Healing Voices

The film illuminates how fear, born from misunderstanding, creates a system of institutionalized oppression (that masquerades around as 'treatment') where people, people who arguably need to be listened to the most, are stripped of their voices and their right to be human. For me, part of why the film is so powerful, is because it lessens the fear that separates people and instead cultivates connectedness in the unifying message that mental health struggles (of various forms) can and do relate to anybody who possesses consciousness...i.e everyone.

As human beings we all have struggled, do struggle, and will continue to struggle whether it be physically, spiritually, emotionally, existentially. Sometimes, profound stress can manifest in different ways in different people, and that's okay. Imbued with this alternative perspective on mental health phenomena, how can we as individuals, as communities, and as a culture, create a space (physically and psychologically speaking) where people can struggle with dignity and freedom?