Keynote presentation by Matt Ball of the Humane Clinic, presented at the Western Australian Mental Health Conference 2019.

1. Strengthening our Community:
Problems – Alternatives - Solutions

2. ’Sanity’ is determinism and
totalitarianism. It is death to
the soul and the end of
freedom – RD Laing

3. Psychosis and trauma:
Seeing disease or seeing
a human being ?
The degree to which healthcare
professionals engage in
dehumanization depends critically
on the professional’s
conceptualization of schizophrenia,
namely bio-genetic or psycho-
environmental (Giulia Pavon &
Jeroen Vaes 2017)

4. An alternative – Social codes and
phenomenology
ICD 11 - social codes
… these phenomenological codes offer a constructive, radical
way forward Kinderman and Alsop (2018)
Cultural considerations e.g. Panic
Disorder
The symptom presentation of panic attacks may
vary across cultures, influenced by cultural
attributions about their origin or pathophysiology.
For example, individuals of Cambodian origin may
emphasize panic symptoms attributed to
dysregulation of khyâl, a wind‐like substance in
traditional Cambodian ethnophysiology (e.g.,
dizziness, tinnitus, neck soreness)

5. radical (adj.)
Latin radicalis "of or having
roots,"
Meaning "going to the origin,
essential"
What is a radical approach?

6. Narratives and Formulations
● Patterns can be used as a guide in assisting people to contextualise and make sense of their experience - and
the experiences of others.
● What we refer to as narrative approaches for understanding our world are common in traditional cultures. In
the context of modern psychotherapy and social work, the concept of exploring and ‘re-authoring’ one’s
personal stories has been popularised by White & Epston’s Narrative Therapy.
● In the context of services and clinical team settings, the term ‘formulation’ may also be used to refer to the
same process.
● Not limited to verbal accounts - can include art, poetry, music etc.
This approach supports people to move from pathologising and problem-saturated
stories of self (that are often the consequence of engagement with the mental
health system), to richer and more empowering narratives about personal identity
(an essential aspect of recovery).
• 'What has happened to you?’ (How is Power operating in your life?)
• ‘How did it affect you?’ (What kind of Threats does this pose?)
• ‘What sense did you make of it?’ (What is the Meaning of these experiences to
you?)
• ‘What did you have to do to survive?’ (What kinds of Threat Response are you
using?)
This then leads to the questions:
• What are your strengths?’ (What access to Power resources do you have?)
• .....and to integrate all the above: ‘What is your story?’
Core Questions

7. Co existing same experience:
Human interconnectedness towards to love
and safety & away from liminality

8. Dissociachotic:
The experience of
animation and giving life
to being at variance of
companionship to self in
order for the survival of
self in relationship to
interpersonal threat
from other

9. Perception:
Psychosis as Dissociation
(Dissociachotic)
‘Busy, active dissociation’ towards
safety of relationship

10. Dissociation it’s a freeze response right?

11. We have had to adapted to the new threat

12. What does this mean to the evolving sector?
Facilitate the person in
staying where they are or
coming towards the other
when ready
Connection, narrative,
human understanding
towards authoring and re-
authoring a narrative - not
labels, confinement and
medication
Notice what the threat was -
(Going towards the fearful,
liminal person pushes them
towards nihilation)
Attune, be available to your
own sense of being in the
moment - how that might
‘feed’ the other persons
narrative.
Being with the person in the
co existing same experience
– with different realities -
allows evaporation of the so
called psychotic state
Sharing facilitating a
moment when the threat
might not exist in itself
meaning a new story can and
may have emerged.
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14. ‘Applied recovery’
‘Applied trauma inform care’