1st National Meeting of Self Help Groups of Voice Hearers

“Let Us Give Our Voices a Voice”

May 9th -10th, 2008

Reggio Emilia

Promoted by:

• AUSL (Local Health Authority), Reggio Emilia

• National Network “Le Parole Ritrovate” (“The Words Recovered”)

“I am nobody! Who are you?

You too are nobody!

Well, there will be the two of us!

But do not tell anybody else!

That’s horrible being somebody!

How trivial! Like a frog who keeps repeating its name

Through all the month of June to a swamp

That stands gazing at it”.

Emily Dickinson, 1861

Introduction

“ Le Parole Ritrovate” were born with the purpose of creating a meeting opportunity among service users, families, health care providers, local policy makers and citizens, to enhance and promote mental health policies. The basic culture is “doing alongside”, believing that practice and knowledge of these worlds, so often marginal and hardly co-operative, might instead enable people to find health paths and reclaim the right of citizenship for the sufferers and empowerment of all the individuals involved.

“Le Parole Ritrovate” meetings represent an opportunity to compare experiences, share projects and create new pathways along which to walk together. Hearing voices is a common experience, but it is often unspoken and hidden for fear of prejudice and social exclusion. People who hear voices tend to withdraw into themselves and make no mention of their experiences even to his or her loved ones.

The decision to dedicate a venue of “Parole Ritrovate” to this theme is meant to foster voice hearers’ dream to live a full life, by reinstating themselves in control over their lives. It is also meant to get an insight of this particular experience and share coping strategies with the person involved. The ultimate aim of “Parole Ritrovate” is to give a voice and first person accounting to those who never experienced this before, or who lost it, get the people to be involved and also let ourselves getting involved, as much as possibile, into social networks made of understanding and feelings.

The purpose of “Parole Ritrovate” is to help people in believing in the all-possible change and seeing not only the problem, but also the resources, giving value and meaningfulness to everybody’s subjectivity. One could just say that doing things together is significant and beautiful, without going any further. But one should believe in this and act accordingly. In all these instances, the psychic disorder and the mental illness recover a place and a dignity in everyday life of all of us, finding out to belong to a community in which everybody is a little more responsible for everyone.

Programme Friday, May 9th, Morning

09.30 Greetings by the authorities.

• Daniela Riccò, Health Care Manager, AUSL Reggio Emilia

• Gaddo Maria Grassi, Director of Mental Health Department, Reggio Emilia

• Renzo De Stefani, Parole Ritrovate

10.00 Welcome! By Area Socialità, Reggio Emilia

10.15 Cristina Contini, “Us and the Voices” Association

“Voices: the starting point. Strategies to regain control and cope with the voices”

11.00 Cristiano Castelfranchi, National Research Council, Rome

“Feeling masters of one’s own life: Empowerment, Ownership, Recovery”

12.00 Discussion - Chairpersons:

• Benedetta Prugnoli, Director, Mental Health Department, Imola

• Elisabetta Negri, Director, Socio-medical activities, AUSL Reggio Emilia

13.00 Lunch together.

Programme Friday, May 9th, Afternoon

15.00 Delia Francavilla, “L’Orlando Furioso” Association

“Strategies to acquire awareness and power in the recovery process”

15.30 Comparison of experiences.

17.00 Summary of proceedings

Yvonne Bonner, Marcello Macario, Gerald Weber

An exhibition stand shall be available during the day to exchange information, whereabouts, brochures and leaflets of the participating groups & existing Associations of voice hearers at national level, in order to create a network or coordination system to enhance common initiatives, insights of the voice hearing experience and foster the creation of new self-mutual help groups of voice hearers.

Programme Saturday, May 10th, Morning

09.00 Introduction:

Giovanna Barazzoni, DSM Reggio Emilia, Gloria Zanni, DSM Reggio Emilia

09.15 “Talking with the voices”

By self-help group of voice hearers, Reggio Emilia

10.00 Voice to the short-film made by the Day Centre “Villa Valentini”, Scandiano

11.00 Ron Coleman

“Experiences in Europe and the World”

Translator: Angelo Arecco

12.00 Discussion - Chairpersons:

• Antonio Maria Ferro, Director, Mental Health Department, Savona

• Gaddo Maria Grassi, Director, Mental Health Department, Reggio Emilia

• Marco Donnarumma, Association “Sostegno e Zucchero”, Reggio Emilia

“Building up a Dream”

Free debate of experiences and agreement to the project of building up a national voice hearers groups network.

13.00 Conclusion of the proceedings and arrangements for future meetings.

Information:

Marcello Macario