http://www.mindfreedomireland.com/personal-stories-from-around-the-globe/
We have often been told that informed lawmaking requires information on the subject of the law. Even as the law engages with the lives of persons with a psychosocial disability it is an involvement which is informed by voices of the non-disabled world and presumes the silence of disability. Unless this silence is broken it would be difficult to obtain an informed, empathetic and empowering legal regime for persons with psychosocial disability. Therefore a few of us, from different parts of the world, in order to share and inform have put down our real-life experiences.
Through these real-life narratives, we want people to know the reality of what our lives are like. It is a complex reality and each person’s story shows how others intervened at crucial points in harmful ways. Some people also show what supported them or how they found the strength to reject messages of inferiority and oppression. At every stage of these experiences, we are conscious, we know what is being done to us and we suffer from it. We are struggling against something that is both irrational and absolute tyranny. The social power given to psychiatry creates a situation where there is no way to fight for our rights unless we break out of its tyranny.
A battle made all the more difficult by the fact that there is a social stigma attached to psychiatric assault and talking publicly about what has happened to us, that results in revictimization. When there is no social context in which to talk about our experiences, or if there is only a limited social context (such as groups of survivors), the trauma stays within a person.
The discourse of the normal requires creating the abnormal. There is a need to break out of these forced divides and appreciate and celebrate humanity in its manifold diversity. With these narratives, we want to share with you the different ways of thinking, feeling, believing and healing. We hope this diversity will cause us to appreciate the difference between uniformity and equality. Let the Convention on Disability Rights guarantee equality of respect and dignity to all of us by outlawing force and coercion, and providing to all of us the opportunity of developing our capabilities according to our own genius.
Tina Minkowitz and Amita Dhanda
MindFreedom Ireland is very thankful for every survivor/victim of psychiatry who have or still is breaking the toxic silence created by oppressive, deceptive psychiatry.
Instead of being recognised as victims of tyranny, we are told that tyranny is good for us. We are told we are insane and lack insight if we know and have experienced iatrogenic harm.
The state has given psychiatrists absolute power to strip those they ‘diagnose’ ( we say label) to imprison innocent people who have committed no crime even in some cases for life and drug/electroshock them into submission. Both psychiatric drugs, other prescription drugs and electroshock can cause serious harm.
” Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive.” C.S. Lewis ( One of Helena King’s, who inspired the foundation of MindFreedom Ireland, quotations.)
“When the power of love overcomes the love of power then we will have peace.” Jimmy Hindrex
Mary Maddock
