Tag Archives: #mental health

The Plight of the Mentally Ill – The Challenges Mental Health Service Users Have Found in Using Psychiatry and Related Activism

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This essay will attempt to outline some of the challenges psychiatry and reliance on the biomedical model to treat mental health poses to mental health patients. I will also attempt to outline some activists who opposed the psychiatric paradigm and the different types of activism available to people who wish to change how mental health is treated and managed. Finally, I will look at a way forward and what could be achieved through activism and healing and empowerment of the patient or those who experience mental health difficulties.

Firstly, psychiatry relies on the Biomedical model when treating mental ill health, it believes that mental ill health is caused by “faulty brains” and chemical imbalances which must be treated and managed with medication. It believes these illness’s have a biological basis much like epilepsy or any other disease and it must be treated by a psychiatrist who is a doctor who has done additional training in order to be able to diagnose the illness’s and prescribe medications to manage it. Psychiatry is the primary method of treating mental ill health in the UK. This means many people who feel their health issues are caused by social and psychological or even spiritual reasons don’t necessarily get treatment and healing for those issues.

Overall is their evidence for a purely biomedical perspective? Certainly, in the past about 60 years ago the chemical basis for mental ill health was considered factual and evidence based. In the 1950’s “there were two revolutionary new drug treatments. The introduction of chlorpromazine in Paris in 1952 “… the synthesis of haloperidol in 1958 swiftly followed. In 1952, Max Lurie in Cincinnati first coined the term antidepressant after a trial that investigated isoniazid for tuberculosis. The first tricyclic antidepressant, imipramine, was launched in 1958, with amitriptyline hard on its heels in 1961.” (Burns, 2020) These drug treatments took the world by storm and in 1959 the Mental Health Act tightened up measures for compulsory treatment of mental health patients. The public was generally under the impression that mental health disorders were biological and based on chemical imbalances. Then, following this in the 60’s came the first of the anti-psychiatrists. They were known as R D (Ronnie) Laing, Michel Foucault, Erving Goffman and Thomas Szasz. These men dared to see mental health troubles from a very different lens that actively challenged the chemical imbalance theory looking at the very real social and psychological reasons certain individuals get diagnosed, they published popular books about their findings and were active speakers on the topic.

In addition, 50 years of intense scientific study into the chemical basis of disorders such as depression failed to prove that it was in fact caused by a chemical imbalance and was not due to an imbalance of serotonin as previously thought, leaving psychiatry in a position where it was not actually scientifically proven and/or evidence based (Moncrieff, 2014 cited by Vicary and Mallon 2024)

There is no biological test for these disorders, diagnosis being made purely by the observation of different behaviours, signs and symptoms. So, it cannot be measured in the same way as any other disease which has a biological basis and indeed there is no real evidence a diagnosis exists on a biological and chemical basis as psychiatry claims.

So why then in the UK, is psychiatry still classed as the main and most reputable treatment for mental health issues? Why is it so many people accept their diagnosis and think that to become well is to take and be compliant to a prescription of psychiatric drugs? While it is true many people have found the medications helpful, and that is why they continue to take their medications, a large portion of the mental health population has never recovered enough so they can return to work and live fully functioning lives again despite their medications. Many service users are simply excluded from mainstream society and are instead maintained while still unwell and experiencing side effects and secondary health issues from their medications, on health-related benefits, often isolated in their homes or put into specialist shared houses as supported living.

Compliance with their diagnosis and psychiatric drugs may also be considered the only option and service users may feel they have no other choice or that the professionals must know best.  In the UK, psychiatry is actively forced on patients with compulsory treatment in hospitals, with being detained under the Mental Health Act.  It is considered by the powerful authorities that medication and forced treatment is the best and most vital option to help these patients despite lack of evidence and other forms of treatment may not be employed. Another challenge people with mental health conditions face are they may be traumatised by the compulsory, forced and often heavy-handed hospitalisations and administration of psychiatric drugs. I have lived experience of this in the UK and it is experienced in psychiatric hospitals across the world (Kennedy, 2021 cited by Samra,2024) There’s a serious power imbalance between the patient and the psychiatric system which deems individuals unwell and must be treated with methods that are not backed up by serious science and it must be very difficult to form a helping or therapeutic relationship with someone and build trust while forcing them to comply.  Service users often have no choice on how they are treated and if they refuse treatment can lose their liberties and come under the complete legal control of mental health services.

There is also challenges to mental health service users around the labelling and diagnosing of themselves with a disorder. These diagnosis or labels often carry significant stigma and may leave people feeling unhappy about themselves or may lead them to being excluded or treated differently in society. As previously mentioned, there is no biological test for a mental health disorder and it is instead a judgement based on the opinion of society, family members and mental health professionals. Who decides who is acting abnormally or not? Normality can also vary from culture to culture – in a secular society someone who is hearing voices or experiencing visions of hell or the voice of God may be labelled with schizophrenia whereas in a religious or shamanic culture they may be labelled as a prophet or shaman and trained for their gifts. There have also been those activists influenced by Foucalt who concluded “mental illness is simply a convenient label to remove uncomfortable and supposedly deviant individuals unable to contribute economically” (Burns, 2020)

To address this power imbalance and aid those individuals diagnosed with a mental health condition and have come under the care and control of the psychiatric team often against their wishes, there has been the need for activism. Activism is where groups of people work together to effect change. In the case of the mental health system changes could include changes on who gets diagnosed as mentally unwell and why, changes to the narratives people have around their experiences and struggles, what is classed as a mental health problem or not, how mental health patients are handled and their power status and role in society, changes in who gets detained, for how long and why and changes in how mental ill health is managed and treated. Activism can also include trying to change public opinion and attitudes both in terms of stigma and prejudice and exclusion of those deemed mentally unwell, and also on what sort of treatments the public should expect from their health service should they or a relative become unwell or diagnosed with a mental health condition.

Activism can be done in a variety of different ways but can be broadly put into two different types conventional actions and radical actions (Johnston and Gulliver, 2022 cited by Jones 2024) Conventional actions are those which are legal and use standard processes and institutions in society such as writing to an MP or attending a peaceful protest or making a You Tube video whereas radical actions tend to be illegal such as occupying a building or blocking a road.

Successful activism can include Franco Basaglia’s reforms of Italy’s psychiatry where he rejected the medical basis of diagnoses and the exclusion they fostered. In 1978 Italy passed Basaglia’s law banning admission to mental hospitals and required them all to close. (Burns, 2020)

Another successful form of activism was the removal of homosexuality from the Psychiatrists DSM, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the bible for diagnosing mental disorders. To achieve this activist employed both conventional and radical activism lobbying the APA to declassify homosexuality, in 1973 homosexuality was finally no longer considered a mental disorder. (Jones, 2024b)

Current forms of conventional activism could include the popular You Tube Channel by Lauren Kennedy which until recently was called “Living Well with Schizophrenia” – in this channel Lauren has put herself and her story into the public domain where she has been managing a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder. On her channel she has highlighted many concerns such as her experience with forced medication (Kennedy 2021 cited by Samra 2024 to reducing stigma of the disorder by talking about the issues and being a popular You Tube celebrity while also having a mental health diagnosis. She has also recently started highlighting other potential avenues of treatment instead of relying on psychiatric drugs, with her exploration of medical keto, to the end where she has been able to come off all her psychiatric medications and now manages her symptoms with this diet and the help of her keto coach. Her activism has helped shift public opinion on what someone with a mental health disorder looks acts like, fostered dialogue on the issue in her comments section, influenced professionals and has inspired many people living with mental health disorders to live better lives.

Activism can be paid or unpaid – activism that is paid may be undertaken by mental health organisations such as Mind or Rethink Mental Illness lobbying the government on behalf of their members or undertaken by Experts by Experience’s employed by Health Boards to implement change from within the health service using their lived experience and use of the services as a guide. Employed peer mentors and therapists with the dual role of having lived experience while also working within the health system can also utilise change from within the system.  Unpaid or voluntary activism may be done by service users or by concerned friends or relatives and carers either individually or by forming grass roots organisations and movements such as the psychiatric survivor’s movement. The skills and talents of people with mental health conditions may be employed in activism such as using the arts and creativity to conduct craftivism, the art of gentle protest by creating beauty and a better world through engaging with others, inspiring thought and fostering dialogue with crafts and creativity, (Corbett, 2016)  

Alternative forms of treatment also need to be promoted and discovered which may better address the human needs of those with mental health struggles, looking at the very real social and psychological and spiritual reasons for their difficulties. Support networks could be better built up and communities fostered so people are less isolated in dealing with their issues with experienced peer mentors guiding and facilitating growth and healing processes which empower the patient rather than subduing them. The Recovery College Model which is peer lead and service user developed and run could be a definite way forward as could looking at alternative ways of viewing mental health difficulties such as the Power Threat Meaning Network which addresses power imbalances and encourages people to form more hopeful narratives where they create different stories of their lives with a more hopeful future on why they experienced difficulties rather than purely see themselves as “mentally ill” or through the lens of a diagnosis or disorder.

Service users face real challenges with how mental health conditions are currently treated in the UK. While many people do find medications helpful, they are often not “cured” from their disorders and there is very little real evidence for the chemical imbalance theory of mental health. Mental health diagnosis’s do not have a biological test and are based purely on the opinion of professionals and the norms of a particular culture. There is a huge power imbalance in how mental health patients are managed which can be open to abuse and can be perceived of as oppressive rather than helpful.  Mental health patients can lose their liberties if they refuse to comply with psychiatric treatment. In the past groups of people who you wouldn’t class as mentally ill today were considered mentally ill such as homosexuals and the same could also apply today for other marginalised groups and those classed as deviant or economically unproductive.  

Activism is needed to change the challenges service users face, there have been many successes in challenging psychiatry and changing public opinion from the advent of the ant psychiatrists with their books and public speaking, to Basaglia’s reform of Italy’s psychiatry to popular you tube channel activism by Lauren Kennedy to the work of organisations such as Mind, Recovery Colleges and the Psychiatric survivors Movement. In fact, we can all be changemakers and demand real evidence based and compassionate care for mental health difficulties instead of over relying on an often-oppressive psychiatric system and forced compliance to psychiatric drugs.  Current narratives around peoples struggles and what causes them can be challenged.  

Mental health patients can be included in the dialogue of what comes next and service users and their carers with their lived experience both in their knowledge of how to manage a crisis and come through to the other side and their knowledge of what it’s like to be on the recovering end of psychiatric care could lead the way in helping to shape the future of mental health services

References

Ambord, N., Burr, C. and Gianfranco Zuaboni (2024) ‘A Glimmer of Hope: The Impact of the Recovery College Bern on Personal Recovery, Well‐Being and Self‐Stigmatisation—A Mixed Methods Study’, International Journal of Mental Health Nursing [Preprint]. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.13482.

Burns, T. (2020) ‘A history of antipsychiatry in four books’, The Lancet Psychiatry, 7(4), pp. 312–314. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/s2215-0366(20)30106-1.

Cardiff and Vale Recovery & Wellbeing College (2024) Cardiff and Vale University Health Board. Available at: https://cavuhb.nhs.wales/our-services/welcome-to-the-cardiff-and-vale-recovery-wellbeing-college/ (Accessed: 13 March 2025).

Jones (2024a) “Different types of activism”, K243 Mental Health in Society. Available at:Learning Guide 12 Doing: advocacy, activism, mental health and wellbeing: 2.2 Different types of activism | OU online  [Accessed 12/03/25]

Jones (2024b) “Removing Homosexuality from the DSM, K243 Mental Health in Society. Available at: https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=2279892&section=3.1 [Accessed 12/03/25]

How To Be A Craftivist: The Art of Gentle Protest by Sarah Corbett – YouTube (no date) http://www.youtube.com. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtHaM7j3Hvg (Accessed: 3 February 2021).

MIND (2024) Mind, the mental health charity – help for mental health problems, Mind. Mind. Available at: https://www.mind.org.uk/.

The British Psychological Society (2018) Power Threat Meaning Framework – The British Psychological Society, http://www.bps.org.uk. Available at: https://www.bps.org.uk/member-networks/division-clinical-psychology/power-threat-meaning-framework. [Accessed 12/03/25}

Samara (2024)” Psychiatric services across cultures” K243 Mental Health in Society. Available at: Learning Guide 8 Critiques of psychiatry: 2.1 Psychiatric services across cultures | OU online [Accessed 12/03/25]

Vicary and Mallon (2024) “The medical model of depression” K243 Mental Health in Society. Available at: Learning Guide 2 Introducing mental health and mental ill-health: 4.1 The medical model of depression | OU online [Accessed 12/03/25]

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A Mental Health System With Soul?

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The social issue we are going to explore in this essay is the role of the mental health system in Wales in managing people with mental health conditions. There is a mental health crisis in the western world especially the UK, where according to Mind, a UK based mental health charity 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health condition of some kind each year in the UK. Other crisis’s which has effected the UK population such as pandemics, economic crisis and climate concerns as well as increased reliance on technology and divorce from the natural world has only added to the number of people experiencing mental ill health. The mental health system is meant to be a healthcare safety net for people experiencing mental ill health to manage and care for their needs while their unwell. However there is an increasing body of people known as psychiatric survivors who all feel they have experienced something of a human rights abuse in the way they were treated by the mental health system and its reliance on compliance to psychiatric drugs

The mental health system is an allopoietic system in that it has a purpose. “Allopoiesis is the process whereby a system produces something other than the system itself.” (online dictionary, 2022)

The mental health system is a subpart of the general health system and its purpose could be defined as a system which helps manage individuals mental health crisis’s, nurse a person suffering from mental ill health back to healthy functioning and look after the health and social needs of those deemed unwell. If its purpose is to restore health, why then are there so many people with mental health conditions simply taken out of the pool of societies workers, awarded social security benefits and are left to struggle at home with their conditions without receiving the proper care and support they need, or worse are abused by the system, losing homes, family members and dignity.

“ The least obvious part of the system, its function or purpose, is often the most crucial determinant of the system’s behaviour.” (Meadows, D H 2008 p. 16)

So the purpose of the mental health system needs to evaluated and understood and if its purpose is to provide a health service, then real discussion is needed on how effective it is at achieving the health goals of its clients.

There are many stories which can be listened to from psychiatric survivors of mistreatment by the modern mental health system from people in all strata’s of society, from notable celebrities like Frank Bruno to You Tube celebrities like Lauren Kennedy who runs a popular channel called “Living well with Schizophrenia” and produces videos on all aspects of mental health including forced medication and being excluded from society. I propose that due to a growing number of stories, as well as several movements of psychiatric survivors from those who have been vocal about their treatment by a system that is meant to heal them, not including those who feel too unwell or unable to complain, that the mental health system needs a redesign. For the purpose of this essay I will be exploring human centred or user experience design and systems thinking, ecolinguisitcs and craftivism when considering how I could contribute to the redesign of the mental health system over the future course of my design career.

Design thinking is an exciting new paradigm for dealing with complex problems including environmental, political or social issues. It is an optimistic positive approach using design methods to look at a problem and its solutions in a new way. User experience and design empathy is important in design thinking as it often look at a problem from a users perspective.

“Human-centred design and design thinking have become popularised over the past 20 years largely to improve a company’s creative innovation potential— as well as the bottom line” (Kelley and Kelley 2013 cited by Jones, H 2022) and is useful not only for commercial enterprises but also for designing around social issues and systems.

I have a mental health condition which I am told requires lifelong treatment so I will likely be working with the mental health system over the next few years of my design career and I hope to play an active role in the way the service is delivered not only to myself but to others also by highlighting the issues and providing feedback to the service providers and volunteering for mental health charities who press for change. I can also use my art and design work to participate in craftivism, Craftivism or activism through craft to tackle social injustice is the way of the peaceful warrior in creating arts, crafts and designs which press for cultural change. I exhibit art in my local area with an artists group called the “Last Foundation” and I can use the exhibitions to highlight the concerns in the mental health system and showcase the work and talents of people with mental health conditions.

When looking at the design of the mental health system its worth noting that there,s been a paradigm shift in design thinking itself in recent years when designing for the greater good in things like health services, education systems or charities and that shift is based around who does the designing. In the past it was just the stakeholders who did the designing employing specially trained designers, but now we are looking at scenarios in service design, where everyone does the designing and innovation is everyone’s responsibility.

To have a fully human centred design of the mental health system the design of it would need to be done not only by isolated trained experts, but by those who are on the front line of the services, people such as mental health nurses, social workers and even the service users themselves.

“That same kind of revolutionary shift is under way today in innovation. Innovation I, the old paradigm, looks a lot like quality assurance. It is isolated in experts and senior leaders, decoupled from
the everyday work of the organization….. we are seeing the emergence of Innovation II, the democratizing of innovation. In this world, we
are all responsible for innovation. Even the term itself has a new meaning. Innovation isn’t only—or
even mostly—about big breakthroughs; it is about improving value for the stakeholders we serve. And
everybody in an organization has a role to play” (Liedtka, J, Salzman,R, Azer, D 2017)

If I as active participant in its innovation was going to redesign the mental health system using design thinking I would certainly need to utilise design empathy and to get to know the clients, or the users of the system from the inside out and design for these clients foremost, I would also draw on my own experience of the system which has at times been less than human. “In moving ‘beyond designing’ in its current form today, Jones reminds us that we should ‘not forget what is still important— the humanity’” (Jones 2020 cited by Jones,H 2022) especially when designing something for the vulnerable.

This humanity is fundamentally what often seems to be lacking in the current way people with mental health conditions are treated, where illness is not always seen as a very human problem, but something of a materialistic scientific puzzle focussed on biological processes and chemical imbalances in the brain and it is the humanity and empathy with peoples lives, soulful concerns, needs and care which would have to be put foremost in a redesign of a complex health system. A new way of looking at the system from a design thinking perspective specifically addresses this problem

Driving this approach has been an imperative to better understand what users need. The central tenet of human-centred design and design thinking is empathy— putting users first in the design process to create more applicable products and services. This has led to many useful innovations, from redesigning patients’ and medical practitioners’ experiences, to making cycling more accessible (Brown 2008 cited by Jones, H 2022)”

The Hasso Plantar Institute of Design at Stanford first evolved the concept of five phases in design thinkingwhich involvesempathising with the users, defining the problems, ideating and coming up with ideas, immersion or development of these ideas, prototyping or developing these ideas on a grand scale or real life scenario before leading to actually testing these ideas.

While empathising with the users of the mental health system, we need to look at the stories they tell about themselves and their treatment, as well as the stories they are told by their doctors, friends and family and culture and media about their mental illness.

“stories are the secret reservoir of values; change the stories that individuals or nations live by and you change the individuals and nations themselves (Ben Okri, 2018)

This includes looking at the names or labels given to people with mental health conditions, the DSM is the psychiatric bible which contains the names of all the disorders with all the symptoms, but many of these names have loaded meanings or stories attached to them. Renaming the disorders with less stigma attached names with better stories such as schizophrenic being renamed to creative daydreamer may do a lot to change how the illness is perceived and handled.

The whole system has to be taken into account as well as the culture in which the system is placed with all their stories and guiding narratives, competing ideologies and worldviews.

Social systems are the external manifestations of cultural thinking patterns and of profound human needs, emotions, strengths, and weaknesses. Changing them is not as simple as saying “now all change,” or of trusting that he who knows the good shall do the good. (Meadows, D H. 2008.p. 167)

Looking at the stories and cultural thinking patterns which a system is formed by leads us to the study of ecolinguistics.

In essence, ecolinguistics consists of questioning the stories that underpin our current unsustainable civilization, exposing those stories that are clearly not working, that are leading to ecological destruction and/or social injustice, and finding new stories that work better in the conditions of the world that we face. These are not stories in the traditional sense of a narrative, however, but rather discourses, frames, metaphors and, in general, clusters of linguistic features that come together to covey particular worldviews. (Halliday (2001)

Ecolinguistics is not only useful for considering ecological issues but also social issues by examining the stories we live by and make up our world or culture. The redesign has to be considered not only from the perspective of human centred design and looking at the needs of the users and participants in the system with empathy and humanity but also by evaluating the stories and cultural assumptions which cause the system to exist in its current form. The world-views which the designers and operators of the system hold which cause mental health to be treated in the way it is. Is mental health considered purely from a scientific mechanistic perspective for instance?

A paradigm shift in the way the mental health system operated could only occur when the main stories which make up its current functioning, such as the chemical imbalance theory for mental health were effectively challenged and overturned. Service users too would have to be revaluated not just as service users, a sick and disabled “useless” class whos function is to consume psychiatric drugs and use the services but as living breathing human beings with complex issues in their lives and culture which could be contributing to their mental ill health and whom also have unique abilities and talents which can contribute in a meaningful way to society. These service users also cannot be considered in isolation, but as people who are part of the greater whole of society and the natural world.

Paradigms resist change because they are driven by complex vested interests, habits and assumptions that sustain each another and are embedded in the language. Words and metaphors reveal some opportunities but hide others. By identifying ‘unthinkable-possibles’ then ‘re-languaging’ them, we can create ‘future-possibles’.(W, J 2022)

To identify unthinkable possibles we need to look at other cultures and their stories which will be different to ours in the UK on how they imagine people with mental health conditions to be. In some shamanic cultures for example people who exhibit signs which we would say are signs of a mental disorder, indicates

“the birth of a healer,” …Thus, mental disorders are spiritual emergencies, spiritual crises, and need to be regarded as such to aid the healer in being born.

What those in the West view as mental illness, the Dagara people regard as “good news from the other world.” The person going through the crisis has been chosen as a medium for a message to the community that needs to be communicated from the spirit realm” (M P Some, 2012)

In such cultures the person is taken aside and trained potentially becoming a shaman for their society. The article “what a shaman sees in mental hospital” which quoted Malidoma Patrice Somé an elder from the Dagada community of Dano, West Africa popularised this theory and gave people in the west including the mentally ill a new way of seeing their illness. The scientific paradigm doesn’t consider the spiritual or the soul in their mental health care, and the crisis was not in other cultures just something of a chemical imbalance but a real spiritual and existential crisis which needed careful management and treatment with care compassion, humanity, empathy and sharing in community. In their culture a person undergoing such a crisis could come through to the other side with real gifts to share, empowered and strong and with a valid role in their soceity ,wheras in our culture such people are often simply wasted being considered disabled or sick for life.

The stories believed and told about the mentally ill person and what was occuring in their life being very different depending on the culture they belonged to with outcomes being very different depending on the stories that were believed, one leading to the birth of a healer or even a shaman with an important role to fulfil in their culture, the other leading to someone being considered disabled and sick or even useless in society.

A system for mental health would be very different in design depending on the underpinning cultural assumptions or stories that were believed about the people being treated. People are less likely to be abused by the system if the people being treated by the system are viewed differently, not just as broken people who may become a burden but as valuable members of society with something to give and share.

To conclude when contributing to the redesign of the mental health system and a mental health paradigm shift in my own life over the course of my design career. I can look at my circumstances and the circumstances of other people with mental health diagnosis’s with empathy and compassion. I can be an active participant in the innovation of the mental health system by being vocal about my treatment and providing feedback and working with mental health charities. I can utilise the tools of design thinking and human centred design in how I think about the problems people with mental health conditions face and contribute to coming up with better solutions. I can also participate in craftivism and use my art and design work to highlight the issues and showcase the talents of people with mental health conditions and show how we deserve better treatment. I can use ecolinguistics as a tool to re-examine the stories told to myself about mental health by the doctors, medical professionals, media and culture and challenge the assumptions or ideologies these stories are based upon to ensure I receive better treatment and care. I can reinvent myself using language stories and positive labels to tell my own stories to myself about my struggles and role in society. I can view myself not as a broken person but as an artist and designer and creative daydreamer who has been through a life changing transformative experience which has given me a unique insight into the systems we work with in the UK and the world-views and myths which govern our lives. There are millions of people with mental health conditions in the UK undergoing similar experiences and can all push for change with the right tools and insights. I can use my gifts of being a creative daydreamer to access the royal road of the unconscious and dream into being new paradigms, new stories and ways of being for our culture and society which is inclusive of all people including those deemed disabled or mentally ill and see life through a different lens.

REFERENCES

Corbett, S.P. (2017) How to be a craftivist: The art of gentle protest. London: Unbound.

Dam, R.F. (2022) The 5 stages in the design thinking process, The Interaction Design Foundation. Interaction Design Foundation. Available at: https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/5-stages-in-the-design-thinking-process (Accessed: December 11, 2022).

Ecolinguistics (2022) Stories We Live By. Available at: https://www.storiesweliveby.org.uk/ (Accessed: December 11, 2022).

Halliday, M. (2001) New ways of meaning: the challenge to applied linguistics. In Alwin Fill and Peter Mühlhäusler (eds) The ecolinguistics reader. London: Continuum

Kennedy, L. (2020) My experience with forced medication, YouTube. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vejAlrkRue8 (Accessed: December 11, 2022).

Liedtka, J., Azer, D. and Salzman, R. (2018 )Design thinking for the greater good innovation in the Social Sector. New York: Columbia Business School Publishing.

Midgley, M. (2014) Myths we live by. Taylor & Francis Ltd.

Meadows, D. (2008) Thinking in Systems. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing.

Mind Charity UK (2022) Mind. Available at: http://www.mind.org.uk/ (Accessed: December 11, 2022).

nuffinlongtv (2017) Frank Bruno says mental health medication is destroying a lot of people , YouTube. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HxaGwKz620&t=1484s (Accessed: December 11, 2022).

Stickdorn, M. and Schneider, J. (2010) This Is Service Design Thinking: Basics–Tools–cases. Amsterdam: BIS Publishers.

Wood, J., Jones, H. and Lockheart, J. (2022) Metadesigning designing in the anthropocene. New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.

Archetypes – Pure Forms in Reflection in the mind

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So as I have been doing some inner work during the lockdown, and as Im returning from my cave now being that things are gradually returning to normal. I thought I would do some writing about the archetypes.

So what is an archetype? well they are found in Jungian Psychology to describe an “old pattern” that is found in the collective unconsious of humanity. So they are patterns and forms which are eons old (older than a single human life span) and influence human beings psychologically on an individual and grande/ collective scale.

We know about the iceburg model of the psyche where the part we are aware and consious of is tiny whereas the rest of the pyche is submerged with the hidden parts still hugely important. Well Carl Jung explored the psyche or the mind and found it was filled with mythical material and could provide access to some of the things we know of as the “spiritual realm”

So in our own minds there is actually a treasure trove of material both mythical and shadowy that has influenced us all our lives and even influences whole cultures collectively. You could even say the “shadows” or reflections of pure forms such as the gods are found in our own psyche (look at platos theory of forms) So these archetypes are mirror reflections of real pure form which are in the spiritual world.

One archetype I have mentioned already is the shamanic archetype – now this archetype emerges from the psyche when there is a crisis – so when we have a job loss, or health crisis, or some other breakdown in the usual running of our lives the shamanic archetype may appear as an age old form in our own minds to guide us through the crisis. So this may mean we may suddenly become interested in spiritual things, chanting, meditation, dancing, spiritual artwork and so on. The shamanic archetype has many facets and when it appears in our minds it can influence our behaviour in a myraid of different ways

So some of the other more famous archetypes you may have come across are not always so heroic. Some of them can be the victim, so if we repeatedly find ourselves playing the victim role in life it may be that we are influenced by this archetype – or wounded child if we experienced childhood adversity which may come to the fore. Magical or eternal/divine child may also appear like the shamanic archetype to guide us during a crisis and lead us to see the less serious side of life and play.

If someone you know is suddenly interested in witchcraft and astrology then they may be playing out roles from the witch archetype – not only are these archetypes in our collective unconcious influencing our behaviour from behind the scenes.

They also have their own narratives, so say the witch or shamanic archetype may clash with the church and the priest archetype – or they may go on quests like the heros journey. The archetypes are also found in tools like the tarot – and the major arcana of shows the fools journey or the heros journey in an archetypal narrative – which many events in our individual and global lives play out

They all run in patterns like seasons, but their old – their the basis of all our films and stories. You can predict events by them for instance when there is an universal calamity you know there is always a rebirth and reformation of order in a new form.

I have been experiementing with trying to find out what my unconscious archetypal influences are through doing the Shamanic Workbook on the school of modern soul science website and using Archetype cards to get to know all these old patterns and reflections of pure forms a lot better since it is apparent they have so much influence over my behaviour and the behaviour of others in my life. Once awareness is gained – so you may find you have definate influence by the victim archetype, martyr archetype and God archetype – so this may be something you want to change. If you are perpetually in the role of victim then this needs to be transformed to a different form and influence such as warrior or mother or some other more favourable archetype for a victorious life.

So gaining awareness of the patterns is the first step – to become aware as an OBSERVOR of whats going on with the archetypes and how these patterns are influencing your life. Their stories have been running in the collective since time immorial so if you allow them to they will run your whole life and you may become a personification of one of the archetypes such as fairy or shaman or witch or warrior. But in a way this is an honour as many people believe the archetypes we have in our psyche are are reflection of a pure form of them in the spiritual world. So they are in essence a pure expression of God. Its Gods creativity and divine story in the making running through the whole human existance and also the things we create (see platos theory of forms and the tree of life kabbalah – archetypal world) – so they are a fascinating and beautiful study of God which nobody ever mentions in places like church and it seems not everyone knows about.

Anyway I recommend learning what archetypes are unconsciously running your life and then choosing to live with them in union or break free for more conscious living – wondrous divine forms in reflection in the mirrors of our mind – hidden from us by our shadows along with our true self.

What images do you have in your mind?

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Thoughts and options head with arrows on blackboard

During these times of lockdowns and health crisis’s as the world begins to try and return to normal or our new normal as the case may be. Many of us will have been doing some reflection and inner work during this time.

Inner work is something that never ends once you start – while you may heal any surface traumas or reasons for being in crisis there always remains more tools to learn until you can finally one day come to a stage of self mastery.

One such tool that is very useful during these times is guided imagery. Many people will have noticed that we are constanly bombarded with images – we dont notice half of them as we blank out constant advertisements billboards and other messages but this doesnt mean that our mind hasnt “noticed” those images – no they get slipped straight into the back of our mind our subconscious. When we watch tv and news reports during times such as these with the Coronovirus crisis we may be immediately overwhelmed by a series of fearful crisis images – people in scary masks, doctors and fearsome ideas of death and dying being imminant.

So, we may be strong and feel these images have no real effect on us and consciously we may be OK, but subconsciously those images have entered our thought life and begin to do their work in causing a darkened mind filled with fear and worry. The media is so powerful, at least as much as the advertising agencies in influencing our minds through images and nobody is immune. So what do you do during a crisis or a war when the images used by the media and other agencies get even more intense which may realistically threaten to over whelm our mental health

1 We can choose to limit our exposure to these images – maybe choose to watch less tv for instance and instead use to the time to learn something new or practise a calming and enjoyable hobby instead.

2 We can utilise Guided imagery

3 We can create art of our own positive uplifting healing images

I have already covered some benefits of art making in earlier blogs but we have never looked at guided imagery.

According to Martin Rossman who wrote the book Guided Imagery for self healing the brain has 2 parts one thinks in words and logic and the other part thinks mainly in images. So what is guided imagery? – guided imagery utilises the two parts of the brain and unites the conscious and unconscious by describing images and sensory experiences as a guided meditation to take the person on an experience which is beautiful enjoyable and healing.

The video below is an example of guided imagery “the forest awakens”

So in this kind of mediation the person goes on a journey filled with guided images which fill the mind and help cause a physiological response with is the OPPOSITE of fear tension and anxiety. So this is a perfect antidote to the fear based images we may receive in our minds from other sources.

Sometimes we may also find that we may be indoors more often in order to meet the demands of quarantine and to keep ourselves safe – so if we can take a guided imagery walk through the forest – this fills our mind and subconsious with beautiful images and scents and sounds which have a fully transformative and healing effect

Guided imagery can also be used to alleviate all kinds of sufferings like anxiety and pain or can even be uses to prepare for stressful life events such as speaking in public or preparing for an exam.

Guided imagery can also be uses to compost or transform old negative stuck emotions which may appear to be held in the body but are actually in the mind which appears to be non local. So an example would be to imagine all the things which have causes you anxiety over the last month and feel all that heavy material from that leaving your body and being composted into the ground – to be transformed into beautiful crystaline energy

There are wonderful guided imagery meditations found online to help with all sorts of life dillemas and anxieties including the current crisis – there is some great meditations and exercises by a lady called Anahita Joon – transforming fear into wisdom http://www.anahitajoon.com/

Guided imagery is used in Quantum healing accessing the archetypes of the subconscious mind as guided imagery connects both the conscious and the unconscious with great results for healing trauma

It utilises intention, attention and imagination which are great things for positive results in meditation and its free.

You could even record your own guided imagery sessions to use on yourself tailored to a specific issue you want to work on or alleviate.

Another thing that may be worth trying is recording the imagery of your mind in a journal – just taking some time to notice which sort of images dominate your thought life – you always have access to your true self and the Divine so you may have a great deal of positive images – but may notice all the subliminals from advertising, the fearsome media images, bad memories and so on in there again. So once you have made your mental imagery more conscious you can then utilse guided imagery to transform those images – so imagine what it would be like if the images were better and happier. This requires a great deal of vision which can take us out of a narrow fearful state and into a more expansive state and then we can note this down in our journal too – or even create some positive images or a vision board of a better outcome as goals to create

Dynamic guided imagery can be utilised in things like chakra dance where you can dance to a guided imagery session – ie you may dance around an imaginary camp fire or a crystal cave or in the ocean. https://www.dailyom.com/cgi-bin/courses/courseoverview.cgi?cid=928

So in these times its great to have as many tools for positive mental health as possible and guided imagery is a great tool for healing satisfaction happiness and well being no matter the weather in life.