’ve spoken with Joanna whilst she formulated this research, we always suggest that you ask for an information sheet and – if needed – discuss it with people you trust before deciding whether or not to participate. Any questions about this research, please email Joanna directly.
Interested in taking part in research about hearing voices?
What do you think caused your voice-hearing? How did you come to believe that?
My study, undertaken as part of my Doctoral of Clinical Psychology degree at the University of East London, explores how people who attend Hearing Voices groups make sense of their own experiences, and how the Hearing Voices group has affected this. We hope to learn more about what kind of group spaces help people who hear voices in feeling heard and supported.
This research involves an anonymous interview where you’d be asked about your experiences with the Hearing Voices group, and about how you make sense of your voice-hearing or other unusual experiences. This interview will last for up to an hour.
You are eligible to participate in this study if you’ve attended at least three Hearing Voices group sessions, whether or not you still attend regularly. Unfortunately no payment is available for participating.
To ask questions or to express interest, please contact Joanna Brett at u1945411@uel.ac.uk.
If you have any concerns please contact the Chair of the School of Psychology Ethics Committee, Dr Trishna Patel at t.patel@uel.ac.uk
Supported by NSUN’s Covid-19 Fund, we are excited to be offering a webinar with Caroline Mazel-Carlton from HVN USA and the amazing Wildflower Alliance – a grassroots Peer Support, Advocacy and Training organisation with a focus on harm reduction and human rights.
The event will take place on Wednesday 14 July from 2-4pm (UK Time) on Zoom.
Caroline is a voice-hearer and HVN-USA Board member with a passion for creating access in a country where Hearing Voices groups were often vastly far apart. In 2017, HVN-USA began to hold meetings on the Zoom platform.
This session will explore lessons learned over the years on how to create a supportive community for voice-hearers and visionaries online.
We will explore key aspects of HVN group facilitation and how they can be modified as we move from in-person circles to online Zoom grid. We will leave plenty of time to explore common scenarios unique to online formats.
Bring your questions and your wisdom!
Who is this session for?
This session is primarily aimed at Hearing Voices Group Facilitators (and those facilitating related groups – e.g. unusual beliefs, paranoia and extreme experiences). We also welcome group members who are interested in thinking more about group facilitation. It is not suitable for people with no prior knowledge of Hearing Voices Groups.
Whilst we hope it will be a mutually supportive experience, it’s primary aim is exploring online group facilitation. If you are looking for a Hearing Voices Group or support around your experiences, there are a number of online groups that can help with this. See: https://www.hearing-voices.org/targetgroup/online/.
Over the past 18 months, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented challenge across the globe, which many of us will have experienced as disconnecting, isolating, frightening, chaotic, overwhelming, and, at times, unbearable. However, the pandemic has also shown the power of solidarity when communities come together to offer each other support in times of adversity.
This year’s Congress will create spaces for voice hearers, family members, carers, practitioners, academics, and all those interested in the principles and values of the International Hearing Voices Movement, to connect and/or reconnect with one another in a post-pandemic world, either in person in Cork, Ireland or online across the globe. Drawing on two ancient Irish traditions, the Congress organisers aim to provide a platform (ardán*) to focus on the ways in which many voices can work together, supporting each other in difficult times (meitheal*).
*Ardán (pronounced ar-dawn) is an Irish word meaning platform, stage, but it is also used in the context of ‘raising one spirits’!
*Meitheal (pronounced meh-hill) is the Irish expression of the ancient and universal appliance of cooperation to social need, referring to the co-operative labour system in Ireland where neighbours help each other in turn with farming work, such as harvesting crops. It establishes community unity through cooperative work and mutually reciprocal support.
Confirmed Keynote Speakers To Date:
Ray Waddingham (UK)
Cindy Marty Hadge (USA)
Peter Bullimore (UK)
Lykourgos Karatzaferis (Greece)
Adi Hasanbasic (Czech Republic)
Kate Fiske (Australia)
Congress Format
Congress will have a hybrid format (if restrictions allow), with in-person events in Cork and online events for those not able to attend in person. In-person delegates will be able to access all the in-person events in Cork as well as the online events. Online delegates will be able to access all the keynote presentations, all the online concurrent sessions, and all the networking sessions, but they will not be able to access the in-person concurrent sessions in Cork. If restrictions do not allow to have a hybrid Congress in Cork, then Congress will move fully online! See Registration details below.
Congress Venues
The Online Venue (Irish Standard Timezone): Zoom platform, managed and facilitated by Onlinevents
The In-person Venue: University College Cork, Brookfield Health Sciences Complex, College Road, Cork, Ireland.
Congress Programme
1 September: Intervoice Day
2 and 3 September: World Hearing Voices Congress
Intervoice Day (1st September)
A day for people involved in the Hearing Voices Movement to come together, share experiences, and hear about new initiatives around the world. The day will consist of speakers, open space discussions about topics decided by attendees and the chance to share what is happening in Hearing Voices Networks across the globe. The Intervoice Day is organised by members of the Intervoice Board. Details to follow.
World Hearing Voices Congress (2nd and 3rd September)
Each day will consist of keynote presentations and concurrent workshops/presentations. We hope to provide opportunities for all time zones to have the opportunity to engage with the Congress. Details to follow.
Registration Details
Although we plan for a hybrid Congress format, with the ongoing uncertainty about international travel, we invite you to register online in the first instance. If a hybrid Congress becomes possible, we will open registration for the in-person Congress. Those who wish to register for the in-person Congress will be fully refunded for their online registration. Those who wish to keep their online registrations do not need to do anything!
Online registrants will be able to attend all keynote presentations, online concurrent sessions, all networking sessions, and all online events offered during breaks. Online registrants will not be able to attend the in-person concurrent sessions taking place in Cork.
In-person Registration (Not Yet Available):
In-person registrants will be able to attend all keynote presentations, all concurrent sessions (online and in-person), and all networking sessions. In-person registration also includes morning and afternoon tea and coffee and lunch each day of the conference.
We would also like to introduce and welcome you to Cork via this short video (for those who don’t know Cork!). If this does not entice you to come to Cork, we don’t know what will!
HVN England warmly invites you to join us for our ‘Living with Uncertainty’ event followed by our AGM. It is free for members to attend. Non-members who value the HVN approach can now join us for the price of a donation ticket.
About this Event
Living with Uncertainty: HVN England Event (Online)
After a year where COVID-19 has shown how seemingly established ways of life can swiftly be destabilised, and where thanks to movements like Black Lives Matter important discussions are being had about how racism and other forms of oppression have long been adding structured uncertainty into what are everyday situations for many, this event will be a space to explore some of the different ways people with experiences of voices, visions and similar sensory perceptions experience and survive living with uncertainty.
This special event is aimed primarily at our members. If you’re not sure if you’re a current member you can email us. If you’d like to join, see: Join Us – Become a Member. To make best use of spaces, we have now opened it up to non-members too who are welcome to join us for the price of a donation. If you’d like to join but cannot afford a donation, do let us know.
Date and Time: This event runs from 13:00 to 14:10. It is followed by our Annual General Meeting (AGM) at 14:30 to 15:30.
Jason is a lived experience consultant who uses his knowledge, skills, and experience to improve outcomes for people within the mental health system. Currently working with Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych), and the University of Manchester working on a biographical narrative interpretive method study exploring ethnic inequalities in severe mental illness.
Berta Britz
Berta attributes a key personal liberation to participating in the World Hearing Voices Network Movement and in Montgomery County PA’s Taking Back Our Power Hearing Voices Groups. Her-their ministry, “Hearing Voices: Healing, Wholeness, and Justice,” is under the care of Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends. With Mona Cardell, partner of almost 42 years, they recently adopted Penny, a dog delivered by the pandemic.
Themes for Breakout Room discussion:
During the event we’ll ‘break out’ into smaller online rooms so attendees have the opportunity to meet with each other and discuss a theme that interests them. You’ll be asked, when you sign up, to choose a room to join (so that we can have everything prepared).
Impact on Voices and Visions: The events and uncertainty of the past year has for many people had an impact on their voices and visions. This room aims to create a space for people to connect around those impacts and share the way they have experienced and adapted to these changes.
Racism and Black Lives Matter: Black Lives Matter has had a huge impact on starting and amplifying important conversations addressing racism and the need for change. It’s important these conversations continue: This room aims to create a space for people to connect around Black Lives Matter and share what those conversations mean to them.
Grief and Loss: The last year feels like there has been both collective and individual experiences of grief and loss. Many people are grieving the loss of loved ones, and alongside this many are grieving the loss of ways of life and our ability to see people or do things that are important to us. This room aims to create space for people to connect around and share their experiences of grief and loss in these times.
Peer Support and Ways of Connecting: COVID has had a significant impact on many hearing voices groups and the ability of people to access peer support. This room aims to create space for people to connect around the experience of this impact and share ways that people and groups have adapted.
Accessibility: This event will be signed by a BSL Interpreter thanks to NSUN’s online event accessibility grant. If you’re attending and having the interpreter work in your breakout room would be helpful please let us know when you sign up.
Booking Your Place
As a small charity we depend on memberships to support our work. The event is free to all HVN Members. Non-members can join for a donation.
Members will have the option to book a free ticket OR choose a donation ticket (where you offer a donation to HVN when booking). We appreciate any and all donations – but there is no expectation around it. We know these are difficult times.
All of our members are welcome to our AGM and are eligible to vote. This includes individual members and those who are members of a Hearing Voices Group or organisation that have signed up for group/organisational membership.
You can come to the AGM whether or not you choose to attend the members’ event beforehand. As well as hearing about what we have accomplished, our financial position and other official matters – we will also have the chance to talk together about what we can focus on in the next few years. There is a lot to do, and we need your help to do it.
We are also looking for new trustees to join our small committee. We’re particularly interested in hearing from people who have a background in managing organisations (e.g. skills in governance, finance and the less glamorous stuff). As always, we particularly welcome expressions of interest from people with direct experience of hearing voices, seeing visions or other similar sensory perceptions and those from radicalised minorities within England. If you would like to talk more about the possibility of joining our board of trustees, please email us at info@hearing-voices.org.
If you’re a HVN England member who would like to attend only the AGM and not the Living with Uncertainty event please email us and we can send you a link.
