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National Empowerment CenterDan Fisher's Presentations on Recovery |
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I knew the invitation to speak in Boardman, Oregon was important to me. Why else would I have traveled a day each way to present a one-day seminar? Boardman, Oregon is a very small rural town three hours east of Portland nestled along the gorgeous Columbia River. It was the meeting place of the administrators from the 32 county mental health programs in Oregon. They have a good deal of influence over the course of policies in Oregon's county-based mental health system. In the five years since the New Freedom Commission was released, I have focused much of my attention on Oregon as a pilot for transformation because they have shown consistent interest in implementing a recovery approach. In fact, this visit represented my fourth address to the county administrators. The difference was that this time Gina Nikkel, their Director of Association of Oregon Community Mental Health Programs (AOCMHP), had gained enough trust by the directors that she was able to schedule a full day out of their 2 1⁄2 day meeting schedule.
I was so impressed by the progress that that the group made that I will describe my agenda in some detail. (Click for more)
Daniel Fisher on Hope and Recovery - A series of radio programs recorded May 2008, in Australia
In Australia for the Joining the Dots - Creating Community conference, Dan Fisher was interviewed on three ABC Radio National programs, May 7, 20008.
Breakfast - www.abc.net.au/rn/breakfast/stories/2008/2237653.htm
Perspective - www.abc.net.au/rn/perspective/stories/2008/2235871.htm (View transcript)
Australia Talks - Radio National's daily talkback program www.abc.net.au/rn/australiatalks/stories/2008/2235668.htm
Recovering Humanity in South Korea: Nothing About Us Without Us
I realize from this trip that I travel to learn as much as to teach. The South Korean Commission on Human Rights had asked me to come to teach them what we have learned about recovery. I found that I learned as much about how I understand recovery as I taught. I found that by being with a people of such different language and culture so many miles away, I discovered a deeper meaning to my own life. I found that to recover from mental illness means really to recover one’s humanity at the deepest level. This movement of recovery is growing as our awareness of our common bond and need surpasses the ordinary bounds of daily existence. It indeed feels like a spiritual journey of all of humanity, for I believe that our humanity is linked to the humanity of every other being. (Click for more)
Spreading Recovery to Portugal, N. Ireland and England
I was invited to speak at three occasions in Portugal this October. Dr. Jose Ornelas was particularly interested in having me address several members of the Portuguese Mental Health Commission. I also spoke at a national conference on rehabilitation and on my last day gave a workshop on empowerment to their emerging consumer leaders.
I was particularly happy to meet their emerging leaders, in their newly forming Empowerment Center. The six leaders were very interested and understand a great deal of what I shared. I was struck again by how universal the issues are. They too had felt hope had been robbed of them. They asked when psychiatrists would learn about recovery. They understood that having a voice meant having power to be taken seriously. (Click for more)
Learning from Northern Europe
In April-May, 2006, I gave a series of talks in Sweden, Netherlands, and Denmark. I talked but I also entered into dialogue with “users” (their name for consumer/survivors), families, and providers. This tour filled me with new understanding, which I want to share with you all. We entered into dialogues of mutuality across cultures and languages. My symbol for this sharing is found in the drawing of two hearts by a user from Denmark:
I now feel the core of recovery is as follows. Throughout our life we each pursue our development to become the unique person we deeply are. We develop this sense of ourselves through deepening emotional connections with important persons in our life. These connections provide us the light to see and feel our values and emotions. The better we know ourselves, the better we can self-direct our life based on our dreams and goals. When we experience various traumas causing us loss of control over our lives, we suffer extremes of emotional distress. If we are unable to share these emotions with others, we develop distortions in our thinking and feeling which interfere with our expected life role. We are then at risk of being labeled mentally ill, unless we can share these extremes of anger and sadness and transform them into passion. This passion can empower us to continue our journey of self-discovery. (Click for more)
Life Found in Translation - Magic Moment in Puerto Rico
On February 25, 2006, Dr. Fisher presented a keynote address and two workshops to the staff of Value Options in San Juan, Puerto Rico. CEO Marina Diaz had appreciated his presentation in May, 2005, and wanted to ensure more psychiatrists were in attendance. 
This cross-cultural experience was not only useful in informing the staff about the principles and implementation of recovery, but also helped Dr. Fisher learn more about recovery.
In the movie “Lost in Translation,” Bill Murray is constantly misunderstanding Japanese culture, and as a result misses a great deal of its meaning. In contrast, Dr. Fisher’s experience in Puerto Rico helped him to find new meaning in translation. He found new meaning in his work and his life through translating the NEC recovery manual, PACE, into Spanish and through the interactions during his presentations. (Click for more)
Resonating in Japan
In many ways I feel I learned as much from the Japanese as they learned from me during my 5 days of sharing experiences with consumer/survivors and mental health professionals. During the period from November 17-21, 2005, I found that NEC's message of recovery resonated deeply with the several hundred Japanese people I met with. Across language and culture there are universal aspects of the principles of recovery that ring as true in Japan as they do in the United States.
I had been invited to Japan to speak in Osaka and in Tokyo on the topic of recovery. My wife and I were hosted by Professor Hiro Matsuda during our journey to these modern cities. Hiro made the whole trip possible and productive. I had met with him and Makiko, a consumer leader from Tokyo, in Massachusetts in March of this year. Hiro heads a self-help clearinghouse in Osaka. He was a terrific host and made my talks productive and our visit a delight. He took me to the main consumer-run social club in town, the Bochi Bochi Club (Step by Step Club) on the first day. It was really an important visit. I got to bond with the members and to learn of their concerns. I also started to realize the challenge... (Click for more)
Consulting to the Mental Health Community in Northern Ireland
I had an excellent opportunity to bring a message of hope and recovery to Northern Ireland on Nov. 12th and 13th. The users (their name for consumers), carers (family members in US), providers and administrators were eager to hear that recovery can and does occur for most people with mental illness. They especially appreciated the message of hope that I carried. Hope is vital in healing from fear and Northern Ireland is slowly emerging from 30 years of the trauma of a frightening civil war. They said that my messages of recovery and hope came at just the right time in the cultural transformation they are carrying out. The passion and enthusiasm of these people crossed all the usual divisions in the mental health world. The strong spirit of these people is palpable and itself inspiring. We in the US can learn a great deal about courage from them. (Click for more)
The Key Elements of a Rural-Recovery Based Mental Health and Substance Abuse System of Care
From Dream to Reality: How Consumers are Driving the Recovery Transformation - A PowerPoint presentation from Dan's visit with the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHI), December 12th, 2005.