The Dissociative Initiative

I (Sarah) am back from the World Hearing Voices Congress in Melbourne, with some new goals, ideas, and supportive people on board. One of the most important of these is a number of people keen to support the development of a Voice Hearing network here in South Australia. Obviously I’m passionate about our DI aims and resources also, which complement the VH network but are also distinct. We are going to have discussions about what we can do and the best format for a new, better supported local network – and how it might be part of many other national and international communities who are also doing work around dissociation, the mad pride movement, alternative paradigms for supporting mental health, social justice, and community development.

Here are the plans for the next weeks and months:

• Rest, recover, catch up on sleep, look after myself (ongoing!)
• Write up an article about every talk I attended at the congress to share publicly for those who couldn’t attend (I have fairly comprehensive notes)
• Touch base with my friends over at Mifsa about the congress and the possibility of a new SA network
• Touch base with my friends involved in the DI about these things
• Touch base with my local HV group Sound Minds about these things
• Touch base with other supportive and passionate people for suggestions and advice about mental health networks, community building, and social change – particularly those with experience in these areas
• Hold a free local talk in SA, the same one I offered at the Congress “Supporting Someone in a Dissociative Crisis”
• Meet up with people who have put up their hand as interested parties for a local SA network and start to develop some relationships and teams
• Open the conversation about networks and resources up to everyone via internet discussions and local community gatherings

To keep posted on these developments, please follow this blog or join our Online Discussion Group. If you would like to be involved or attend some of these things, let us know!