First International Hearing Voices Congress
Posted by: Uticopa in hearing voices on Dec 01, 2008
It is time that society at large recognises that hearing voices in the head is a human variation rather than a symptom of illness. As a step in the right direction, mental health professionals are urged to attend the first international congress of its kind, specifically organised to develop awareness of this variation.
The First International Hearing Voices Congress is to be held in Maastricht in Holland from 17 - 18th September 2009. It is planned that it should be both inclusive and participative, bringing people together from around the world - in fact, all who are concerned with hearing voices - in order to exchange ideas and information.
The Congress is being held to develop groundbreaking work in the field in order to empower and help sufferers in their recovery. It is hoped to change the way society as a whole perceives the experience of hearing voices. In this way, the social stigma and many misunderstandings about hearing voices can be reduced.
The INTERVOICE co-ordinator, Paul Baker, would like to hear from mental health professionals interested in attending and presenting a paper at the conference. In particular, he is looking for papers covering your experiences of research, in education, training courses, mental health care services and, if possible, in the voice-hearing experience itself. The expected target audience would be sufferers themselves as well as family members, researchers and practitioners.
Are you willing to take part? If so, please email Paul Baker here with an idea of your proposed topic and/or what you intend to bring to the Congress, e.g. lecture, poster discussion etc. Paul also seeks help with sponsorship to raise funds for the Congress: see a sponsorship letter here
To reserve your place at the Congress, and for information on accommodation etc., email Gina Habets here. For further information, and to keep a check on future announcements nearer the time, download the full INTERVOICE announcement here
Remember: it is only by understanding that we can first, reduce the current social stigma surrounding people who experience hearing voices, then secondly, empower and actively help sufferers to recover from these sometimes overwhelming voice experiences.
