Note that offering free support groups for many years in Northampton, these services are now being offered by the peer run Recovery Learning Community in Holyoke. The Freedom Center community sometimes also organizes groups and meetings depending on local interest, so check the Freedom Center homepage for updates. THANKS!

Listen to Gail Hornstein's radio interviews -- one on the local National Public Radio affiliate, WFCR and the other with Deborah Harper of psychjourney.com.

http://www.freedom-center.org/radio/HornsteinWFCRAgenssJacket04-09.mp3

http://www.freedom-center.org/radio/harper_hornstein_agness_jacket.mp3

A statement written for the Statwide Harm Reduction Coalition on why mandated treatment is not consistent with Harm Reduction philosophy, developed by Caty Simon and Will Hall.

Click image to see full size cover

The Western Mass Recovery Learning Community (RLC) supports individuals in finding their own paths to recovery within the communities of their choice by offering trauma-informed peer supports and through the development of a regional peer network.

Check it out! www.westernmassrlc.org 

A summary of what emotional trauma is and how to work to heal it, in a simple 2-sided handout sheet, written by Will Hall. This work is based on Peter Levine, Hakomi, Process-oriented Psychology, and Judith Levine.

A collection of handouts from the recent Freedom Center June '07 facilitation training, co-sponsored by the Recovery Learning Center. Download here.

The world-wide first book about "Successful coming down from psychiatric drugs." With experience-reports of 28 (ex-)users and survivors of psychiatric drugs from all over the world and additional articles of psychotherapists, physicians, psychiatrists, natural healers and other professionals helping withdraw.

Mad In America:

Bad Science, Bad Medicine,
and the Enduring Mistreatment of the Mentally Ill

Freedom Center founding member and organizer David Burns discusses the early days of Freedom Center, when he worked as a "secret agent" on the streets and in a Northampton mental health residence, collecting information on psychiatric abuse for Freedom Center's human rights activist campaign. Dave also describes his life and experiences labeled "obsessive-compulsive disorder" from a spiritual and creative viewpoint, including the "inner work" he does.

Invitation to the first Argentina meeting of the newly formed Asamblea de Usuarios Salud Mental, the country's mental health user and patient controlled advocacy organization, read by Agustina Vidal. You can also listen to the entire interview with three founding activists of the group.

Will Hall did this interview with three mental health service user activists in Buenos Aires Argentina who recently were part of the founding of the first user's group in the country's history, the Asamblea de Usuarios Salud Mental. The group's historic organizing efforts were supported by the Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales  (www.cels.org.ar) and Mental Disability Rights International (www.mdri.org). You can also listen to the Convocatorio calling for the founding assembly of the group in December.

Audio of Oryx's 2006 Alternatives talk.

2006 National Association of Rights Protection and Advocates conference presentation by Will Hall.

Schizophrenia survivor and leading UK activist Rufus May talks about his experiences with madness and becoming a psychologist at the Mt. Holyoke college Freedom Center event.

Freedom Center legal director Aby Adams presentation on mental health law and peer advocacy at the 2006 conference of the National Association of Rights Protection and Advocacy.Freedom Center legal director Aby Adams presentation on mental health law and peer advocacy at the 2006 conference of the National Association of Rights Protection and Advocacy.

Drawing on Peter Levine, Hakomi, and Process-oriented psychology, Will Hall presents a short introduction to a body-oriented approach to healing emotional trauma. Also check out the attached trauma handout, below.

Based In London, Arlene Audergon and Jean-Claude Audergons' Process Work approach, a spiritual and psychotherapeutic method developed by Jungian analyst and MIT-trained physicist Arnold Mindell, addresses extreme states and psychosis, addiction, conflict resolution, organizational development, creativity, dreams, and other human problems. This interview is an overview of Process Work with madness and psychiatric symptoms, including community work in mental facilities, and includes discussion on psych medication, suicide, and addiction. Check out www.processwork-audergon.com and www.rspopuk.com.