(posted in the forums by steven smiles 8/08)

Greetings,

Several Icaristas have been discussing the creation of a newsletter (see: https://site.icarusprojectarchive.org/fo.....highlight= ).

The intent is to weave articles into a clear and evocative tapestry that presents alternative perspectives to the traditional mental health system. We would like to see it reach people stuck in the system who may not have the skills or means necessary to access alternative information.

This thread is a call for submissions to the newsletter. Many of you have already written wonderful insights on Icarus that can simply be reposted here if you want to see them printed. Once we have several articles, we can move on to next steps (like editing, compiling, distributing, etc.).

Also, I think that this space can be a place for people who submit to receive feedback.

As for themes, I began listing some as suggestions, though they are by no means "the blueprint." Feel free to submit anything!

Here are some suggested themes:

* The impact of diagnosis on self-image
* Trauma: acknowledging it, moving through it
* Meds: helpful, harmful, or somewhere in-between?
* Crisis as oppurtunity
* Negotiating with doctors and other mental health workers
* Finding meaning and purpose once again
* Working with heavy moods
* Activism as healing
* The importance of community
* Why I don't diseasify my experiences
* Any story that demonstrates that we who are diagnosed can live fulfilling lives
* Perspectives on living with hearing voices (I think this is much, much needed, as many in the system hear voices and my experience is that it isn't talked about)
* Neuroplasticity and the healing potential of the brain
* Are schizophrenia and bipolar disorder actually medical diseases? Are they lifelong?
* Sickness: A cultural construct? A collective inheritance? Part of health?
* Finding context to our experiences, feelings, and thoughts
* Nutrition and wellness