Two-Day Forum on Hearing Voices Starts Tonight

Can people hear voices and be healthy? Can people who hear overwhelming and distressing voices be assisted to find ways to live successfully with their affliction? Ron Coleman and Paul Baker, two leaders in the Hearing Voices movement from England and world-renowned lecturers in the field, will provide information on research that suggests they can.

Tonight, the Montgomery County Department of Behavioral Health will host a public forum featuring Ron Coleman for “Recovery from Psychosis: Is it Possible?” in the Community Room at the at 1430 DeKalb St. from 7:30 to 9pm. This is free to the public and no registration is required.

On Oct. 26, there will be another presentation by Coleman and Baker, “Understanding and Working with Voices.” This training is for service providers, families and people in recovery at the North Penn Community Health Foundation in Colmar and registration is required for this event.

Scottish advocate Coleman is the director of Working to Mental Health Recovery, and is a voice hearer. Baker is a writer, consultant and trainer who founded the Hearing Voices Network in England and is a founder and past coordinator of INTERVOICE (International Network for Training, Education & Research into Hearing Voices).

After being sexually abused by a priest and grieving at the death of his first wife, Coleman started hearing voices. He was labeled a “chronic schizophrenic” and spent six years in psychiatric hospitals. Now a renowned teacher and leading trainer with the Hearing Voices movement, Coleman describes his remarkable recovery, using his experiences to develop his ideas for recovery-centered treatment of others.

A measure of the success of this work is that there are now networks and activity in over 23 countries across the world with a network now growing in America. This empowering approach to assisting people (both adults and children) who hear voices has had a significant impact on the way voice hearers and mental health services regard the voice experience. This change in perspective has led to important changes in practice among service providers with respect to their interventions for people who hear voices, as well as the development of a vigorous peer support network.

“I applaud the Montgomery County Department of Behavioral Health’s initiative in bringing Ron Coleman and Paul Baker to this area," said Berta Britz, a Certified Peer Specialist for Creating Increased Connections, a local agency that is helping plan the event. "The County’s decision to invite them is groundbreaking. Ron and Paul have inspired me and countless other voice hearer’s worldwide. This is a great opportunity for members of our community to hear their cutting-edge ideas about recovery.” 

Britz will present her story at the public forum tonight.

Coleman and Baker have lectured across Europe and North America in a further effort to increase the profile of the research, philosophy and practice of the hearing voices movement. They hope that by sharing their experience and knowledge with interested groups and individuals they will help stimulate the further development of work with people who hear voices.

For more information, please contact Peggy Maccolini at 484-681-9432.