The North Shore Voices and Visions virtual support group is introducing a discussion focus for the first session of each month (on the 2nd Thursday of the month). The group will still be meeting on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of every month from 5 to 6 PM on Zoom, and is open to anyone who hears voices, sees visions, or experiences other unusual perceptions or beliefs. The group is drop-in, and your supporters are also welcome to attend. To learn more about the upcoming discussion topics, keep reading! Or, for the Zoom link to attend, visit the group page.
For each month and discussion topic, we’ve listed some questions to get you thinking. What does each topic mean to you? Drop-in on the second Thursday of the month on Zoom to share your thoughts.
August 11: Self-care
- What does self-care mean to you? What practices are important to you for your wellbeing? How do you define wellbeing? How does self-care affect your voices/visions, and how do your voices/visions affect your self-care? What is the role of community and personal relationships in self-care? How effective is self-care for you? Are there limits to self-care?
September 8: Community and relationships
- What does community mean to you? What are the most important relationships in your life? What are your experiences being in community spaces as someone with voices/visions? Do supportive communities/relationships help you to cope with distressing voices/visions? Are there challenges to being part of a community, as someone who experiences voices/visions? In your opinion, what would it mean to be part of a community of people living with voices/visions? What conflicts/tensions do you perceive in this community (or in other communities), or what do you value about it? What do you think this community has to offer?
October 13: Exploring the uniqueness of our perceptual experiences
- “Hearing voices” and “seeing visions” mean a lot of different things to different people, and not everyone who comes to this group experiences either. What is it like for you when you experience your unique perceptions or beliefs? For instance, if you hear voices, where does the voice come from? Is it inside or outside your head? Do you hear the words clearly? Do they sound like a “normal” sound or not? Other types of experiences can include seeing, feeling, smelling, or tasting things that other people don’t, but they can also include the world seeming to transform in ways that are harder to describe. Here is a podcast interview that discusses how much people’s experiences can vary:
November 10: Self-image and identity
- How do your voices/visions affect how you feel about yourself (or do they have an effect at all)? Do your voices/visions reflect how you feel about yourself – for instance, do they seem to pick up on your insecurities, worries, or self-esteem, or are they unrelated? What coping strategies do you use? Does the way other people think of or talk about your voices/visions affect you, in a good or a bad way? What else affects how you feel about yourself? Does it change a lot, or does it stay the same? Has your perception of yourself changed since you started experiencing voices/visions?
December 8: Rights, access, and advocacy
- Have you been in a situation before (for instance, healthcare, employment, housing) where you felt like your rights were violated or you were treated differently because of your experiences with voices/visions? What did you do about it, or what do you wish you could have done at the time? Were there resources you found helpful? What do you think could be changed to prevent or improve this type of situation? What advice would you give others? Is there anything you wish you had known about your situation, or that you think other people (friends, family members, professionals, etc) don’t always understand?
We look forward to seeing you there!
BC Hearing Voices Network 