1 Jan 2020 DRAFT

ReAwakening through Irish Eyes
A fellow social work student asked me last week where I am on placement. I told
her I'm working in a hearing voices clinic, to which she laughed hysterically for a
few minutes. I don’t know what was so funny and I still don’t. Perhaps if I said I
worked with ‘schizophrenics’ it wouldn’t have been so hysterical. Is it more acceptable
to work with people with labels rather than to hear a person’s story and treat
them as individuals with individual needs?
Which leads me to my experience at ReAwaken, which was an event with the purpose
of creating connection, compassion and shifting paradigms in the mental
health system. Did I see any mad people? No, what I saw were strong-willed people
attuned to the idea of a compassionate recovery rather that the current shitstorm
of a mental health system which provides limited emphasis or explanations on the
impact that trauma and abuse can have on someone. It was liberating to be in the
company of like-minded individuals; you could see in each persons eyes, the determination,
the strength, the mirrored frustration of seeing the system's lack of compassion
and the impact this has on people.
We came from all walks of life, different countries, cultures, attitudes and beliefs, we
all had our own stories and experiences but at the end of the day we were all on
the same page about what we are fighting for. And that is for recognition that we
are not broken, recognition of earlier traumas and abuses and how they affect people’s
mental health, and the choice whether to be medicated or not.
One of the big ones for me is the importance of peer work. To recognise that these
people have suffered horrific and dark experiences, have got through it and are dedicating
their lives to helping others heal themselves. Although it may be painful and
triggering, it is powerful and will change the world. That to
me is COMPASSION. Let’s not lose the momentum, let’s keep
everything we learnt fresh in our heads, let’s spread the word,
let’s keep talking until people are tired of hearing about it!
Claire McClorey is a social work student at Flinders University
in Adelaide, South Australia. She is currently doing field placement
with the HUMANE Clinic and was a core member of the
ReAwaken organizing team.
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