TeenScreen Controversy - Minnesota

My friend Jodie lives in Minnesota and has been writing emails to the legislators all week. If it weren't for these emails, and many more from others, this bill would be sneaking through without notice. The only person who is in favor of TeenScreen in this video is the Chairman of the committee. She is also a NAMI board member. Surprise, surprise. She is quick to silence the discussion as much as she can. Just watch for yourselves

CPS Training Finale

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This is the last video of this series. I hope you enjoy it!

Good news -- I got a new camera! It hasn't come in yet, so I don't have it in my hands, but it should be here by the end of the week. Let's hope! No more blurry, low-quality videos! The new camera is a Sony Handycam DCR-SR40. A Sony! Woo hoo! I had to break in a new credit card to buy it (yikes!) but it's no interest for a year. Do you like how I can so easily justify this purchase? Hey, when you want something bad enough, there's no stopping you.

This camera has a 30 gig hard drive, so there are no more memory cards to deal with. I got an extra long-life battery, too. And with an extended warranty, I'm good on parts and labor and total replacement for 5 years. It also has Dolby Surround Sound and an infrared night vision setting. A touch screen menu, too! This thing is hot!

I hope I feel the same way after I get it.

I have one more video I'm making with some recent footage, but after that, it's Sony all the way!

Can you tell I'm excited? Uh, just a little.

Intermission

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Here's a short intermission from the CPS Training videos. I snatched this footage from Beth's collection (with her permission, of course).

The final video of the series is the talent show. I'll be posting it within the next couple days. Meanwhile, enjoy "Beautiful Joe". Watch out -- it's some serious stuff!

CPS Training Part 3

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Meet Ike Powell! He talks about beliefs and how they become ingrained in our psyches. The mental health system has a belief system of its own, and Ike talks about why it is just as resistant to change as individuals are.

Going deeper, you can clearly see how people who are diagnosed with mental illnesses have a co-dependent and dysfunctional relationship with the mental health system and vice versa. The two need each other to strengthen the faulty beliefs that are ingrained. They feed off each other without realizing what they are doing. And so you have a situation where both parties are, in a sense, brainwashed into believing something that makes no sense whatsoever. The deprogramming is in its infancy, and it can begin with trainings like this one.

Certified Peer Specialist Training - Part Two

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Meet Bob! See more of this incredible class!

Part 3 is coming soon. I'll probably sneak in an intermission, too.

This series is a total blast to produce, btw. I'll be sad when it's over...

Certified Peer Specialist Training - Part One

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I was fortunate last week to not only attend the CPS Training, but to film it. I've wanted to do this for ages but since it's never been filmed, I assumed it wasn't allowed. But all the participants agreed to be filmed, and I got so much footage that this is turning into a mini-documentary!

So many of you have heard about this training from me mentioning it here and there, but I don't think I ever went into any details about it. When I took the training in 2003, it was one of the most powerful experiences of my life. There is a certain type of transformation that occurs during the training -- from believing yourself to be a hopeless mental patient, dependent on the system forever, and having no concept of "recovery," to believing something surprisingly different. This training enlightens you and fosters hope and specific tools to not only help yourself but to help others who are still trapped in the old mindsets. It's like a de-programming process that occurs, and your thinking changes forever.

This video covers the 2nd day of training where the participants were instructed to discuss ways that the system keeps people stuck. Many people have never allowed themselves a discussion like this, but as soon as they realized they were not alone in what they felt, they began to loosen up.

Beth was my teacher back in 2003, and this was her last training. It's sad to see her go. Bob Patterson is the new Project Director, and this training was his first. It's a "passing the torch" training and I am so honored to have been a part of it!

Please stayed tuned for Part 2!

The Drugging of Our Children

I debated about whether to post this video or not because it is 1hr and 43min long. But because it is so incredibly powerful and informative, I decided it was worth it if even one child is helped by its showing. The video is a full-length, professional documentary, and it describes absolutely everything I have wanted to say for so long but could only say it here and there with small clips and articles. It sums everything up for me and hopefully for anyone else who watches it. Nothing more needs to be said on this subject. Turn off your TVs this evening (unless American Idol is on, lol) and watch this video instead. It is definitely worth your time.

Speaking of American Idol, CAN YOU BELIEVE SUNDANCE HEAD DIDN'T MAKE IT TO THE FINAL TWELVE??? I nearly fainted when I saw him leave! He SHOULD have been in the top five at the very least. What an insult to his incredible talent! What an insult to the whole show and its obviously faulty voting system! It reminded me of the shocking night when Jennifer Hudson was voted off after her kick-ass performance the night before. Or when Chris Daughtry was voted off last season. He should have won it all! Well, well, well -- Chris Daughtry AND Jennifer Hudson are now basking in success without the help of American Idol -- and I hope Sundance does the same! Meanwhile, please get rid of that kid (Senjayah?) who should never have made it to Hollywood to begin with! What were Simon, Randy, and Paula thinking? Why are teenage girls with too much voting time on their hands running the show now? Why am I such an addict?

Patient pleads: please stop my shock treatment

If you can get past the sound blips, this is a video worth watching. It breaks my heart to see this. No one deserves to be forced into ECT. Please!

Let Me Live

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I went to Milledgeville, GA the other day with a friend, and we visited the cemetary at Central State Hospital. It is an inspiring place to visit because of the memorial that honors all the nameless patients who died there. I first learned about this memorial in 2003 when I took the Certified Peer Specialist training. If you've read my recovery story, you might remember that my training was held at this state hospital, and the thought of it made me call and cancel my training. I didn't think I could handle being anywhere near a state hospital for two weeks, even though I wasn't a patient. But I went, and it turned out to be one of the most inspiring times of my life -- largely because of this memorial. I hope you enjoy the video..