Speakers
Dr. Seetha Subbiah
With over 30 years of experience helping children and families facing various struggles, including voice hearing, Dr. Seetha Subbiah, runs a training centre in Singapore, teaching 17- to 80-year-olds, from all walks of life, including those with no prior knowledge of mental health practice to doctoral degree holders of Clinical Psychology, on how to engage and assist children (and their families), lead healthy lives and reach their full potential. She has and continues to provide similar services in various countries in Asia, e.g. Sri Lanka, Maldives, Malaysia, and Japan. Based on her 16 years of training in western mental health care and professional experience working with child voice hearers in the United States of America, she authored a book on voice hearing - Did You Hear That? Help for Children Who Hear Voices - which is available in English and other languages.
What Role Does Hearing Voices Play in Children's Lives?
Abstract of the lecture: Now there is a Hope. Lots of hope for children hearing voices to be able to live life to the fullest and journey through life like any other human in this world. Previously believed to be: Seriously Scary - Untreatable - Doomed for Life - Dead-end Condition. Now, there is better understanding of voice hearing, what role voices play in children’s lives, and how adults can help children live healthy lives, with and without voices.
Rai Waddingham
Rai Waddingham hears voices, sees visions and has times when she lives with an alternate reality. She is a proud member of the International Hearing Voices Movement, Chair of the English Hearing Voices Network and a trustee of Intervoice. She met the Hearing Voices Movement when she was struggling with the voices she hears and the beliefs she has. Through her local Hearing Voices Group she found a sense of community and connection that helped her find a way of living alongside her experiences. She is an international trainer and consultant, specialising in ethical and creative responses to mental distress (including Open Dialogue). She is currently completing a PhD in the knowledge gained through Lived Experience.
Motherhood and Voice-Hearing: A Conversation with Rai Waddingham and Kellie Stastny
Kellie Stastny
Kellie Stastny is a passionate advocate for breaking down barriers and fostering connection through shared understanding. As Chair of Intervoice and a dedicated leader in the Hearing Voices Movement, she brings a wealth of experience in amplifying diverse perspectives on human experiences. A proud voice-hearer and critical social worker, Kellie integrates her lived experience with over a decade in community and public mental health. Her work centres on trauma-informed, compassionate care, supporting individuals and families navigating psychiatric systems. She is deeply committed to training and advocacy, using the Hearing Voices Approach to challenge stigma and empower others.
Motherhood and Voice-Hearing: A Conversation with Rai Waddingham and Kellie Stastny
Pjér la Šé'z
In his psychotherapeutic practice, he accompanies his clients on their journey to find and realize personal freedom. Interestingly, he meets with his clients for therapy in a yurt, where he lived permanently for several years. [2][3] He also lectures. [4] In both of these areas, he is inspired by depth psychology and the work of C.G. Jung. Recordings of selected lectures are available on his YouTube channel [5] and website [6], as well as in his Facebook group. [7]
Dialogue and Personality as Fundamental Therapeutic Tools
Abstract of the lecture: In a world of power monologue, dialogue is becoming increasingly rare, and that is why it is necessary to maintain and cultivate it at least in the therapeutic space. And whatever therapeutic methods we use, we simply cannot do without cultivating our own personality.
Jindřich Jašík
In 2009, his natural disposition was diagnosed as a severe mental disorder called paranoid schizophrenia. After his release from hospitalization, however, he refused to be a compliant patient. He believed he could find a way to heal his ailing nature and subsequently write a book about it. That book was published ten years later under the title "The Way Out of Schizophrenia". For over fifteen years, he has not seen a psychiatrist or taken any psychotropic drugs. Instead, he has a wife and three children. Under the guidance of Marek Hopfenbeck, he completed training in Open Dialogue. Today, he is a facilitator and lecturer of Open Dialogue at the Narativ association. He has organized and lectured at destigmatization events for NUDZ. He is currently involved in a project of the Czech Ministry of Health aimed at increasing the involvement of people with psychiatric experience in the mental health care system. He visits students as part of the " Blázníš? No, a!" project, is a member of the South Moravian Region working group, deals with human rights aspects related to psychiatry, and has worked as a peer consultant at the Celsuz center for a long time.
From Authenticity to Mental Disorders
Abstract of the lecture: As children, our crying and laughter are considered natural human reactions in any situation. A child also does not suffer from schizophrenia when talking to a deceased father. They are simply coping with a difficult life situation in their own way. Over time, however, our behavior begins to be subject to diagnostic and statistical manuals. A trained professional then decides, based on this sacred book, whether our authentic reaction is healthy or sick. Thus, our authenticity can become a mental disorder. What impact does living in a society where we have to fear even our own nature have on our mental health?