Japan
Celebrating World Hearing Voices Day
9th September 2006
A local Hearing Voices meeting with a symposium was held in Okayama city. This was linked directly with the WHV Day on the 14th. 32 people got together at the meeting. Wakio Sato, an INTERVOICE member, presented an outline of the hearing voices ideas and approaches, two voice hearers and another person with a delusion of reference presented their life stories with hearing voices or delusions, all of which were moving.
Lastly, a psychiatrist using holistic medicine learnt from the Hearing Voices approach presented his experiences. Among the 32 attendants, 21 were newcomers all of whom but one voice hearer were parents and care workers. The event was advertised in a local newspaper covering Okayama and neighborhood prefectures. We had enthusiastic Q&As and very good discussions.
14h September 2006 A community mental health care group named Foo in Ibaragi prefecture met on the 14th September with their users hearing voices as a programme of one of their groups called “Information Explorers”.
23rd September 2006 The Suita Voice Hearers Group in Osaka prefecture held their regular meeting on 23rd September. The information from the worldwide events marking the WHV Day stimulated them and their worldwide voice hearing fellows.