I’m delighted to be assisting in preparing for the delivery of some upcoming training at Niamos Radical Arts & Culture Centre. The newly set up Organic Recovery Community works closely with (and constitutes members of) groups and organisations such as The Hearing Voices Network (HVN), The International Society for Psychological and Social Approaches to Psychosis (ISPS), The Icarus Project and many other creative and radical evidence-based movements campaigning for non-critical approaches. We’ll be providing training in this radical, more social, recovery approach to psychosis and other experiences that many of us have, including, but not limited to, hearing voices.
Whilst – as I only found out after! – the event on the 25th is not in a wheelchair accessible building, we are working together to put the same event on in the next few months at (fully wheelchair accessible) The Yard Theatre in Hulme. Our homely mega accessible space 🙂 If you’d like to be signed up to be notified about this, subscribe to our newsletter and/or pop me an email with an expression of interest and I will make sure to let you know the details!
There will be free mini-zine resources made my yours truly at the event ( as well as at follow up events at The Yard ) with recommended reading as well as links to interesting forums and online resources. An adapted version will be able to purchase from this website, so keep an eye out for that one too.
Whilst the website links above should give you a thorough explanation of how and why there is such a strong case for social approaches to psychosis (as opposed to solely medical), another unique and important aspect of this event is its host, The Organic Recovery Community. The ORC is newly set up and based in Hulme.
A ‘Recovery Learning Community’ supports healing and empowerment for our broader communities and people who have been impacted by psychiatric diagnosis, trauma, extreme states, homelessness, addiction and other life-interrupting challenges. It does this through:
- Peer-to-peer support & genuine human relationships
- Alternative Healing and Recovery Practices
- Learning Opportunities
- Advocacy
- Campaigning
It is a space for anyone who has a genuine interest in taking part in a recovery-focussed community. It values sharing and finding connections, information, ideas and opportunities to choose the changes people want to make in their own lives as well as in the community around them. Our shared experiences and ‘humanness’ are what unite us. Our stories, collective wisdom and strength are what guide us and our community forward.
There are no ‘service providers’ and ‘service recipients’ in the RLC. It is assumed that all individuals who become a part of the RLC for support will also give support to another at some point, and that each individual will not only approach the RLC with the attitude of what they can get but also what that person can give.”
If you’re interested in getting more involved with the Niamos based ORC, please send an email to either myself (ellie@stillill.uk) or Paul who has founded this great thing at paul@imhcn.org
