Mary Robson on ABC Radio

The Hearing The Voice Creative Facilitator Mary Robson was recently on ABC Radio talking with host Myf Warhurst about Hearing the Voice and its interdisciplinary approach to voice-hearing. 

She begins by talking about the different types of voices that people hear such as the inner critic, the voice that one may hear when reading silently, the experience of thinking that someone has heard one's voice being spoken aloud and one's internal voice that may, for example, remind us to switch off the cooker etc. 

She points out that many people associate the experience of hearing voices with mental illness, but then acknowledges that in certain cultures those who report hearing voices are regarded as being gifted or particularly spiritual.

Listen to Mary talk about how hearing voices doesn't have to be a sentence for life-time time suffering via the link below

https://hearingthevoice.org/2018/12/18/mary-robson-on-abc-radio/?subscribe=already#blog_subscription-3

What I'm reading

I am really looking forward to getting stuck in to the latest additional to my personal library; Diary Drawings, Mental Illness and Me by Bobby Baker.

In 1996 the artist Bobby Baker was diagnosed as having borderline personality disorder. Her subsequent struggle to overcome severe mental and later physical illness lasted for 11 years, and was unknown to anyone outside her close family, friends and colleagues. The book contains 158 drawings and watercolours that were selected by Bobby from the hundreds more that she created daily as a private way of coming to terms with her experience.

Themselves Here Together at The Word

Preview: Thursday 10 May, 4-7pm

Performance at 6pm

Exhibition open: Sunday 13 May - Thursday 21 June 2018

Join artist Helen Shaddock as she incorporates video, sound and performance in her latest exhibition, Themselves Here Together – part of Voices: Within and Without.

Helen uses her personal experience of mental illness to inform her work and seeks to immerse the audience in multi-layered psychological and physical situations.

Themselves Here Together will be on exhibit in StoryWorld from Sunday 13 May to Thursday 21 June.

Please note: the exhibition will be on display at the following times:

• Monday – Thursday: 4–6.30pm
• Sundays: 1–4pm

ABOUT HELEN SHADDOCK

Helen Shaddock’s audio visual installation is the culmination of a project funded by the Arts Council England Grants for the Arts in which she is has worked with other voice hearers, artists, researchers, academics and Mental Health organisations to investigate visual and auditory hallucinations.

Me Too Project

Mental health problems are often treated as a taboo and brushed under the carpet, despite the fact that an estimated 1 in 4 people will experience mental health issues each year. The Me Too project was set up to see a cross-section of the people affected by these issues and hear their stories. 

The Me Too Project is a creative collaboration which seeks to encourage discussion about mental health. The aim is that by doing this, the stigma surrounding mental health issues can be tackled and some of the many who are affected by them can be helped. The Me Too project has brought together portraits of people who have experienced depression, anxiety and OCD and sought to tell their stories.

The Project is the brainchild of Zofia Sagan and Fran Cresswell who met at a personal development group and immediately bonded over their drives for social good and our own personal experiences of mental illness. Their aim is to promote healthy conversation on the topic and bring hope and courage to those who maybe suffering in silence.

My text, Session 1 is featured on the Me Too Project website.

Read it here:
me too project - session 1