We just finished another Creative Maladjustment Week.
In case you are new to that phrase, for more than a decade, Martin Luther King talked about “creative maladjustment.”
MLK would say that he was proud to be creatively maladjusted to problems like militarism, poverty and racism.
A number of years ago, MindFreedom International began a Creative Maladjustment Week to celebrate this idea, and to challenge what is falsely called “normal.”
Of course, there are 8 days in Creative Maladjustment Week. I suggest we add a ninth day, because today, July 15, is the birthday of an amazing, late, psychiatric survivor author and leader: Leonard Roy Frank (photo on right).
You can read about Creative Maladjustment Week on a special MindFreedom website here: http://cmweek.org/
Getting Ready For Creative Maladjustment Week 2019
The MindFreedom website for CM Week needs a few improvements. For example, there is a downloadable PDF manual about how you can have a CM event. Unfortunately, each day is connected to a day of the week, which of course would change each year.
Below are the theme days for 2019, including a special ninth day for the birthday of Leonard Roy Frank. I suggest the theme be Revolution. Many people called Leonard the Gandhi of the Mad Movement, and hopefully he would appreciate this.
OK, here are the days and themes for next year:
July 7, 2019, Sunday, Day 1: Day of Creativity
July 8, 2019, Monday, Day 2: Day of Action & Movement
July 9, 2019, Tuesday Day 3: Day of Laughter & Joyful Noise
July 10, 2019, Wednesday, Day 4: Day of Kindness
July 11, 2019, Thursday, Day 5: Day of Self Care
July 12, 2019, Friday, Day 6: Day of Community Care
July 13, 2019, Saturday, Day 7: Legacy of Lunacy
July 14, 2019, Sunday, Day 8: Day of PRIDE
July 15, 2019, Monday, Day 9: Day of Revolution
Please note that July 2019 will also have the 50th Anniversary of the Oregon Country Fair. While I could not find the exact dates for OCF 2019, I will guess that it will be from Friday, July 12, to Sunday, July 14.
Are you inspired by Creative Maladjustment Week? I feel that an update of the idea might help. Perhaps Creative Disorder, since today the mental health system uses the phrase “disorder” more than anything else.
I encourage Positively Crazy activities, which I call the new PC. Too often we hear about negative activities attached to mental problems. The fact is that many creative and peaceful actions are Positively Crazy.
Do you agree? Do you have any ideas? Please post your comment here. Get ready for CM Week 2019. I hope to help update the MindFreedom website and PDF for Creative Maladjustment Week.
Those of us who have experienced human rights challenges because of the mental health system, have often been marginalized and silenced. Our viewpoints are diverse, and need to be part of the national conversation.
Here in the USA, the debate over gun safety often involves mental health, yet we in the public seldom hear from psychiatric survivors.
Personally, what is very horrifying to me is the USA federal government currently has programs in 17 cities to support court-ordered involuntary outpatient mental health. That is right, USA taxpayers are spending more than $50 million to coerce hundreds of their fellow citizens to take psychiatric drugs that they do not want.
Of course, this outpatient coerced mental healthcare has gone on for decades on the state-level, impacting thousands. But there is something about the USA federal government paying directly for these coerced outpatient procedures that really bothers me.
If you would like to read more about USA federal support for court-ordered involuntary outpatient mental health, I have blogged about it here.
Are You a USA Psychiatric Survivor?
For decades, I have been a public activist as a psychiatric survivor. Each of us defines “psychiatric survivor” in our own ways. For me, I experienced coerced mental healthcare inside a psychiatric institution about five times.
I am helping MindFreedom International, one of the main independent human rights action groups in mental health, to learn from psychiatric survivors about what can help get out our stories. I am facilitating a national focus group on Sunday, June 10, 2018. Ideally, you would have access to a webcam that works. We will take care of all the technical needs for a video teleconference.
We only have limited room, so if you are interested, please contact me soon. Even if you cannot join us on that day, I would like to hear from you. For instance, I am working on a survey of USA psychiatric survivors.
If you are a USA psychiatric survivor who would like to be in touch, please email to me via my consulting business, Aciu Institute, LLC: revolution@aciu.info
MindFreedom is Recruiting Ten Psychiatric Survivors for a Focus Group
MindFreedom International is hosting a web-based focus group on June 10 for psychiatric survivors. Participants will be paid a small stipend for their time. See details below.
Focus Group
David W. Oaks, psychiatric survivor activist and past Executive Director of MindFreedom International, is reaching out to other psychiatric survivors in the USA. Do you identify as a psychiatric survivor in the USA? Please consider emailing to David, via his consulting business: revolution@aciu.info.
David is holding a two hour, web-based focus group for psychiatric survivors on June 10. Participants will receive a modest stipend for their time. Participants must have access to a computer that is connected to the internet in order to participate in the focus group. Please email soon. Paid stipends are limited to ten participants.
Here in southwest Eugene, on a quarter-acre of wild garden, in our little creative home, I have a great team of five fantastic folks. They provide about 85 hours per week to help me get out of bed, do hygiene, eat, get back to bed and various activities of independent living that allow me to live in our community with my amazing wife, Debra.
My workers all say they love this job. But one is leaving for a full time position: Leaving 3 evening shifts Mon., Wed., and Fri. As well as a Sun. am shift. There is some flexibility.
As a quadriplegic+, I use a powerchair, and have a few other challenges such as a disabled voice. After more than 40 years as an activist, I am passionate about social & environmental change.
A priority is a homecare worker with an active Senior & Disabled Services (S&DS) provider number. S&DS pays my workers’ wages, health insurance and vacation through the State of Oregon.
Because of time, we are now looking for someone with an active provider number. Experience with paralysis care, such as a hoyer lift, is important. We aim to make this the best employment on Earth!
Let us thank young people for their leadership, vision, creativity and for just putting up with the bullshit that is piling up all around us!
Yes, we should give everyone an award, just for existing! But where do we start? I agree with the philosophy shared by many and credited to the Iroquois Confederacy: think ahead seven generations. How about we start with folks under 30, the ones we in the counterculture are supposed to trust.
I figure that seven generations from now would be a few years after the turn of the century, 2200. That might seem like a very long time, but there are some kids today, who when they are old, will share the planet with some little kids who will, we hope, reach the year 2200.
We owe the future a big, huge apology. We also can thank the future for their leadership!
Patch Adams, MD (shown on the left picking his nose with me), suggested that we award a few young leaders, and he has an idea about where we can start:
At Oregon Country Fair, an enormous celebration in the woods near Veneta each July that is wonderful and indescribable, I often have the chance to catch up with my friend “The Real” Patch Adams, MD, who goes each year to connect with his grand-kids. I have often blogged about my most-famous friend, because he often shares wonderful humor, strangeness and creativity.
Back at OCF 2012, a number of us gave an award, artistically created from recycled materials by psychiatric survivor art gallery owner Tim Boyden from OutOnALimb (see award image below). Since then we have given many awards, using PDF’s inserted with names and achievements.
Below are a few, usually given to thank great folks, or in the case of our Congress person Rep. Peter Defazio, to remind him to be an authentic fighter for the underdog, such as folks in the mental health system. Below is also a humorous award we gave to the local Chamber of Commerce to encourage them to speak up about the climate crisis.
We want your suggestions now: How can we all nominate young people, say under the age of 30, to appreciate their work and leadership into the future? Perhaps using online surveys? A panel of judges including young people? Do you have ideas to make these awards creative? Do you want to help on any of this? You can comment here, or email me privately at davidwoaks@gmail.com
Who do you think should be thanked? Wouldn’t it be fun to hand deliver a few at OCF 2018? The timing, July 13, 14, 15, happens to be the last three days of Creative Maladjustment Week, which many readers knows we celebrate, in the spirit of Martin Luther King who envisioned an International Association for the Advancement of Creative Maladjustment.
Here are a few awards:
Because of their silence about the climate crisis, here is the Award we gave to the Eugene Chamber with our tongues in our cheeks. Psychiatric survivor artist Tim Boyden created this award.
Especially for those of you who live in Eugene, this Friday you are invited to join us at the LILA Peer Support Club, free. We will build MindFreedom Oregon and then have fun on the stage with folk singer David Rogers and others.
Who? David Rogers, folk singer. Chrissy Peirsol & David Oaks, revolutionary psychiatric survivor activists. You! Free, public, all ages welcome.
Before, you are invited to the 1:30 meeting at the back of LILA Peer Support Club, for the revival of MindFreedom Oregon.
After our indoors event, those of us who wish will then go to nearby Kesey Square, Broadway & Willamette, where Food Not Bombs (FNB) serves yummy, free, hot food every Friday afternoon!
This is a First Fri, so you can also celebrate Eugene’s art.
I’ll go to free showing tomorrow of new documentary about controversy of involuntary mental healthcare. Movie is appropriately called “Crazy” and appropriately I am one of those interviewed in the flick. If you are in Eugene Tues 1/30, more info about the 5:30 showing is here on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1078812778925476/
Thankfully, the USA culture is discussing more than ever the hidden oppression of sexual assault against women. However, men who have had their lives disrupted by unwanted or abusive sexual experiences might not have felt the same level of support or not known where to turn. A local respected nonprofit here in Eugene, Oregon, Sexual Assault Support Services, has mainly worked with female survivors, but they have a resource for male survivors.
Many group meetings for counseling have a formal expectation for attending, but this meetup is more informal, and participants may decide to drop in at the last minute, and may attend any of the weekly gatherings or take a break. Their choice. The group has two experienced, thoughtful and supportive counselors to help the peer support be empowered but safe.
Below is from their flyer, the group is active now, January 2018. If you want to double check that the group is being held each week, check their website.
From the SASS flyer about the Eugene, Oregon weekly men’s meetup:
MEN’S MEET-UP
You are invited to be a part of a free & confidential mentoring group lead by trained facilitators who work to strategize with, & empower men who have experienced unwanted sexual contact at any point in their life. Come, be of support to others & find support for yourself!
This group is for self-identified males 18+
When: Thursday’s 4:30 to 6:00 PM
Where: 591 West 19th Ave. Eugene (Corner of 19th & Jefferson), Oregon. Call with questions, or just drop in! Door locks at 4:35 as no late arrivals allowed.
[To repeat, SASS is the respected sponsor of this free weekly meetup. MindFreedom Oregon and I are not organizers, but are strong endorsers and you can find our listing of this event on fb here: https://www.facebook.com/events/354136108328973/ ]
You are invited to a free celebration by David Oaks:
“It’s Been 5 Years Since My Accident!”
Where: Cuckoo’s Nest Stage
LILA Peer Support Club
990 Oak St, Eugene
(NW corner 8th & Oak)
Date: Friday, Dec 1, 2017
Time: Starts at 3 pm
Who? Confirmed: David Rogers, folk singer. Howard Falk, stand-up comedian. Sarah Smith, MindFreedom International. Chrissy Peirsol & David Oaks, revolutionary psychiatric survivor activists. Libbie Rascon, Office of Consumer Activities. Dale Kegley. Debra Nunez. Surprise guests. You! Free, public, peaceful, all ages welcome.
Before, you are invited to the 1:30 meeting at the back of LILA Peer Support Club, for the revival of MindFreedom Oregon. After our indoors celebration, those of us who wish will then go to nearby Kesey Square, Broadway & Willamette, where Food Not Bombs (FNB) serves yummy, free, hot food every Friday afternoon!
This is a First Friday, so you can also then celebrate Eugene’s art.