Crazywise Conference

9:30 - 11:0

Crazy or wise? The wisdom of traditional peoples often seems to contradict the western view on mental health. The documentary CRAZYWISE explores what we could learn from people all over the world who turned their mental crisis into a positive, transformative experience.

11:00 - 11:20

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11:20 - 11:50

Director Phil Borges will be talking with the audience on the background of the film, and will share with us the insights he gained from making the film.

11:50 - 12:20

Isabel argues that both psychotic and spiritual experience come from the same potential of human experiencing which is accessible to all; the experience of  being taken ‘out of  oneself’ which, at its extremes, is characterized by anomalous experiencing. She links this potential to limitations of our brains as the filter of our perception. However, this is not a reductionist vision.  It links the reality of relationship, and the relationship that extends beyond the knowable which is characteristic of the spiritual and the religious, with the human potential that gives us both psychosis and spirituality. This is the territory of both transformation and dissolution, and a place beyond certainties.

12:20 - 13:05

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13:05 - 13:35

Charlie will outline some of the research being carried out with populations who report anomalous experiences but never come into contact with clinical services. This population can provide insights into the protective factors that may help people relate to, and integrate, anomalous experiences in a more benign or helpful way. The talk will particularly highlight the role of (internal and external) social safeness experience in facilitating this process. It will consider the need to develop a scientific narrative around social experiences in mental health to inform research and interventions.

13:35 - 14:05

Katie had been a psychiatric nurse for fifteen years, when she entered what some would call a spiritual crisis. Katie shares some of her most profound experiences leading up to, during and since her spiritual awakening in a candid interview.

14:05 - 14:25

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14:25 - 16:15

After the coffee break we would like to give people ample opportunity to discuss toegether various themes that the documentary might raise. We have selected the following themes in advance, but we will be flexible depending on the needs and circumstances. There is no need to register in advance for a particular discussion group.

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Sharing unshared realities (English)

In what way can we talk about our own spiritual or anomalous experiences that are not present to those around us? How can we establish a meaningful dialogue with those who seem to experience a reality that we do not recognize ourselves, without resorting to stigmatizing or pathologizing concepts? Group facilitator: Isabel Clarke

Raising awareness on Spiritual Crisis (English)

In what way can we raise awareness about spiritual phenomena in mainstream psychiatry? What do you do in your institution, what initiatives are being taken? What would you like do be done? Group facilitator: Katie Mottram

The Social Side of Spiritual Crisis (English)

Social relations with peers, friends and family can be really supportive when going through a crisis, but they can also be problematic or detrimental to the process or even the very cause of crisis. What are your experiences? Group facilitator: Charles Heriot-Maitland

Spiritual practices and alternative treatment.

Yoga, vipassana, mindfulness, holotropic breathwork, dreamwork, bio-energetics, active imagination, psychosynthesis, reiki, praying, tantra...   What helps where and when, and what does not? We will share our experiences with a variety of practices and therapies that may help or hinder the awakening or recovery process. Group facilitator: Arjan Lelivelt

Professionals by experience: to share or not to share?

Up till now, professionals in mental health have kept mostly quiet about their own breakdown and breakthrough experiences. In fact, not revealing one's personal experiences was understood to be an essential attribute of being a professional. These days, however, more and more professionals choose to tear down this "wall of silence". In this group we will discuss the opportunities and pitfalls of sharing one's experiences as a professional in public as well as when working with clients. Group facilitator: Clara Koek

Focus group on spirituality and bipolar disorder

Be part of a scientific study! Spiritual carer Eva Ouwehand discusses with participants outcomes of her interviews on spiritual experiences of 35 persons diagnosed with bipolar disorder. What helps to integrate such experiences in daily life and to regain balance? The discussion will be audiotaped and transcribed anonymously. Are you interested to know what the study is about? An article will be sent to you beforehand: e.ouwehand@altrecht.nl. Group facilitator: Eva Ouwehand

Share Your Story

Did you or your clients ever have spiritual experiences? Which elements of psychotic experiences could serve as an inspiration? How can a psychotic experience be seen in a different, more positive light? Join this group to hear about other people's stories and to share your own. Group facilitators: Griet Daemen en Ruud van Rijsingen

Protest and Psychosis

"Take life the way it comes, go with the flow, rest in Being, and if you do, Here and Now, then all is well." But what if after your beautiful mystical experience of unity daily life seems unbearably ugly, coarse, cruel, and unjust? Is all then still well, or does the misery of the world call for action and resistance, and is the "psychotic flight" a protest against the tragic brokenness and criminal mindnumbing mediocrity of daily life? Group facilitator: Grietje Keller

16:25 - 17:00

All the speakers of the day will offer answers to questions people in the audience may have.