The Trialogues Podcast

In this episode Mary and I talk through ‘mutual recovery’ and mention ‘islands of clarity’. Mutual recovery is the idea that there is a dialogue between people on one side of the spectrum of mental health with those on the other, but really we are all working on ourselves in a variety of ways. So the dialogue is really between two people working on themselves.

We also challenge the idea that clinicians are “sane” and clients “ill” by talking through ways in which any one of us might be triggered. Mental illness is part of the human experience and part of our innate abilities is to understand people’s suffering because we have the capacity within ourselves to suffer and struggle.

In our next episode we are going to talk about some of the experiences that Mary had with clients at Windhorse and what she has learned, so make sure to subscribe.

To find out more visit: http://windhorseimh.org

Or email us at: [email protected]

Continuing our conversation around identity, diagnosis, and setting precedent, our clinical director Phoebe and I talk about how people should have the right to self-identify. We discuss the reality of challenges being more embedded in life than a mental health diagnosis would suggest. And Phoebe talks about how our Windhorse model allows us to more richly connect and resonate with the challenges and struggles that family members face on a daily or weekly basis. This leads us to a more in-depth talk about the Windhorse program.

To find out more visit: http://windhorseimh.org

Or email us at: [email protected]

This episode is a continuation of episode 16 with our clinical director Phoebe. I begin by asking, in thinking about removing rigid structures around identity, when is a mental health diagnosis helpful? We again think about setting precedent both in the legal sense and in the mental health world, and come to think about how this impacts both the clients being served and the service providers who are trying to care for their clients.

To find out more visit: http://windhorseimh.org

Or email us at: [email protected]

In this episode I sit down with our clinical director Phoebe, and we start the conversation thinking about two articles that she read recently. One about supreme court rulings and the other about the passing of time - both of which lead us through an interesting discussion of what it means to change your opinion and not have such rigid structures around identity.

To find out more visit: http://windhorseimh.org

Or email us at: [email protected]

If you haven’t listened to Episode 14 called ‘Recovery as a Journey of the Heart’ definitely go back because Mary and I continue the conversation on this episode. We get into talking about how Windhorse clinicians work with conflict, hopelessness, and negativity and Mary brings in her own story of working with depression as a learning experience.

To find out more visit: http://windhorseimh.org

Or email us at: [email protected]

In thinking about working with conflict, hopelessness, and negativity Mary talks about an article by Patricia Deegan called “Recovery as a Journey of the heart.” Her article supports the dignity of those in recovery, the importance of regarding the journey as human, and the importance of connection to people. It’s an article that Mary gives to parents here at Windhorse and will be linked in the show notes. In the article Patricia talks about her journey through conflict, hopelessness, and despair and how all are a form of intelligence and learning. We end the episode with Mary going over the key points and takeaways for the article. 

More about Patricia Deegan: https://www.patdeegan.com/

“Recovery as a Journey of the Heart” http://bit.ly/1IRDijx

To find out more visit: http://windhorseimh.org

Or email us at: [email protected]

In this episode we talk about our impulse to fix a situation when a loved one is in a state of depression, anxiety, psychosis, or other extreme mind states. We want to make right what feels wrong. But often just listening, or finding a way to connect with a sensory activity - going for a swim, taking a walk, watching a movie together, can lead to a grounding that supports you and the person in an extreme mind state in a way that trying to fix a situation can not.

To find out more visit: http://windhorseimh.org

Or email us at: [email protected]

This episode is a part 2 of staying connection through psychosis. Mary starts the conversation talking about being aware of things outside of our consciousness that may be affecting safety in a dialogue. We go on to talk about another important factor in staying connected through psychosis or extreme mind-states, being willing to give up our love affair with our own reality because isolation and loneliness are among the most painful human experiences. To give up our love affair with our reality and stay connected is important in supporting health and healing. Mary goes on to give some great examples as to how to give up the love affair with our reality to offer connection.

Links from the podcast:

Empathy vs. sympathy video: Brené Brown on Empathy http://bit.ly/1QtgRrG

Martin Buber - “I and Thou: Practicing Living Dialogue” book: http://amzn.to/1JKe4GK

To find out more visit: http://windhorseimh.org

Or email us at: [email protected]

Mary addresses the difficult topic of staying connected or in communication with a loved one who is experiencing psychosis or extreme mind states. This is a question that we hear a lot from friends and family members who want to be there for their loved one, but find it troubling or scary to be in the presence of psychosis. Mary shares ways practical ways of staying connected and going against our natural instincts to see threats and paying attention to safety.

To find out more visit: http://windhorseimh.org

Or email us at: [email protected]

In this episode we continue our conversation on Open Dialogue and I begin by asking Mary how you create safe spaces for people to take a risk. We also talk about staying in communication with someone who is psychotic or in an extreme state, and working with the safety element for yourself as well as others.

To find out more visit: http://windhorseimh.org

Or email us at: [email protected]